How Can Women Reach Political Parity in a Chaotic Time?

You know I believe chaos is opportunity. But are women carpe-ing the chaos? With all those groups helping women run for office, why aren’t we moving the dial toward political parity faster? At the rate we’re going, it’ll take us 70 years to get there. And even if we do, will it be a plus or a cruel joke if, say, Michelle Bachmann becomes the first woman president? Isn’t it time for progressive women to come out of the closet and acknowledge that a woman’s agenda is more important than her gender?

I’m excited to have a chance to ask questions like these about women, power, media, and politics of three of the most politically savvy women I know at the 92Y in New York this coming Sunday night 1/23, at 7:30 pm. You are most cordially invited.

Panelists are Rebecca Traister, columnist at Salon.com and author of Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women; Katha Pollitt, a columnist at The Nation and author, most recently, of The Mind-Body Problem, a collection of poems. Congresswoman Nita Lowey represents New York’s 18th District and has been a long time leader for women in the legislative arena.

Come join us for a lively and timely conversation, followed by Q and A and a booksigning by the three authors!

INTENTIONING

Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women
Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good

The new book from Gloria Feldt about the future, taking the leadership lessons learned from this disruption and creating a better world for all through the power of intention.

More info and tickets: Women, Power, Media, and Politics
Date: Jan 23, 2011
Time:  7:30pm
Location: 92|Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street , New York, NY
Venue: Buttenwieser Hall

Price: $29.00 but here ‘s a secret for you if you are reading this post: Click this link and use the code WP10 to purchase your ticket for $10. Students with valid student ID’s may obtain free tickets by e-mailing jhausler@optonline.net.

5 Comments

  1. john thames on January 20, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    Since you want to promote women in politics Gloria, I reccomend three role models:

    (1)Ana Pauker, General Sexretary of the Romanian Communist Party;

    (2)Helena Volinska, State Prosecutor of Communist Poland:

    (3)Hilda Benjamin, Minister of Justice of the German Democratic Republic.

    A Red Jewess needs proper role models; the rest of the country needs to see what you really are.

  2. Aletha on January 21, 2011 at 1:00 am

    I do not want to even speculate what that previous comment was supposed to mean. Progressive equals Communist, perhaps? Is Mr. Thames a fan of Glenn Beck, perhaps?

    Last week Paul Farrell, a columnist for CBS Marketwatch who is rather pessimistic about where the world is heading, mentioned No Excuses in his commentary entitled 8 rules for our new gender-based economy: Gather the women, save the world from WWIII

    He ends with

    8. Patriarchy vs. Gathering of Women: race clock running out

    Bottom line: This economic paradigm shift really is a race against time. Not a battle of the sexes. At a deep level this is WWIII, a cultural battle between two mindsets, two brains, two modes of thinking — short-term myopia versus long-term visionaries — a battle in which one side will come close to destroying everything, including everything essential to sustaining life on earth and the other side must be ready to clean up the mess, while rising in power, sharing in leadership responsibilities.

    The rules, the goal, the theory are clear. The final outcome depends on how the race is run, by both sides.

    I found this perspective interesting, coming from a man. I did not agree with everything he said, but I think Mr. Farrell has a much clearer understanding of how women can change the world for the better than Mr. Thames.

  3. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by See Jane Do (media), Sharon59 and Rosella Melanson, Gloria Feldt. Gloria Feldt said: New post: How Can Women Reach Political Parity in a Chaotic Time? http://bit.ly/dEWkzC #NoExcuses […]

  4. Gloria Feldt on January 21, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    Aletha, thanks for alerting me to and countering Mr. Thames. I would normally remove such threatening, antisemitic, and blatantly nongermane sexist comments as per my comments policy above. But on reflection, I left it for readers to see exactly the kind of venom that is spewed at women when we initiate actions that would do only what is right and fair, and as Aletha has observed, bring skills or perspectives that the world sorely needs.

  5. Aletha on January 22, 2011 at 3:21 am

    No problem, Gloria. That gave me an opportunity to point out that some well-respected men think political parity for women is vitally important.

    One question I would ask, is the Democratic Party an ally in this quest for political parity, or does it only pretend to be? It seems the party leaders do not think it is politically savvy to expend resources on women candidates, especially if there is a man vying for the same office, even if he is anti-choice and the woman pro-choice. Yet the party must keep up the pretense of being the party that supports women’s rights. Why do women let this happen? Is there really no alternative? Certainly the party would like women to continue to believe that, but sooner or later, that bluff must be called.

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