Thursday, February 07, 2008

Calling all feminists! Hillary Clinton needs your support

Did you grow up during the feminist movement of the '60s and '70s? I did, and although I was too young for most of it to actually get involved, I remember the point of it very well, and I believe I've benefited from it throughout my career. When I started in computing in the mid-'80s, it was definitely a male-dominated field (still is today!, but not as much). I never let that concern me, as I knew that I was just as capable as any man of being a great programmer and system administrator, and I plunged in and made my mark. My first job was at a furniture store chain, and it was up to me to transition them off their IBM System/3 mainframe and onto a multi-location, multiuser UNIX system. Talk about a challenge! But I loved every second of it. To this day I don't think I would have been given the opportunity had it not been for my older "sisters" who worked hard to break down glass ceilings and make the idea of women holding powerful jobs, especially in areas that were historically male-dominated, seem mainstream.

Today, I'm reminded of the passion of the feminist movement by the presence of a woman--a strong, intelligent, capable woman--as a viable candidate for president of the United States. I always hoped I'd see a female president in my lifetime and now, with Hillary Clinton running for the office, I'm excited beyond description.

Before going any further let me make something very clear: I would absolutely NOT support a woman for president just because she's a woman. The reason I'm so passionate about Hillary Clinton becoming president is because she's a woman AND she's the best qualified candidate. A mediocre female candidate would never win my support over a better qualified male. Period. So when I say I support Hillary's bid for president it needs to be understood that, first and foremost, she's QUALIFIED for the position; the fact that she's a woman is just icing on the cake.

I'd like to put out a call to all feminists--male and female--to support Clinton's run for president. Those of you who are too young to even grasp what it was like when women were relegated to lower-paying, lower-prestige jobs just because they were women, really need to have a little history lesson! You should read up on what it was like when women were nurses--not doctors, secretaries--not executives, legal secretaries--not attorneys, data entry clerks--not programmers or system analysts, etc. If you're currently in school studying to be, or you already are, a physician or a lawyer, an engineer or a chemist, a rocket scientist or an astronaut, please stop and think about HOW you got there. Trust me, things weren't always like they are now! In fact, women weren't even expected to work. No, really. College educated women were expected to give up working once they were married, and stay home cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, etc., while her husband earned the money--and made all the financial decisions, and had all the power. You're LUCKY to be living now, when you're free to make your own choices--if you [or your husband] WANT to stay home and cook/clean/change diapers, you [or he] can!, but if you want to continue pursuing your career, you can do that, too.

Please join SmartAssProducts.com in supporting Hillary Clinton for president. This really is a chance to make history! We didn't start out being anti-Obama, but have basically become so as he's gotten endless hype, adulation, endorsements, and media coverage--undeservedly so, in our opinion. Forget about the supposed history-making that electing a black (actually, HALF black) man would create. He's still male! If you're truly interested in making HERstory...er,history, support Hillary Clinton. She's more qualified, better prepared, and has vastly more experience than Barack Obama, and that's why we think you should support her. But it cannot be denied that putting a woman into the White House will be a profound step for American women which may, finally, put us on equal footing with men in the workplace.

One last thing: Please contribute to Hillary's campaign! And encourage others to do the same.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, I can't support Hillary because I think she will do a lot of damage to the women's movement. The first women president will always be held up as an example. She has to be BETTER than the men.

Hillary had problems when she got to Yale in keeping up with her classwork. She graduated at the bottom of her class, and failed the DC bar. The only reason she ran for the senate was because she had been married to the president. She did not have security clearance at the white house, and was not involved in anything. She claims her life experience as her qualifications, but that's just not good enough to lead America.

We need to make sure we are electing the SMARTEST person, not another C student from Yale. (the reason you never see 'honors' after her yale degree. she was at the bottom).

Real feminists are waiting till someone who can stand on her own runs for office.

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