Friday, August 18, 2017

Women's right to vote (#3122)

     Today marks the 97th year in American history in which women have had the right to vote, https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/19th-amendment. Our national constitution came into force in the year 1789. Which means that for the first 131 years of America as a nation, women did not have a legal voice in the form of a vote in our politics. This has always been a struggle throughout human history, cleaning up the mess we men have made not only in politics but in religion and economics. From the selfish egos of kings to the destructive nature of tyrants, we men have shown the ability to force ourselves into whatever we desired wherever possible. 97 years ago that male domination was cracked wide open here in America.
     Today we have world leaders who are women; top flight commanders in our own military and legislators in our politics. Women have shown that they are not to be discounted in the philosophy of men simply by never relenting in the quest to be more than just property to men. How absurd this is to write for me but the fact is that women are still fighting the perception that their place is to be quiet, barefoot and pregnant. I am a man who always seems to be add odds with my gender and my ethnicity. I am an older white male who sees the bigger picture much more easily than my fettered and blinded brethren. I see the principles of democracy as sacred and worthy of defending. I am not one who has any trouble with being humble about my own self worth.
     Women have been on the steady rise to make America more democratic since my first breath on Earth and although it has been a slow slog it is inching forward. I can take some satisfaction in that, despite my hubris to accomplish much more through enlightened common sense. Women birth all of us men. They are our wives, our sisters and our children so why is it that us men have such a hard time admitting the truth of their equality to us? Our selfishness is abominable and that doesn't seem to matter to us men. It does matter to me and like racism, gender prejudice must end and end it will if those like me continue to push with women and minorities to uphold our constitution and all of it's protections real and intentional.

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