What’s My Vote Worth?
Courtesy of Google Alerts, I saw Michelle Obama’s piece in the Ohio State daily (2008/09/22). It’s a nice piece about memories of her father’s work as a precinct captain, the turnout of the youth vote in the primaries, and the importance of voting.
Like so many people, I took my right to vote for granted. I never had to march for it. I never knew what it felt like to be turned away while others were told that their voice counted. So when I got to vote for the first time, I did it dutifully – but without any excitement. …
When we vote this November, we’ll be casting our ballots for that world.
I’ve heard people say, “My vote doesn’t matter,” “My vote won’t count,” or, “I’m just one person. What possible difference can I make?” But this year, all our votes matter more than ever.
If you are satisfied with the world as it is, your choice this fall is easy. But if you believe, as I do, that we can change the world together, please join me in voting on Nov. 4. …
This year, I’ll be voting for my daughters’ future and my father’s memory. I’ll vote for the thousands of regular folks who fought to get me the right to vote. And I’ll vote for young people across America – and the generations of young people that will follow, who will someday look back at this time with gratitude that we summoned the courage to begin building the world as it should be.
Sexism Watchapalooza*
I have a guest post up at Shakesville: Sexism Watchapalooza (*nifty title is Liss’, not mine). It’s about C.M. Paulson’s Associated Content article critiquing the Entertainment Tonight segment that speculated on Ms. Obama, Gov. Palin, Sen. Clinton, and Ms. McCain’s dress sizes. The article itself was good but the ET content was horrendous, as was The Insider’s fat-shaming interview of Meghan McCain.
Obama & Gov. Palin: Sexism and Racism
I tried to write a thoughtful, eloquent post on Anne Applebaum’s op-ed in the Washington Post, “Class of ’64,” but it was not in the cards. So here’s the list version:
1. Sexist: the premise of the article is that Michelle Obama and Governor Sarah Palin are comparable because (a) they were both born in 1964 (Not coincidentally, Applebaum was also born in 1964, which makes this op-ed more than a little bit narcissistic, a la Erich Segal’s The Class.); (b) they’re both women; (c) they’re both involved in politics.
Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama, two of the stars of this year’s political conventions, do have a few important things in common.
For one, both were born in 1964 …
More important — for the purposes of this otherwise unlikely comparison between two women who probably don’t agree on anything at all — both of them belong to the first post-feminist generation.
So, they’re women of the same age and that’s enough to override the huge differences between them, the first being that Palin is an actual political candidate and Obama, although she is campaigning for her spouse, is not. Then there are the differences in ethnicity, education, careers, backgrounds, and, oh, political positions. Apparently, it’s irrelevant that more relevant and more meaningful comparisons actually do exist, such as Geraldine Ferraro, the first female VP candidate on a major party ticket, or Rosa Clemente, the current VP candidate for the Green party. However, writing about Ferraro or Clemente would mean focusing on Palin as a politician and admitting that there is substance behind the beauty queen history and gender identity that Applebaum seems intent on. The column reinforces the idea that no matter what a female politician accomplishes, she’ll be seen as part of the monolithic idea of Woman first and an unique individual second, if at all (see this xkcd cartoon for an illustration).
The op-ed relies on the same sexist assumptions as the women-voters-who-voted-for-Clinton-will-vote-for-VP-Palin-because-they’re-all-women idea: all women are similar and interchangeable because they’re women, and their gender is similarity enough to override their distinguishing characteristics as individuals. What other reason is there to compare Michelle Obama, spouse of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Obama, and Governor Sarah Palin, Republican vice-presidential candidate? The compare/contrast formula assumes that either there’s a reasonable basis for comparing them to begin with or there’s some meaningful insight to be gained from the discussion.
Happy Blogiversary: Checking My Privilege
Today is my one year blogiversary. Happy one year, virtual, WordPress self!*
When I started blogging here last year, I was moving off of LJ due to 6A’s shenanigans–strike through and similar and their dismissive attitude toward their fandom users. I thought I’d blog about food, cooking, fandom stuff, restaurants, maybe post some photos, maybe some personal writing, and a little bit of feminism here and there. At that point, I’d been reading Feministe on and off for a year and had just started reading Shakesville, I think, or maybe that came later. In short, I was coming from a fandom-centric blogging and blog community experience.
A year later, I’m mostly blogging about feminism, politics, GLBTQ rights, and various intersections thereof. Occasionally, I stick up photos and once in a great while, I talk about food and music. Not quite what I envisioned, and yet, I like it.
Over the past year, my reading and commenting shifted toward feminist, political blogs and blog communities. I’ve become much more involved with politics and with individual activism, on however small a scale. And reading, writing, and blogging was hugely influential in that process, widening my worldview, sharpening my critical thinking skills, and leading me to volunteer in the offline world, as well. Commenting, reading comment threads, and writing on my own blog all helped me keep my writing and argumentative skills in shape. They also taught me about empathy, about the importance of standing up for what’s right rather than silently colluding, about checking my own privileges, and about compassion. It’s been a journey that’s helped me grow and also humbled me every step along the way, because I’ve learned so much from everyone in so many spheres. Their eloquence, determination, intelligence, compassion, principles, and kindness for others are daily examples of what I strive to be.
