Elections, Sexism, and Sarah Palin

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First posted at Emerging Women –

In the recent US Presidential election, we experienced both the closest the glass ceiling has ever come to being shattered as well as evidence that sexism is alive and well in our country today. I was intrigued by Jim Wallis’s recent post at God’s Politics where he implored the nation to not use sexist criteria for judging Sarah Palin post-election. He wrote –

Basing post-election analysis on Gov. Palin’s wardrobe, insults to her family, and whether or not she answered the door in a towel is sexist.

If Obama had lost this campaign, no journalist would be commenting on the color of Joe Biden’s ties or the Scranton native’s trips to Brooks Brothers. On this blog we have already started a discussion around the many opportunities our country has for reconciliation. This can occur not just around race but also gender and the many other things that divide us.

Go ahead. Disagree with her politics and her policies. There are a lot of people who are going to get into some healthy fights about the future of the Republican Party. But like her or not, to reduce Sarah Palin to her wardrobe is wrong and is a great way to start this post-election season off on the wrong foot.

Almost as if on cue, the comments to his post do exactly what he was warning against delving into such controversial topics as whether or not mothers should work outside the home. What has your experience been this election cycle with sexism? Do you think the glass ceiling will ever be shattered?

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What is Our Dream

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Last Tuesday night we sat on pins and needles awaiting the outcome of the election. The results and Obama’s speech in Grant Park were defining moments for our nation. I cried at hearing his words and for the first time in a long time dared to hope for our future. As the response poured in there were two sentiments I heard repeated over and over again – that this is an historic moment and that now anyone can dream of being President. I agree with the first, but I have a few issues with the second.

Of course this is historic. In a country that 150 years ago enslaved Africans and in living memory segregated blacks from whites, overcoming that history is powerful no matter who you voted for. That said I can’t join the chorus rejoicing that the dream is now open to all. Why? Because in all truth it isn’t (I’ll explain in a moment) and because I don’t support that particular dream.

Electing a black man as president is huge, there is no denying that. But that doesn’t by default mean that anyone can achieve the same. There has been much talk about glass ceilings during this election cycle, but I am still unsure if a woman could be elected President in this country. With so many churches still preaching the inferiority of women, blatant sexism is still too accepted to be so easily overcome. Even the reactions to the election results demonstrate the undercurrents of racism in our country. Down here in Texas a noose was hung from a tree at a major university and a UT football player was kicked off the team for a racial slur he posted on Facebook. Barriers to freedom and equality are still alive and well. And does anyone really think that a Muslim, or an Atheist, or a LGBT person could be elected president? Someday perhaps, but that dream is still too flimsy to grasp. There is still much work to be done and our celebrations shouldn’t lull us into complacency.

But as I mentioned on Eugene Cho’s blog the other day, I am uncomfortable with dangling the dream of becoming President of the USA as the ultimate achievement. When encouraging my children in their life path, I don’t want to convey to them that obtaining the highest level of power and prestige possible is the target they should be aiming for. I am all for empowering them to be who they are meant to be (even if that is president), but I want to avoid encouraging the will to power so to speak. I’m also not a fan of defining success as making lots of money and presenting the whole doctor/lawyer/banker career option as an ideal either. I want them to believe that a successful life involves fulfilling the command to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Money and power are incidental to achieving those things (and often obstacles as well). Of course doctors, lawyers, bankers and perhaps even president can live in those ways but so can teachers, artists, baristas, and parents. I want to tell my kids that they can be anything they want to be, I just don’t want to encourage them to want the wrong things.

So as we bask in the historic moment, I hope the dream we promote is one of justice. The hammer of justice can break down barriers and empower the disenfranchised, but it is wielded not in the name of power but in the name of love.

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Protecting our Children on Election Day

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My children are young, as in infant and toddler young.  So they couldn’t quite grasp the historical significance of Barack Obama’s election.  When I shared the news with my three year old that Obama was the next President, she responded “but I want a present too” (she also thought “running for President” implied a footrace).   Needless to say my kids aren’t quite yet at the point of understanding the workings of civic society.  But it is something I want them to understand in time – while they are still young.  I fully believe that children deserve to know the world they live in and the politics that shape their lives.

So on one hand I understand the rationale behind placing polling booths in public school buildings.  Besides making use of public space, it exposes kids to the electoral process and encourages them to be responsible citizens.  But on the other hand, the whole situation makes me a bit uncomfortable.

When I went to vote on Nov. 4 in the middle of a normal school day, I simply strolled into my local elementary school and walked down a hallway of classrooms and bathrooms to a small cluster of voting booths.  Any other day of the year I would have had to sign in at the office, present identification, and be watched closely as I, an unknown adult, entered a safe place for children.  But on election day, the school was open to all (voters or not).  As a parent I couldn’t help but worry about the horror and chaos just one person with ill intent could cause if they took advantage of this lax open door policy.

Even in the absence of malicious aforethought, accidents can happen when the safety of children is ignored in favor of civic process.  In February 2008 at Lyons Elementary School in Randolph, MA an elderly man lost control of his car and careened into a group of children on school grounds.  He was simply trying to park his car so he could vote in the presidential primaries, but ended up pinning an 8 year old girl between his car and the school building causing her serious injury.

Tragic accidents or opportunities for sick predators should not be part of our coming together as a nation to choose our leaders.  Many cities have already acknowledged the dangers of allowing polling places in public schools.  Some districts ban polls from schools, others cancel school on election day.  But as I experienced in Austin, TX, some districts employ no precautions at all.

Amidst the talk of voting reform that swirls around every election, I would send out a call to America to rethink the role of our children on election day.  I am all for teaching them about voting, informing them about the candidates, and letting them participate in mock elections, but keeping them safe should remain primary no matter what day it is.  Nationwide reform to either ban polls from schools or cancel school on such days is a necessary step in safeguarding our children.  In situations like this encouraging civic responsibility involves doing what is necessary to prevent tragedy from marring the celebration of democratic community.  We’ve come a long way in our country to make suffrage easy and available to all – let’s be sure that it remains a blessing and not a burden for our children.

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Accepting Reality

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Elections can often bring out the worst in people. I’m already sick of the Obama/Hitler rise to power comparisons (come on, can’t you at least be creative) and the litany of Gospel additions we have suffered through (i.e. to be a Christian you must vote this way…). Hopefully that will all subside soon, but what sticks around after these cycles are the undercurrents of prejudice. After the intensity of candidates and propositions is over, people stop fighting and succumb to the “pissed they exist mentality.”

Try as some might to make certain sorts of people illegal, what most people seem to want is hide the very existence of the other. I’m not talking about wishing child molesters or rapists didn’t exist (and working to make it so), but the mentality that gets upset that they (or especially their children) must breathe the same air as say a LGBT person, or a Muslim, or an Atheist, or a Christian. These are the people who would rather ban all extracurricular activities in a school than allow a group of THEM to gather together. Or the parents who launch campaigns against libraries to remove books that talk about someone having two mommies from the shelves. Or the Atheists who freak out if a Christian social worker is profiled in a “secular” magazine. I understand engaging in disagreement, but am appalled at this desire to pretend reality just doesn’t exist.

I’ve seen this pattern occur all too often within the Christian world especially. A few years ago I was working on a screening committee for a magazine to decide which submitted articles to publish. One very well written article told the story of a girl’s date rape and subsequent silencing at a Christian college. While the committee thought it was a good article, it wasn’t published because “our readers don’t want to hear about stuff like that.” Or the public safety officer at Wheaton College who had been told not to look for drugs on campus because it was better to pretend they don’t exist than taint the college’s reputation. Then there are the bans on religious symbols (headscarves, jewelry) in schools and workplaces. And the numerous people I encounter who just don’t want to hear about justice issues because it might upset them too much.

Reality check please. Pretending that reality doesn’t exist just because you don’t want it too is unhealthy. Perhaps it’s time to engage a slightly less unbalanced tactic in how you deal with the world.

Please.

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Leadership Expectations

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In acknowledgment of the most powerful nation in the world choosing a leader today, this month’s Synchroblog focuses on leadership. There are of course various places I could go on that topic, but I’ll keep it simple. I just want to give a plea to our leaders and to those that follow to be consistent.

When as people we treasure certain values – in our faith or philosophy of life – my plea is that we let those value infuse all areas of life. Loving our neighbor (and enemy) isn’t just for Sunday mornings. Certain political scenarios or economic structures don’t give us a by in that area. If we believe we are called to love, then let’s do it consistently.

If we teach our kids to share and play fairly, let’s apply the same rules to ourselves. Let’s not teach our kids the story of the Good Samaritan at church and then criticize a leader as a socialist for his desire to give care to all.

Can we stop with the excuses about why the bible doesn’t affect real life already? If we believe it, let’s really believe it. Let’s live it out and expect our leaders to live it out.

Consistently.

For other contributions to this Synchroblog check out –

Jonathan Brink – Letter To The President
Adam Gonnerman – Aspiring to the Episcopate
Kai – Leadership – Is Servant Leadership a Broken Model?
Sally Coleman – In the world but not of it- servant leadership for the 21st Century Church
Alan Knox – Submission is given not taken
Joe Miller – Elders Lead a Healthy Family: The Future
Cobus van Wyngaard – Empowering leadership
Steve Hayes – Servant leadership
Geoff Matheson – Leadership
John Smulo – Australian Leadership Lessons
Bryan Riley – Leading is to Listen and Obey
Susan Barnes – Give someone else a turn!
Liz Dyer – A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Polls…
Helen Mildenhall – Leadership
Tyler Savage – Moral Leadership – Is it what we need?
Bill Ellis –Leadership and the Re-humanizing of the World
Ellen Haroutunian – A New Kind of Leadership
Matt Stone – Converting Leadership

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Voting Record

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It seems that the world has been put on hold as the election approaches (at least from the perspective of the US media). All conversations revolve around the election. So that’s what your getting here – totally random thoughts about the election.

I tried to explain to Emma earlier why tomorrow was a special day after she in her totally three year old logic stated – “I can get a haircut on Tuesday because Tuesday isn’t a special day.” After I attempted to explain the concepts of President, the United States, and voting she got really upset and said she didn’t want anyone to be faster than her (Emma in 2040!). I had to play the mommy as linguistic anthropologist to understand that she thought “running for president” meant a footrace and that she didn’t want anyone besides herself to win. So I clarified to be told by her that she wants “Mr. Cain” to win because he has a better name. Then she informed me that velociraptors are her favorite dinosaur because they have the most fur. Some days I just don’t ask.

But her comment about names struck me because there are so many out there who are voting for one candidate or the other because of similar inane reasons (including name). My last post was a rant on such uncritical voting habits, so I thought this post should be a confession of my record and the sometimes flimsy reasons behind my voting habits.

I mentioned here before that the first election I remember was 1984 when in the first grade mock ballot I attempted to vote for just the VP candidate Geraldine Ferraro because I thought a woman should have a turn at President. The first election I voted in however was in 1996 – Clinton vs. Dole. At the time I felt like there was no choice but to vote for Dole no matter who he was or what he stood for. He was a Republican, Clinton wasn’t. I was a Christian so I had to vote Republican. I was in my freshman year at Wheaton College and was surrounded by similar attitudes. Dole won by a landslide in the mock campus election and the handful of people who came out for Clinton were called some seriously evil names.

Not much had changed four years later for Bush vs. Gore, at least on campus. I was in grad school at Wheaton at the time. I recall the student newspaper reporting on some political science students who had worked at a Gore rally. The backlash of that was intense – students and alumni writing in to express their astonishment at the sin the college was letting its students participate in. Even though the students had expressed that they themselves weren’t democrats (they just went for the experience), they were guilty by association.

I was torn in that election. I knew that there were a number of issues that I agreed more with Gore on than with Bush, but I still couldn’t get over my evangelical upbringing enough to vote Democrat. Sad, I know.The issues that stick in my head that were deciding factors at the time were the facts that Gore had recently sided with pharmaceutical companies to keep cheap generic drugs for AIDS out of Africa and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) that I liked what Bush had done for education in Texas. So I voted for Bush. I remember being in Bruce Benson’s Christianity and Postmodernism philosophy class that evening as the returns came in. I think the only three Democrats on campus were in that class as well. We took an extended break to watch election coverage in the lecture hall and they formed a small but vocal cheering section for Gore. I recall being somewhat indifferent about who won (a good thing given that it took forever to find out). I voted for Bush out of obligation, but the part of my that cared about the issues wanted Gore to win.

Then came 9/11 and the Iraq war, and by 2004 I was part of the anyone but Bush camp. I liked Nader, but didn’t want to throw away my vote, so I voted for Kerry as a lesser of two evils choice. I was pregnant with Emma at the time and had been put on strict bedrest just a week before the election. Getting out to vote was one of the two times I broke that strict bedrest rule. The election occurred right before everything hit the fan with our jobs at a Baptist church (we were scary emergents, you know the rest), so the women prayer warriors still cared enough to call to see how I was doing stuck on the couch all day. I mentioned to one of them that I had gotten out to vote (not mentioning who I voted for) and she praised me for being willing to risk my health for the sake of electing God’s candidate. I let her assume whatever she wanted to assume…

So here we are on the eve of one of the most exciting elections I can recall. It has also seen some of the saddest elements in our society emerge as the sexism and racism still present in our society surfaced. I am fascinated to see Christians (some at least) break away from the party allegiance and vote independently. I have a feeling that this change is permanent and that we are entering a new era of American politics. Early in this race my wish was that it come down to Obama vs. McCain. At the time that outcome seemed impossible, but I thought then that I could live with either candidate. McCain has disappointed me since then, and Palin seriously frightens me. So contrary to my toddler’s name affinity, I’m voting for Obama. I don’t see him as a savior, or our only hope, or all those other far-fetched accusations I’ve heard. I think he will be good for our country and the world. I’m not going to rehash the issues here, but just say that for the first time I am casting a positive vote for someone whose vision I support.

So after this long journey across the political spectrum, I’m voting Obama tomorrow. What’s been your journey?

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Anti-intellectual Revolution

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Like most people I talk to I am impatient for the election to be over and done with already. The rhetoric and the mudslinging is to be expected of course, but this time around the intensity is profound. I’ve mentioned here before my frustration with the assumption I encounter everywhere that people are only voting for Obama because they are blind sheep or have been brainwashed. Or that if we vote for him we are not “real Americans.” These attempts to solidify and intensify the divide between us and them are a sad reflection on our ability to understand the other. But what frightens me the most is the undercurrent of such sentiments – an anti-intellectual stance that turns educated into enemy.

To be educated in this politicized environment is to be written off as brainwashed, elitist, and unAmerican. The educated voter who asks thoughtful questions is mocked in favor of some self-esteem rally gone bad message that encourages an “I’m okay, you’re okay, anyone not like us is weird” attitude. The average Joe (be that six-pack or plumber…) is fed the lie that to be educated is to be liberal and to be liberal is to be evil, so therefore education (and thoughtful intellectualism of any sort) is evil. Flawless logic of course.

I recently had some guy link to my blog saying that it is because of educated liberals like me that he votes Republican. When did education become a bad thing? And worse, when did mocking it become a political slogan? I know that there are many wonderful educated Republicans, but what I keep hearing over and over from them is that it is far better to be average and stupid. Perhaps this is just pandering to persuade a vote out of those least likely to think through the issues, but is creating a new uneducated elite really the best thing for our country or the world? I’m all for democracy and the voice of the people, but to vilify thinking enters some dangerous territory. Maybe it’s some brilliantly insidious conspiracy theory – glorify the average, mock the intelligent, and pave the way for a brave new world (or something like that). Or perhaps it just plays off people’s fears and jealousy issues. Whatever the case, having an education and being a thoughtful person has nearly become a crime in this country.

Jacqueline Carey, one of my favorite fiction authors, wrote about this recent trend in her monthly blog –

Many things about the last eight years in America have disturbed me, and one of the most subtle, yet profoundly detrimental, is the rise of anti-intellectualism. It’s like being back in junior high, only with a weird secondary adolescence twist where being smart, intellectually curious, and well-informed makes a person a condescending, out-of-touch, latte-sipping elitist… Electing a president of the last remaining superpower in the world is a lot more important than electing the junior high prom king. I want the smart guy in charge. I don’t want another cowboy filled with steely-eyed resolve, ready to trust his gut instinct. We’ve had too many guts with lousy instincts in charge. It’s time to give the brainiacs a chance.

I’m all for that. And for the record I really don’t care about what degrees from which institutions people have (if they have them at all), just that they are willing to thoughtfully engage. Reverse this trend of anti-intellectualism America – please. I want my leader to expect me to be thinking – not lauding me for being too American to think.

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Fireproof Marriages?

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I’d heard the buzz within Christians circles about the “number one inspirational film in America.”  Everything from “this movie shows what true faith really is” to “this movie will save your marriage.”  Always wary of such claims and not really a fan of firefighter flicks, curiosity got the better of me and I headed out to a weekend matinee of Fireproof (www.fireproofthemovie.com).

I settled in to watch the story of a firefighter try to save his failing marriage through something called “the Love Dare”.  Unfortunately once the movie began, it was immediately evident that Fireproof followed the pattern of most explicitly Christian movies: the acting was flat, the dialogue awkward, and the scenarios unbelievable.  Full of sitcom-esque comic relief moments, and the requisite tear-jerker scenes, it also had more far-fetched set-up lines for evangelistic opportunities than a youth group apologetics manual.  But I did my best to look past all that and focus on the main theme of the movie – how to save a troubled marriage. (Spoiler alert: Jesus is the answer.)

What I couldn’t get past, however, was the movie’s conception of marriage itself.  Marriage is presented as a distinct entity that must be preserved for its own sake.  Thus, as the movie unfolds and Caleb (Kirk Cameron) embarks on a journey to save his marriage to Catherine (Erin Bethea), one doesn’t see a story of two people working together to have a better relationship, but of one person striving to keep a formal structure intact.  Of course, once both characters find Jesus, they have an epiphany moment, renew their vows, and live happily ever after (as shown by them getting into their car bibles in hand on their way to church).

What we don’t see is the actual reality of a husband and wife working together to build a stronger bond.  Yes, the husband realizes that he needs to do things around the house, stop lusting after a boat and porn, and get over being a selfish jerk; but we hear very little from the wife.  In fact we hear very little from women in the movie in general.  The prominent women in the movie, Caleb’s wife, his mother, and his mother-in-law, are essentially silenced.  He is constantly trying to avoid his nagging mother and asks her to leave or get off the phone repeatedly.  His mother-in-law is physically unable to talk due to a stroke.  And except for a comic scene displaying every stereotyped difference between men and women where his wife tells her friends how she feels, we hear very little of her side of the story.  The women in this movie play the silent victims as the heroic firefighter rushes in to save the day – or in this case, the marriage.

The message conveyed is that women need a strong man to guide their lives.  Women who step out on their own (like Catherine getting a job after seven years of marriage – without kids – because her husband won’t help her financially care for her ill parents) are outside that realm of protection (thus in danger of forming inappropriate bonds with their male coworkers).  The husband is implored not just to love his wife, but to take control of both his and her lives.  In the name of safeguarding the marriage, the sacrifice of the personality and identity of the wife is assumed.

I admit to seeing the appeal of the movie.  Anything to get husbands to send flowers and do the dishes is to be commended, but scratch the candy-coating and one sees the imbalanced core.  Living up to the hype, Fireproof is very much about saving marriages – as long as they are hierarchical institutions and not mutual relationships based on two whole persons becoming one.  Sorry, but as a married woman I’m not willing to sacrifice who I am for the sake of a few clean dishes.

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Worship, Money, Crisis

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I recently saw a promo piece on The History Channel for their show “Cities of the Underworld.”  At first one sees an overview of a busy commercial street teeming with professionals and consumers.  The captioning states – “A pagan ritual is taking place on these streets.  Can’t see it? Look deeper.”  The premise is that some secret society once met in the abandoned tunnels below the city that you can hear all about on the show, but the irony of the commercial struck me.

Of course there is a pagan ritual taking place – the daily oblation of ourselves to the idols of money and stuff.  Now I know there is nothing necessarily pagan or evil with buying, selling, and trading, but the obsessive way we commit our lives to the pursuit of such things reveals a devotion akin to worship.  We acquire stuff and build our wealth often without thought to our religious beliefs and guidelines.  Instead of caring for the least of these among us, we look out for number one.  Instead of loving our neighbor we love our possessions – often at the expense of our very neighbors.  This religion of consumerism isn’t hidden underground; its rituals take place in broad daylight.

The problem is that with the economic crisis the intensity of these rituals doesn’t diminish, in fact they simply becomes more sinister.  People are not giving up on the desire to have more stuff.  They just want to find the stuff more cheaply.  So instead of rethinking our addiction to consumerism and the global impact of our shopping habits, we become more focused on finding the things we want at a lower price (apparently Wal-mart is doing quite well these days).  Chanting our mantras of “it’s all about me,” we face the economic crisis with a determination to live just as well as we always have.

This is truly a worship that glorifies the self.   Feelings of financial strain generally do not have the effect of pushing us towards compassion for those hurting more than we do.  We cut back on our giving and increase our propensity for supporting systems that oppress others for our own personal sake.  We want a cheaper product, which pushes the stores to find cheaper suppliers, who then must find cheaper labor.  And these laborers are the ones who worked to the bone in sweatshops or kept as slaves (the cheapest labor possible) pay the real price.  The strain of the financial crisis trickles down to choke those at the very bottom.

Even amidst the pressures of the economic crisis we need to remember that true worship doesn’t involve rituals of self-seeking consumption that exploits or ignores those around us.  Instead as we are told in Isaiah that the faithful are implored to “spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed.”  So instead of using troubling financial times as an excuse to turn inwards perhaps it could motivate us to lend a caring hand to others who are hurting.  Abandoning our self-centered pagan rituals in favor of loving our neighbor might perhaps be the best response we can give to a hurting world in crisis mode.

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Call + Response

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So last night I got a chance to go see the documentary Call+Response about modern day slavery. I have to start by saying – go see this film. It should be required viewing for anyone with a beating heart. I know a lot about modern day slavery – I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve heard the stories. I still left this movie raw. It is hard not to have a visceral reaction of absolute rage after seeing it. Rage at the greedy bastards who enslave people for profit. Rage at the men who create the demand for sex slaves because they are ruled by their dicks. Rage at those who dismiss this discussion in the name of political or economic philosophy. Rage at myself for supporting the system that rewards slavery.

The rage starts the moment the movie begins and you see a group of 5 and 6 year old girls lined up in a brothel explaining what sex acts they offer. And it continues as one sees story after story portrayed of those in slavery – women chained in brothels, an entire family still enslaved for a debt incurred four generations ago, children abducted and trained as marauding soldiers and rapists. Atrocities that exist all around us and support the systems and lifestyles we take for granted.

The theme holding the film together is that of music. Music that is the voice of the people sending out their call. And as in the old spirituals that musical call must be answered with a response. So musicians came together to sound the call and be informative agents for this often unknown plague. Those who hear the call – hear the stories – are now expected to respond.

One line that struck me in the movie was when in an interview Dr. Cornel West spoke of the need to encourage those prone to paralysis to action. When I heard that phrase, the lines from the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing sprung to mind – “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” So often we hear sin and rebellion described simply as this wander away from God. The hymn pleads for God to fetter our hearts to him to prevent such wandering away. But Dr. West’s word’s reminded me that all too often the worst we can do is to do nothing. We are prone to paralysis. We don’t respond to the call. We ignore injustice, or, worse, find some excuse as to why we really shouldn’t bother to care. We do nothing.

And that multiplies the rage.

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