Amusing

A friend sent me this picture from somethingtoputhere.com. It not only looks like Daphne and Hershey, but it so accurately captures their dysfunctional relationship.

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

Billie Jean King was on NPR this week promoting her new book called Pressure is a Privilege and reminiscing about her classic "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against Bobby Riggs, which she won 25 years ago. "Anything You Can Do" was the theme song for that event, nicely capturing the spirit of the gender divide at that time when women were first breaking into traditional male roles and having to prove that they could be physically and intellectually comparable to men, if not superior.

I haven't been able to get that song out of my head since McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his running mate. But this time the song doesn't celebrate female accomplishment, but rather a manipulation of gender issues to (once again) further a man's career. Palin's nomination is a slap in the face to everything that women's movements have struggled to achieve for decades. Palin wasn't selected because of her qualifications for the job, she was a tool for McCain to flaunt to the Democrats that anything they can do, he and the Republicans can do better.

Regardless of the outcome, this presidential race has been the most fascinating that I can remember and full of historical precedence. We will break some kind of power barrier in the fall -- either by electing the first Black president of the U.S. or the first female VP. Either way, the outcome changes opportunity structures for future generations, and that should be celebrated.

And yet ... if it is the latter victory, it will be a hollow one. Putting aside the fact that I don't want to see another Republican presidency, the fact that the first female VP made it to that office as a token of a male agenda rather than on the strength of her qualifications is not a great stride for gender equality. The message that McCain is sending is that the American people would like to see a female on the ticket, and any woman will do. So he picked one that best suited his needs and his image. She's young and inexperienced, and therefore unlikely to challenge or overshadow him. She's pretty and dresses appropriately, therefore she'll look nice standing next to a visibly aging man. How can you question the vigor of a man when he has not one, but two pretty women on his side -- his trophy wife and his token running mate?

The true test for Palin, if she makes it to the White House, will be whether she can capitalize on her good fortune and truly become a strong leader or whether she will be content to take all of the credit for breaking through this glass ceiling without having earned it. I can't even imagine what Hillary Clinton must have felt when she learned of this news. Talk about kicking someone when they are down!

Inferiority Complex

I only just watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics yesterday. As much as I love the Olympics, the ceremonies usually bore me. Well, not this time. What an amazing show! It was visually stunning, culturally relevant, technologically sophisticated, and politically astute. As I sat in awe watching one brilliant performance after another, I couldn't help feeling disconcerted. Despite the less fortunate aspects of the Olympics so for (Tibetan politics, air quality, and now the recent murder/suicide), China has effectively sent the world a message -- it's big, it's powerful, and it's back! The superpower tide is changing and while we have no recollection of China's glory days, I think we'll all look back on these Olympics as a turning point in history.

Wasted Potential

When Kwame Kilpatrick first ran for mayor in 2001 he was the Obama of the Democratic Party at that time. At age 31 he epitomized hope for a city mired in social, economic, and political problems. He exuded confidence and leadership and, as many fallen politicians do, he touted his young children as the reason why he would conduct business ethically. A positive stint as mayor in Detroit could have launched him as a major contender in national politics.

[sigh] And then .. the thug-ocracy began. The abuses of power -- originally financial and then sexual -- led to numerous scandals over the past seven years. The most serious of which, perjury and obstruction of justice, will definitely end his career and may lead to prison time. For someone who was so proud of setting a positive example for his family, his behavior has been embarrassing, but his arrogance is unconscionable. Rather than resigning from his post when indicted of felony charges in the spring, he has pretended to "serve" the city while collecting his salary. Today he made national headlines yet again when he was sent to jail for violating his bond. I have a lot of respect for the judge who was willing to take a stand for the judicial process in a system that is highly corrupt and in a city where retaliatory violence is common.

Kilpatrick's response to his arrest was laughable: "I don't believe that there is a person that's ever been through this process that respects it more than I do." Funny coming from a man facing perjury charges who recently assaulted a police officer and has violated his bond conditions other times. Maybe one of his kids can explain to him what the word respect actually means.