Women In Politics

Time to Say Goodbye to Gender Bias in Politics

South Carolina, a state infamous for the continual presence of its "Good Ole Boy" political system, ranks dead last in the number of existing female elected officials. Surprising? Not at all. Tradition is hard to break in the south and South Carolina is a tad bit backwards, but this is one tradition that warrants change. 

In general, the state has a historically consistent reputation of men controlling the state house, however 2010 was a year of change. In an unprecedented campaign victory, Nikki Haley was elected as South Carolina's first ever female Governor with 52 percent of the vote. Against all odds, records and the prevailing patriarchal system, Governor Haley broke through the glass ceiling that hovers over the Palmetto state. If our state can overcome gender bias in politics, the potential for it to be overcome nationally is undeniable.  

Although Haley has delivered young women in politics excessive disappointment in reference to her ability to set the stage for future female governor's, her election did prove to us that women do indeed have the power to be elected into government positions and can beat the establishment. If you still have doubt, Forbes magazine in 2010 listed The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and not only was the most powerful woman in the world a politician, 5 of the top 10 were women in politics. Nationally, the journey towards gender equality in reference to politics is evolving. So what causes voters to lean towards electing men rather than women? The only excuse to suffice for this alienation is an inability to let go of past gender norms and grasp new ones, which put women as equals to men.

We're living in the 20th century and every aspect of society is progressing towards a greater equality. If the establishment that governs our states does not move forward by rewriting gender norms, America will never equally represent its people as it should. The government moves slow, especially in this state, however our world moves extremely fast. Forgetting gender and coming together as equals in politics is the only way for our democracy to continue to succeed in modern times. 

Rush Limbaugh's recent "slut" remark towards student Sandra Fluke cost him major advertisers, which proves that any actions or words that are offensive towards women will now cause a much larger backlash than in the past. If you are a candidate running for office and do or say anything that discriminates towards women, I will not vote for you. I guarantee that will be the most common opinion amongst young people and eventually older females who are still living in the past of the "Good Ole Boy" domination. 

Please do not mistake my argument for revolutionized gender norms as being a feminist, but rather see them as my firm belief in being treated fairly in our democracy as well as strictly adhering to our Constitution, which proudly gave women the right to vote in 1920. If you don't believe in me, I don't believe in you and even more-so won't vote for you.  

Sure it will take a lot of effort for women to be seen as equals amongst our male counterparts but gender bias in government can and will be overcome.

-K

College Culture and The Sixties




Twiggy

 

 Quote of the Day --

"It's sort of like a mockery in a way of reality because they think everything is smiles and sweetness and flowers when there is something bitter to taste. And to pretend there isn't is foolish." -Edie Sedgwick

Message --


Twiggy, was the world's first ever supermodel.

Her angelic face was the face of fashion during the 1960's, and became an idol for millions of teenage girls of the sixties revolution. Thirty five years later, she is still a significant figure in the fashion world, especially mine.

Perhaps the many cultural differences we see in movies and books between our generation and Twiggy's produce skeptical opinions about the sixties and its sex and drugs rebellion, but we should not criticize their generation based on our current social norms; that was over 40 years ago and a lot has changed. Some for the better however, some for the worst. Either way a lot can be learned from its madness--you just have to look behind the product or person.

People in the sixties and seventies were experimenting with life in whatever way they could; mainly fashion and drugs. After undergoing massively drastic societal reforms, what seemed like a new world was born, rejuvenated and refreshed and ready to be played with. Many actors, artists and models began expanding their horizons and creating very deep and meaningful things. Maybe thats when the quote "Don't judge a book by it's cover" came into play. People began rebelling against the social norms with no care of judgement from others; diversity was actually quite encouraged. People did what they wanted, wore what they wanted, said what they wanted--even if it didn't make since.

A great movie depicting the life of another famous model and actress during the sixties and seventies is called Factory Girl. Sienna Miller plays Edie Sedgwick who was closely tied with artist Andy Warhol for the majority of her career. Definitely recommend watching it to get the full effect of how outrageous things were in the sixties. It's one of my favorites :) 

Andy Warhol

However, one of the other main aspects of the sixties revolution were the drugs. Its abuse was especially portrayed in Factory Girl and Edie Sedgwick died at the age of 28 of an overdose, found the next morning with a BAC of 1.7. Yeah, likeee whoah.



The crazy drugs and ridiculous amounts of drugs taken back then seem outrageous but has the majority of our society not become just as dependent on drugs? Hello: medical marijuana (or real:), spice, xanx, klonopins, ecstasy, shrooms, bath salts, roxys, valuum, etc. The main focus of college kids is on drugs, sex, music. Many people call this the "college culture" that's taking the nation by storm. It seems that no matter the time or generation, we are always running away from life.

But why? In our generation, so many aspects of life have been supressed by status quos and the criticism that floods the majority of media/social media (which practically makes up the majority of our life). Facebook, twitter, youtube, all that good stuff; there's criticism each owner of those accounts has or will face probably excessively. It exposes your every move, every look, every thought, everyTHING. The anxiety of being perfect to resist criticism in all these things is almost too much to bare. 

Is that why college students resort to drugs to escape the realization of being judged 24/7? Is that why depression rates in America have sky-rocketed? (It affects more than 21 million Americans and is the leading cause of disability in the United States for individuals ages 15 to 44). Is that why there are free therapy sessions (or atleast 10) at almost every college campus, mainly used by students who are depressed? Is that why the majority of college students probably end up spending more money on alcohol, drugs, bars, clothes to wear out, etc, than they end up paying for college itself?

What if we instead we remembered the sixties and what good it offered. Diversity would be expected and encouraged, and we were no longer afraid to be who WE really are. Maybe then we wouldn't feel the pressures of succumbing to the "college culture" in order to be accepted which leads many of us to resort to drugs to block our thoughts, save us. Back to Fashion. What if today we just wore WHATEVER we wanted, with no worry of what others thought? Would you dress the same? I know I wouldn't. If you could be WHATEVER/WHOEVER, dress HOWEVER, think HOWEVER, would anything change?


For me, I think I'm a sixties baby and maybe I'll just start dressing like Twiggy or Edie :)


Edie Sedgwick



Have a ☮ day :)

♥‿♥ Kitty

Interprete How You'd Like

There once was a girl

With a genuine heart

 Not developed in time

But from the start

As she grew older

Her beauty bloomed

Not just on the inside

On the outside too

This extraordinary beauty

Was noticed by many

However in her eyes

Unquestionably invisible

Perhaps those smiles

PLasterd on her face

Were a deceiving mask

Leaving insecurities without a trace

So what should does she do

Try to persuade

Those who misjudged

Burying confidence in a grave

Or let the girl

With a once genuine heart

Stop hiding it to protect

And let it just rot

Not Just Rain Drops

Quote of the Day:


"I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God's belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift." — Shauna Niequist
 Hello all :)


I woke up this morning to the sound of raindrops trickeling on the roof above my apartment. Although this sound is a familiar one, something about today felt different. Usually people use rainy days as an excuse to stay inside, sink in the couch, watch movies, and munch on popcorn and chocolate. I however, decided that today would mark the start of a new beginning for me.


What is rain anyway? Well the actual definition is water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere...but nobody is really interested in that. Instead of seeing rain in such technical terms and complaining about its consequences as so many do, I decided to think about the value and beauty of it.


When a raindrop hits the ground, it's as if earths surface is immidetiately relieved from the heat of the sun. The flowers and greenery are once again nourished and blooming, and the lakes, ponds, and rivers, are once again filled to capacity. 


So today, I chose to take a more positive outlook on rain. I put on my Hunter rain boots, grabbed my teal colored rain jacket, and headed to class. As I walked to the 4 classes I had today I couldn't help but notice the miserable facial expressions and rather anxious paces of each person I passed. When your surrounded by negative energy, it can be easy to conform to it...but today, I just wasn't having that. I began to slow down and embrace the peace of mind I came to know in those early morning hours before I left my warm and dry apartment...and that made all the difference.You see, everything on this Earth is beautiful in it's own unique way, even a rain storm--you just have to chose the right attitude to look at it with.  Not only did today change my perspective on rain storms, it also changed the way I look at life in general.


Lately it seemed as though the hustle and bustle of my crazy college life was enveloping me in a constant negative state of mind. With the heavy work load from my studies this fall, working two internships, and participating on the exec board of a club on campus, all the while trying to maintain a social life in my sorority and out, I found myself STRESSED beyond believe...as you could probably imagine. Waking up each morning with an instant feel of anxiousness and worry is not necessarily the lifestyle anyone wants to live. I was searching for answers from friends, family, even horoscopes (yes rather emberassing)...but hitting a dead end every time. Little did I know, a simple rain drop was the perfect remedy. Not only was it cleansing the beautiful Earth that God created, it was also cleansing me both mentally and spiritually.


Writing a blog was something I've been wanting to do for quite some time now..just as a means to get my day to day thoughts and experiences out in the air. I just always used the excuse of being too busy as  justification for my procrastination. But with this new peace of mind I gained by a re-evaluating my thoughts on rain storms, I found the time..and am surely happy I did.


So, my lesson of the day and perhaps moral of the story is to slow down and enjoy life--even the parts that may not seem beautiful at first glance! In some other place--distant or far--there is a person who is doing exactly that...who knows, it could make all the difference :)


Until next time..