International Women's Day 2011

Good Day Peeps,

Happy Fat Tuesday! I hope you are all well on this sunny March Tuesday. I've been surfing around the web today checking on the status of women (as I am wont to do on this day every year) and I've come across a few differing opinions regarding our status. One that's trending on Twitter right now is by Margaret Wente about how the war is over and life is rosy now: we're equals! Yay! Right.

There are few other people who might disagree with Ms. Wente, including 007. I'm inclinded to agree with him and Q.

I'm not disagreeing with Ms. Wente regarding the basic facts that women in the west are now legally entitled to own property, vote and get an education. On paper, sure, affirmative action has made inroads: but anyone who actually has a good liberal arts education (i.e. has learned how to think beyond the stats) knows that equality isn't just about numbers. It certainly isn't just about the ability to get an education and get a job. It isn't about people in unions getting paid the same amount of money for doing the same work. Equality is much more complex and will take much more than affirmative action to become pervasive.

Ask anyone who is not a straight white man whether or not he or she feels that equality is a reality and the answer will probably be unequivocally no.

I am an eternal optimist (if you've ever read this blog before you probably know that) and I do think we're headed in the right direction, but to sit back and rest on the laurels of the women who made what we have possible and pretend that we've won would be a grave error. We will not be equal until we don't have to live in fear any longer. We will not be equal until we can all live our lives as we choose.

All people deserve the right to self-determination: not just those of us who are educated, affluent and are lucky enough to be born in the west.

Peace out peeps,