The film interweaves the stories of three women who are each transforming the world through individual actions. One is changing the way that people think. The other two are building understanding and relationships, impelled by the pain of their personal experiences.
Several story threads make up the narrative. In a chilling sequence, we see a videotape made by two young men who filmed their exploits as rising pimps, with hopes of snaring a reality show. The streets of New York City have never looked bleaker.
As long as the separate communities of women are siloed on the Internet, they will only be as strong as their individual voices and agendas.
Calling George Mitchell!! Forget the Middle East. Your services are needed in the sprawling community of women who have different visions of “feminism.”
The future strength of women’s advocacy lies in the ability to be more tolerant of different points of view.
Women require more health care, but have fewer financial resources to pay the bills. They pay 68 percent more than men for out-of-pocket expenses. As a result, one in four women is unable to pay her medical bills.
Regardless of party affiliation, women saw the coverage of both Clinton and Palin as “too negative” and without adequate substance…In what could be characterized as two extremes, Clinton was labeled as “anti-male and a she-devil,” while Palin was assigned the role of “a ditz and an airhead.”
For health workers, the core matter is saving lives through the prevention of spreading AIDS. Anti-trafficking activists are goal-driven to free women and children from conditions where they may be forced to have sex 10 to 30 times per day.
Questions from the audience reflected a hunger to examine a wider range of issues. One frustrated attendee prefaced her query with, “Look how much time we’re spending on Sarah Palin, and what does it say with her as a choice?”
With questions from moderators Deborah Roberts and Al Roker, the topic of women and power was engaged; both relating it to the male version and qualifying that power could be used for positive purposes.
"The Jump Rope Line" by Marcia G. Yerman is included in the Seal Press anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
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