I'd like to put aside the many toxic shocks of the world for a moment, and call your attention to a little article from the April 5 issue of Time magazine (with, ironically*, Condoleeza Rice on the cover). Entitled "Ten Questions for Gloria Steinem," it's a refreshing pause in the madness to hear a woman i've admired for well over half my life give some smart feisty answers to a variety of questions - political, cultural, personal: from gay marriage to Diane Keaton to presidential candidates. Hard to believe Gloria turned 70 last week, she's an ageless icon to me. and, i have to say of her, as i say of myself in my sidebar, there's a dance in the old dame yet.
if you happen to be reading this in NYC, git on over to Barnes and Noble, Union Square, where, at 7 pm Steinem and Ms Magazine editor Elaine Lafferty will be holding a discussion.
*why "ironically," you may ask. well, i respond, we finally have a woman in a position of great power. just what feminists have worked and hoped for for decades. and look what she does with it, look how different she is NOT from any other power brokers of her time. many of us dreaming feminists thought women in power would BE different, would MAKE a difference. there's a lot of thoughtful feminist issues that arise, i believe, from the puzzle that is Condoleeza Rice.
5 comments:
Wow. Those lucky ducky NY residents! It would be great to see Steinem live!
It's hard to imagine that Gloria Steinem is 70, and the she feels the hand of mortality. There is something so timeless and ageless about her. She's always been one of my role models. About women and power, I find myself falling back on the cliche, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I think power, like money (once it's in one's possession) takes precedence over gender. My tangent driven mind is now on Elizabeth I.
Yes, ironic. I remember being happy when Bush appointed her and Colin Powell to important positions, temporarily tricking me into thinking his administration might not be too bad, that Bushie might actually turn out to be a real moderate. But then he appointed Ashcroft, and I knew that he was confirming every earlier fear I had felt!
Thanks for the link to Ms. Steinem, would`ve never seen it!
Vince
Thanks for the Steinem link, she is as witty and full of conviction as ever. The part about women losing power as they age is true. Forget getting ahead, we have to fight with everything we've got just to stay where we are at that age!
Did you hear about Bill Cosby refusing to sit with Condi Rice?http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/177039p-153990c.html
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