Social Commentary

Each day I promise myself, “no more.” No more writing about the Trump election.

But each day I read more articles and get more terrified.

The economy: “What is lost by burying the trans-pacific trade partnership“…that TPP thing. Wow, this is really scary.

Russia will love us: “The world waits and wonders about Donald Trump“…Oh yippee, Russia will love us. But Germany – who really knows Hitler-type behaviors – is reminding the USA how to behave. Thanks, Angela. We need the reminder.

The extreme arrogance of the USA has always amazed me —- since my first memories at 9 years old, living in France. I think the USA is about to realize that the rest of the world can move on without us at its center or as a partner. Britain will learn the same thing with Brexit. Oh well, who cares, eh? The USA and Britain can play together. And the rest of the world can move on – and beyond us.

I’m listening to Leonard Cohen to begin the day. That won’t really help, of course. But I can hope.

Sure…It wasn’t all sexism. But some of it definitely was sexism.

The thing about sexism — and racism and — is that we’re socialized. We don’t even recognize the socialization. Just read The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives. By Shankar Vedantam. Essential reading.

Now read this: “Girls Can Be Anything, Just Not President.” And this isn’t the only article on this topic. Researchers have been writing about this situation for years and years and years.

A little girl cried. A little boy cried. “Why doesn’t anybody like a girl president?”

When will we move beyond this?

Some people don’t like my social commentary blogs. That’s okay. Don’t read them. I have enough other blog categories [governance/boards, fundraising, nonprofit management, etc. etc. and so forth]. Read those.

But I promised myself years ago that my website would do two things:

• Provide free resources for the nonprofit sector worldwide. And my Free Download Library and monthly newsletter do that.
• Second, that I would speak out regarding justice and fundamental human rights. Because silence is consent. And I choose to take the risk to speak out. Those are my social commentary blogs.

Today is Thursday, November 10. The second day after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Here are more articles to stimulate thinking:

• Women Actually Do Govern Differently. And research tells us over and over and over that women’s way of leading adds significant value.
• Damaging Global Prosperity. Trump and Brexit and …. may actually harm prosperity.

I feel the anger. But right now I’m so sad that I’m crying.

Whitelash and women lash…

The voters abandoned by the court

Taking my daughters to vote

Homeless in America

And so much more. Such very great sadness.

Some Americans have already voted because their states have that process. But most states require that visit to the polls.

Sadly, the U.S. has one of the worst voting records in the world. That means people like you and me don’t vote. That’s so sad. Becuase – as world history tells us – people have died to gain the right to vote.

Many of us think this is one of (or the) most important election of a lifetime.

• I can’t imagine electing someone who denigrates women…
• Someone who brags about bankruptcy as a good business strategy, when that harms all the individuals and businesses to whom money is owed.
• Who insults the philanthropy of millions of people through his ignominious so-called “foundation”
• Who plans to build a wall between countries… Do you remember the fall of the Berlin Wall and the joy and pride?
• Someone who insults people of color and insults the religion of Islam.

I am deeply saddened.

• I can’t imagine electing an individual who has no direct experience in government of any kind…
• Someone who has no experience in community service…
• Someone who has no experience in political negotiation…

Voting is hiring someone. I would never hire someone to be a farmer when the individual has no experience in farming. I urge you not to hire me to do your taxes or build your home or serve as your attorney. I don’t have experience or knowledge in those fields.

I want to hire professionals. I plan to vote for an experienced professional.

Please think long and hard. Please think about community and loving thy neigbhor. Please think about respecting the beliefs and life experiences of others. Please consider the necessary experience to work in government.

Simone

I’ve just left #2016IFC, the International Fundraising Congress.

Wonderful seeing colleagues from around the world. Wonderful to get beyond North America and beyond western Europe. So many voices and perspectives and stories and dreams and comitments to caring for the world and its people.

Talking with people outside the U.S. And everyone asks me, “WTF is going on in the U.S.? Who is this Donald Trump? How could anyone support his hate and ignorance and ego and….

So here’s something my nephew Daniel the movie critic posted on Facebook right after the last debate. I’ve highlighted what I consider is the most wonderful statement from Daniel.

• While I’ve been an open Hillary supporter since it became apparent Bernie no longer had the math to win, tonight was the moment I decided (realized?) she really might be a great President. Between the three debates, we’ve seen Hillary stand up to five hours worth of a clinically insane man lying to her face, lying to the country, and insulting her in every way imaginable. Her poise in those five hours is truly an act of superhuman resolve and composure. And tonight, in a debate that dug much deeper into the issues than mere soundbites, she so clearly has ideas, passion, and optimism–at a time where almost no Americans have optimism–and she really knows what the fuck she’s talking about. My vote for Hillary Clinton switched tonight from an act of necessity to an act of pride and excitement. 

October 16, 1916…. 100 years old today

Planned Parenthood

100 years of fighting for basic human rights for women

And throughout those years, almost constant attacks. Political. Social. Religious. And terrorism plain and simple.

Congratulations and thank you to all the women and men who’ve fought for so long – and continue to fight – basic human rights.

Read this amazing piece from Garrison Keilor, in the Washington Post.  My friend Rory Green forwarded this to me. Knowing how angry I would be. Knowing how this would resonate with me. How sad I would be. How sad I am.

Read this. Think about this. Ask yourself about Hillary. Ask yourself about women you don’t know. Ask yourself about the women you do know. And look in the mirror. Only then can you think about Hillary.

Thank you, Mr. Keilor for this marvelous piece. Thank you for seeing and knowing.

“I saw Hillary once working a rope line for more than an hour, a Secret Service man holding her firmly by the hips as she leaned over the rope and reached intothe mass of arms and hands reaching out to her …. Read the rest.

Hillary Clinton is on “Humans of New York” — explaining why she comes across as aloof…

Yes, sexism exists. Yes, unless you’ve experienced this kind of harassment, you don’t know what it’s actually like. For women. For people of color. For our transgender colleagues and our lesbian and gay friends and those who don’t have lots of financial resources…

Read it all… Here’s the start, from Hillary…

“I was taking a law school admissions test in a big classroom at Harvard. My friend and I were some of the only women in the room. I was feeling nervous. I was a senior in college. I wasn’t sure how well I’d do. And while we’re waiting for the exam to start, a group of men began to yell things like: ‘You don’t need to be here.’ And ‘There’s plenty else you can do.’ It turned into a real ‘pile on.’ One of them even said: ‘If you take my spot, I’ll get drafted, and I’ll go to Vietnam, and I’ll die.’ And they weren’t kidding around. It was intense. It got very personal. But I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t afford to get distracted because I didn’t want to mess up the test. So I just kept looking down ……” Read the rest of this story at Humans of New York.

Gun violence. Political nonsense. Fascism. Racism. Sexism. Nationalism. Islamophobia. Building walls, even real ones. Shooting Black men and boys. Shooting police. Who is punished?

So what are you doing about all this? What am I doing? What are our nonprofits doing?

Business as usual doesn’t work anymore. Sticking to your knitting is pretty awful.

Transformation is needed. Everywhere. And certainly here in the USA where I live.

Transformation…where love meets social justice

• Is there any hope for new age politics?
• We already know how to reduce police racism and violence
• Reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” after the Dallas shooting