Politics
Random thoughts about this year's election. I'm usually left of the left, so that should be enough to tell you where this is going. There are also some feminist thoughts about Hillary's speech, or rather the reaction to it.
Spiritually, this has not been a very active week, so far. School and work have just eaten up all of my time. I barely have managed the offerings. That said, I have caught some of the Democratic National Convention. Normally, I don't watch this sort of thing. I either vote for someone I know well, usually in a third party, or whichever Democrat is running because it's the lesser of two evils. I'd dearly love for our political system to be revamped to allow better access to other parties. We need more parties. But that's not going to happen anytime soon.
This year is different. I really like Obama. I lived for six years in Illinois, and never knew anything about him - he was just that Democrat that had to be better than the Republican. I didn't vote well back then. In fact, I still often do not vote as well as I should. By that, I mean that I'm not as educated a voter as I should be.
Again, that's neither here nor there. I didn't come here to go off into digressions as to what a bad voter I am. The thing is, there's this energy around him. I really feel something big is happening, even though the election isn't until November, and the Republicans still haven't had their say. My dad's an independent, although he usually leans to the right. Maybe I'm wrong in seeing something monumental here. And although it's been a long time since I've built a cone of power, I have to say I remember enough to say that this feels just like one.
It feels magical. And a lot of that magic, I think, was done by Hillary Clinton. Her speech was great. But what everyone said afterwards was how selfless she was. Selfless?
Sure, okay - I can see how they came to that conclusion, but really what they wanted to say was how she wasn't petty. But selfless? Not really. She's already lost the nomination. Like everyone, she has two choices: Obama or McCain. Did anyone really think she'd pick McCain? She's still a Senator, which means she's going to have to deal with whoever is President. Far easier if the president is from the same party. Supporting Obama now, after her own interests are no longer valid, is not selfless. It's just plain smart.
But no, no - she's a woman, so she has to be selfless. That's what irritates me. If a man had made that speech in the same circumstances, would anyone have said he was "selfless"? I doubt it. Sly, maybe, or political, but not selfless. But we have to go put Hillary back in her box. She's a woman, so she must be selfless. Her natural inclination is obviously to be petty and spiteful, so to go against that natural instinct must take a lot of strength and dedication.
I didn't vote for Hillary in our caucus, although I nearly did. I honestly thought they both would have done a good job. I also thought that they both could bring something to history, a precedent. To be honest, I'm not surprised that we went with the black man over the woman. After all, the Bell Curve, which tried to tie intelligence to race, was soundly mocked, while stuff like Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus by John Grey is still held up as excellent. Women are biologically different from men, but I don't think the differences are as great as people believe. I think most of the differences are cultural, not biological. But that is a minority view here, and most people think women are *naturally* gentler, meeker, and yes, more selfless than men.
Hillary, in seeking the presidency, was anything but gentle, meek, and selfless, which undoubtedly caused people to be uncomfortable. It probably made them either think that she really was those things and just hiding it well (which has now been confirmed thanks to her "selfless" speech the other night) or an unnatural woman. Neither of those would be good for the presidency, in their eyes. And because it's such an intrinsic part of our culture, I think most people would have no idea that that's what they were thinking when they cast their vote.
Again, I did vote for Obama, and I do think he will make a great leader. But I feel a sadness for what has happened with Hillary, and what it means for women. To ignore the strength and passion of her speech in favor of "selflessness" is a step backwards. To think that women can only be praised when they stand behind a strong man - that saddens me.
Okay, enough political rambling - time for bed.
Spiritually, this has not been a very active week, so far. School and work have just eaten up all of my time. I barely have managed the offerings. That said, I have caught some of the Democratic National Convention. Normally, I don't watch this sort of thing. I either vote for someone I know well, usually in a third party, or whichever Democrat is running because it's the lesser of two evils. I'd dearly love for our political system to be revamped to allow better access to other parties. We need more parties. But that's not going to happen anytime soon.
This year is different. I really like Obama. I lived for six years in Illinois, and never knew anything about him - he was just that Democrat that had to be better than the Republican. I didn't vote well back then. In fact, I still often do not vote as well as I should. By that, I mean that I'm not as educated a voter as I should be.
Again, that's neither here nor there. I didn't come here to go off into digressions as to what a bad voter I am. The thing is, there's this energy around him. I really feel something big is happening, even though the election isn't until November, and the Republicans still haven't had their say. My dad's an independent, although he usually leans to the right. Maybe I'm wrong in seeing something monumental here. And although it's been a long time since I've built a cone of power, I have to say I remember enough to say that this feels just like one.
It feels magical. And a lot of that magic, I think, was done by Hillary Clinton. Her speech was great. But what everyone said afterwards was how selfless she was. Selfless?
Sure, okay - I can see how they came to that conclusion, but really what they wanted to say was how she wasn't petty. But selfless? Not really. She's already lost the nomination. Like everyone, she has two choices: Obama or McCain. Did anyone really think she'd pick McCain? She's still a Senator, which means she's going to have to deal with whoever is President. Far easier if the president is from the same party. Supporting Obama now, after her own interests are no longer valid, is not selfless. It's just plain smart.
But no, no - she's a woman, so she has to be selfless. That's what irritates me. If a man had made that speech in the same circumstances, would anyone have said he was "selfless"? I doubt it. Sly, maybe, or political, but not selfless. But we have to go put Hillary back in her box. She's a woman, so she must be selfless. Her natural inclination is obviously to be petty and spiteful, so to go against that natural instinct must take a lot of strength and dedication.
I didn't vote for Hillary in our caucus, although I nearly did. I honestly thought they both would have done a good job. I also thought that they both could bring something to history, a precedent. To be honest, I'm not surprised that we went with the black man over the woman. After all, the Bell Curve, which tried to tie intelligence to race, was soundly mocked, while stuff like Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus by John Grey is still held up as excellent. Women are biologically different from men, but I don't think the differences are as great as people believe. I think most of the differences are cultural, not biological. But that is a minority view here, and most people think women are *naturally* gentler, meeker, and yes, more selfless than men.
Hillary, in seeking the presidency, was anything but gentle, meek, and selfless, which undoubtedly caused people to be uncomfortable. It probably made them either think that she really was those things and just hiding it well (which has now been confirmed thanks to her "selfless" speech the other night) or an unnatural woman. Neither of those would be good for the presidency, in their eyes. And because it's such an intrinsic part of our culture, I think most people would have no idea that that's what they were thinking when they cast their vote.
Again, I did vote for Obama, and I do think he will make a great leader. But I feel a sadness for what has happened with Hillary, and what it means for women. To ignore the strength and passion of her speech in favor of "selflessness" is a step backwards. To think that women can only be praised when they stand behind a strong man - that saddens me.
Okay, enough political rambling - time for bed.