It never once occurred to me that I wouldn’t have a professional career. When women I know drop out of the workforce, whether it’s to have children or for other reasons, I’m always surprised. Not because I don’t think everyone should have that choice and do what’s best for their families, but because it’s something that I have never considered an option for myself; not as a little girl, not while investing decades and thousands of dollars in my education, and not now, when I’m married and of so-called “child-bearing age.” Never even thought about it.
Counting women: Of course Barb Byrum was asked about her kids, because *ugh*
Especially now, when female legislators are at a 20-year low in Michigan, and some of those women have been banned from the House floor for speaking out on women’s issues, now is not the time to let this go.
Feminism in the wild: When to speak up, and when to roll your eyes
It’s super easy to be a feminist on the internet. It goes like this:
See something objectionable in the news/Twitter/any other stop on the Information Super Highway
Determine if it is the work of trolls/bots/attention seekers/ebook promotors if not,
Write a clever blog, tweet angrily, Facebook rant, etc.
Done! Follow up with finding others who have written similar blogs/tweets/posts to validate feelings of victory.
In the wild, it’s not so straightforward. Like, what if the super drunk owner of a not-to-be-named restaurant stops by your table to chat, and after he has already proven difficult to shoo away, he launches into a anti-feminist rant? And he’s so super old? Is this the equivalent of an internet troll, who can be ignored because he just doesn’t matter or have any influence in the world at all? Or should you really just not let people say ignorant things in front of you ever, and take him to town?
Natalie Burg 