Blogging about Iranian culture and political affairs is how Mina Zand Siegel brings visibility to gender equality. She said, “Women’s issues are very important. I’m adamant about it.” In her posts on “IranWrites” she probes topics ranging from the hejab to her reaction Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
“Irving’s politics advocate genocide. He is against people of color, Jews, gays, communists, and socialists. The neo-Nazis are always at anti-immigration rallies,” he informed me. He handed me a flyer.
“The notion that Hillary and Obama fundraisers are not working together is completely wrong. It’s just way off. I was at the fundraiser last night, where they had dozens and dozens of Hillary fundraisers and supporters who raised or wrote a combination of $50,000 or more for a photo op with Barack. So her fundraisers are on board. She’s on board.”
The July 4th weekend is over, and I am still reflecting on where women are in the political and cultural landscape of America. Abigail Adams didn’t get to sign the Declaration of Independence, Betsy Ross sewed the flag, and how many people even know who Deborah Samson Gannett was?
When it was opened up to a group discussion, there was agreement that a lack of consciousness about gender stereotypes was pervasive, which led to the question, “If you don’t recognize it, how do you address it?” Lake believed that it must be “named and pointed out systemically,” adding that reporters “pay no price for being sexist.”
Behind Steinem was a large screen, with her image projected upon it. I contemplated the symbolism of Gloria standing on the podium, alongside her larger-than-life size image. Like other public leaders, she has represented so much to so many. For countless women, she is the personification of their own struggle with gender issues.
Red Buttons had a well-tread act that he used at celebrity roasts. The punch line was about all the famous people in history that “never got a dinner.” It was kind of like Rodney Dangerfield complaining that he didn’t get any respect. On the evening of May 21st, women in New York City had the opportunity to come out and support two events that proved achievers of the female gender were getting their due.
I knew I was in for a different type of experience when the girl standing next to the balloons and boxes of animal crackers ushered me into the cavernous space of the Skylight Studios for the Mediabistro Circus, billed as “a 2-day summit on technology and the critical platforms changing the flow of media.”
Dorchen Leiderholdt, founder of CATW, has a clear-cut point of view about the motives of the subscription cable giant. She said, “HBO cynically labels ‘Cathouse’ as a documentary, when in fact it packages prostitution as entertainment.”
The need for citizens to become part of the conversation on a continuum of concerns has never been greater. Through personal action, their influence and clout can impact the larger picture. As Margaret Meade wisely said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
"The Jump Rope Line" by Marcia G. Yerman is included in the Seal Press anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
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