One of the unique aspects of business travel is that your routine gets upended rather quickly and requires that you learn to adjust quickly.
An area that always surprises me is my ability to shift from news of the web to that of the printed page because a newspaper is still readily available on the doorstep.
While having my morning coffee in the fellow rust belt city of Cleveland, I stumbled on two articles with a strange juxtaposition last week. One dealt with the trending topic of women, and the other a quote on movement (or lack thereof.)
This got me thinking about how national dialog impacts the local. Maybe by refusing to buy into that dialog, we, as a city, could impact the national if we committed to changing the conversation here first.
It is a challenge, I know, but stay with me for a moment. It really is not hard for a region where getting stuff launched is what we do best.
One would have to be living under a rock not to have noticed we are in another ever-expanding national election cycle. The subject matter of this election cycle has taken a twist that is, to some, the same old election story. But to others, the increased rhetoric seems rawer than in time’s past as the headlines jockey for position on topics concerning women.
While it is not my role to dive into politics, I was concerned when I read that Ann Romney, wife of candidate Mitt Romney, traded barbs with Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen over the economic concerns of women in the country. The tactics I read about easily place us into that dangerous cycle of spin that may possibly delay our growth in the real economic parity with men as we dive into old patterns.
This front-page, above-the-fold news tactic has been used repeatedly over the years with my earliest memory of the current mom-culture war beginning in 1992 when Hillary Clinton uttered an ill-crafted remark, saying that instead of being a lawyer, she could have just stayed home and baked cookies. I am quick to realize that my world is limited and that some women and men have started their observations earlier, but the impact of being back at this spot again is still mind blowing. It is 2012. We need to be past this by now.
For many caregivers, whether a woman or a man, this statement seemed reactionary and downright mean-spirited. My mom stayed home to raise me. While this was likely a combination of the culture at the time and the fact that General Motors paid a wage to my father (along with other benefits) that allowed this luxury. It is also an option women and men are free to make if personal economic situations allow for that choice.
After college, my roommate and his wife went on to create a co-parenting plan where each of them switched off and on the stay-at-home periods versus their careers. This allowed both parents to have opportunities to work fulltime while the other worked part-time, ensuring that both got to experience the joys of childrearing.
My concern over the present mom-culture war is that we are once again finding a reason via political consultants who live for these moments to sacrifice a group of people deemed expendable for political advantage.
Additionally, since the current version of this debate distraction has begun, we have been treated to more alarming topics on women. Should mothers be required to work or lose their Federal benefits if they choose to stay home with their children? Should we renew the Violence Against Women Act (from 1994) which affirms the rights women who need protections primarily from domestic abuse? Awareness of these efforts by politicians, whose opinions on these topics vary, are gaining traction among concerned citizens. Such topics deserve strong leadership, not just cheap shots for political gain. These are our wives, mothers, daughters and sisters and they deserve more from us than political folly at their expense.
And that, my friends, might be business as usual nationally, but not what I think of when I read the framing documents of this country where we find the words that say all should be treated with dignity and respect in the pursuit of equality.
It is fitting this week, when many are filing their income tax returns, when a woman’s pay finally reaches that of a man’s annual wage. That means that while a man's annual pay comes to an end on December 31, a woman, working in the same job classification, only matches his wage by working until April 17 -- or almost a full quarter of a year more. This is just wrong and just one of the many inequalities women continue to endure in a culture in love with the battle come election season than getting to a solution.
And the contrasting article on movement that brought me to today’s topic?
There was a line from an article about California’s tentative approval to move forward with their plans to create a bullet train for their state. Its passage may not be a sure thing, but also buried within the page two story was a quote from the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority member Bob Balgenorth who said, “We’re 30 years behind the rest of the world; it’s time for us to move ahead.”
??This quote was a chilling confirmation of the words by ArtPrize’s year one visiting international artist and Grand Rapids’ native Scott Hessels when he shared insights and observations during his time spent teaching in Singapore.
“The countries in Asia are moving forward full speed ahead with investment in the infrastructure of transportation,” said Hessels. “They are building more tracks, more trains all over. When I come home, it is saddening to see how far behind we have fallen in this area.”
And while his quote is now a few years old, the topic is still vital today. We need to focus on the things that really matter.
I believe this war on women needs to stop. A recent watchdog organization, the Guttmacher Group, reported 916 anti-women bills that have been introduced in congress since 2010. To stem this trend, I am not sure if a writer like me can really make a difference. But what if by just starting to lend my voice, it inspires you or another person to begin to speak up. Might this be the beginning of the change that needs to happen?
In the end, Grand Rapids is a place where ideas can launch easily and, once in a while, they even go viral. Maybe it is time for someone to launch something here that sends a clear message that we have a better way of addressing this topic. It starts by valuing women, whether they choose to be in the home or in the workplace. It is a respect, I humbly feel, that is demanded by the framers of our republic and one we owe to our mothers.
We love to brag that we can innovate, so let’s start with the women of our region. Let’s make this the place that gets it right by changing the conversation.
It might be a bit early, but Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom and to all women and the men who love and support them by ensuring their voice is heard and their role in our lives is valued now and into the future.
I want to end with a powerful quote I discovered on twitter that I think says it best regardless of what side of the aisle you choose to be seated.
“Every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to be respected." – Michelle Obama
It is time for us to stop scoring points at the expense of any minority group in our country and begin to think globally.
The Future Needs All of Us. (any questions?)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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