There will not be a female President in the White House in Washington, DC on January 21, 2017. There will be many women marching in the Woman’s March on Washington wishing that there was. Will I be with them?
As reported on the www.chron.com website, the idea for the Woman’s March On Washington started when a woman by the name of Teresa Shook, was upset by the rise of Donald Trump:
“Teresa Shook never considered herself much of an activist, or someone particularly versed in feminist theory. But when the results of the presidential election became clear, the grandmother and retired attorney in Hawaii turned to Facebook and asked: ‘What if women marched on Washington around inauguration day en masse?’ She asked her friends how to create an event page, and then started one for the march she was hoping would happen. By the time she went to bed 40 women responded that they were in. When she woke, the number had exploded to 10,000. Now more than 100,000 people have registered their plans to attend the Women’s March on Washington in what is expected to be the largest demonstration linked to the inauguration of Donald Trump, and a focal point for activists on the left who have been energized in opposing his agenda.”
It is amazing how this older women was walked through new social media event planning technology to motivate the start of something big. This alone is big news
“The Women’s March on Washington aims to send a message to all levels of government that we stand together in solidarity and we expect leaders to act in to protect the rights of women, their families and their communities.” “The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized and threatened many of us—immigrants of all statuses, Muslim and those of diverse faiths, people who identify with LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question how to move forward in the face of national concern and fear. The Women’s March on Washington will send a message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the World that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.” as quoted from Women’s March on Washington’s website.
As a white heterosexual male, (whose physical disability isn’t visible enough yet to qualify for the oppressed class of “people with disabilities”), I feel like I should be going to march in solidarity with those who believe that white heterosexual males, shouldn’t be treated better by the US federal government, than those who aren’t. I agree that they should be able to enjoy the nearly fear-free lifestyle as well. (I’m being sarcastic here, sorry).
My reluctance to march is based mainly on what little fear I still do have. I fear that I can’t afford the cost of traveling to Washington, as my retirement funds dwindle. I fear that my sciatica might act up on the bus ride. I fear that I might get knocked off balance as I walk, if I march. I fear that there will not be enough Port-A-Potties when I get there and have to go.
I fear that the event will be too much of a reactionary anti-Trump thing and I don’t think that is the best way forward.
I think that it is past time to abandon “the Democratic Party Left cares about women and the Republican Party right doesn’t” kind of thinking. I believe that both parties don’t care much about the interests of those who vote for them and do care a great deal about the interests of those who give them lots of money.
I question the interest of organizations who claim to represent the interests of women. I fear that they too often represent their own interests and salaries and perks and the interest of their biggest donors, which aren’t always in the best interests of women in general.
Yet, I am still inclined to march, because I believe in whatever grace visited Teresa Shook. Ms. Shook didn’t wait for established women’s rights leadership to represent her interests. She took it upon herself. Less and less, I have hope, that the politicians and not-for-profit organizations will follow the will of the masses that are sickened by the treatment of women throughout the world.
Less and less, I believe that the present powers-at-be, really give a shit about the class of people most damaged by the shameful treatment of women, that being children. If you were once a child, you have been damaged by the ongoing war against women.
The most disturbing issue raised during the presidential campaign in the USA concerned rumors that many politicians in Washington, DC are involved in child sex slave trafficking. There has been little public outcry at the thought of it. Little demands for urgent transparent, accountable investigation. For most adults, the child sex trade is too gross to think too much about.This shows what most adults think about children. Investigations can be embarrassing to powerful people. It is easier to dismiss rumors as being “fake news.”
If children could descend en masse on Washington, DC to march and crawl to demonstrate their concerns, would it change many adult minds about the woeful neglect of their interests?
There are some that argue that the main reason women are so oppressed, is not because they are women, but because of their association with children.
Since children can’t organize for their own cause, any cause that benefits women, is the next best thing. Children loved by women who are freed from the fear associated with being female can grow to be awesome parents, who will in turn be awesome parents. Therein lies the hope for humanity.
I don’t know yet if I’ll go to the Women’s March on Washington or not. But either way I am already there in spirit.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
I’ve got mixed feelings about this. I mean, first of all, I’m not taking any of trump’s ideas seriously. Like it or not, trump in his most basic form is just a businessman. And like any business, there’s a lot of competition, so any businessman worth his mettle would know that the fastest way to outsmart everyone else would be to lie and cheat their way to victory. Therefore, all of this could be a ruse to to win over support, or trick to gather a specific group of people to one place or something. But, that’s just my opinion,… Read more »
The only reason she got that big a response is that society cares about women. If you do go, bring a kettle and solicit donations for prostate cancer prevention.
They’ll be 100,000 people there and that’s just the marchers. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t clear a grand (less than a penny from each person there). That is what society thinks about men.
“The most disturbing issue raised during the presidential campaign in the USA concerned rumors that many politicians in Washington, DC are involved in child sex slave trafficking. There has been little public outcry at the thought of it.” UHHH MAYBE BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETE LIES AND INNUENDO… wait…are you writing this from a pizza parlor in DC by any chance??