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Hillarysworld -> All things Hillary -> Hillary Clinton maps women’s changing lives (SMH 9/24/10)
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TOPIC: Hillary Clinton maps women’s changing lives (SMH 9/24/10)
Jen the Michigander


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Hillary Clinton maps women’s changing lives (SMH 9/24/10)
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From an Australian news source...

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/hillary-clinton-maps-womens-changing-lives-20100923-15or5.html

A FRIEND and I were crowing that Hillary Clinton was finally making it to Australia – in November for strategic and security talks -when my friend’s 15-year-old daughter threw a cleaver. “I don’t get the fuss about her. She’s so old. Those clothes!”

“Huh?” her mother and I said, choir-like. Where do I start?

Maybe with 1947, when Hillary Rodham was born and when a woman’s destiny was seen as primarily domestic. A female lawyer, female medical specialist, and female chief executive were exceptional.

Women watch her and what we see is a version of ourselves; the version that held her nerve as she followed through on the theories of De Beauvoir/Greer/Steinham et al. It’s as if this woman is herself an artwork, ”making what appears to be impossible, possible”.

The article gives a nice summary of Hillary's early years.

At a time when most women, and men, still saw marriage and bride as synonyms for success, Hillary Rodham rejected Bill Clinton’s proposal. They lived together and when they did marry – in 1975, in the living room of their own house in Fayetteville, Arkansas – she kept her own name. In Arkansas, Hillary became the first female to become partner in a distinguished law firm, and until her husband became US president, she always earned more than he did.

Nowadays this sounds inconsequential, but at the time it was hullabaloo. Novels, plays and songs have been written about the horror men had, and have, of their partners earning more.

Clinton immersed herself in issues of children’s justice and oversaw reform of the Arkansas educational system. Her daughter, Chelsea, was born when she was first lady of Arkansas. In 1993, she became first lady of the United States, influential as no other first lady had been. Ever savvy about politics, she pragmatically added “Clinton” to her name.

But it was the Monica Lewinsky affair that attuned women en masse to Hillary Clinton.

Sure, she stood by the dope in question, but her posture was different to the abject women of the songs (and real life). Her sophisticated response, putting sex into perspective, was shorthand for the complexity and delicacy of a lifelong partnership of two remarkably well-matched and magnanimous people. In the decade of Charles and Diana, this was especially relevant. Her behaviour at this time moved understanding between the sexes on several decades.

And today, as US Secretary of State, when she fixes her steely glance on idiots and unleashes her impatience on fools, women – well, certain women – are moved to the core. Unlike most mainstream women, she isn’t afraid to be what used to be the death knell in politics, unfeminine. Meaning, exactly, what? It seems to me that, as she finds out who she is now, she’s increasingly unafraid to declare herself.

Love that line about idiots and fools! smile.gif

Hillary Clinton’s life – struggles, failures, as well as achievements – is a retrospective mapping of women’s lives in the last half of the 20th century. The facts might read as a tick-list of: “First woman to be . . .” but her progress is not about a single theme known as “Feminism”. It’s a bold, infinitely complex and as yet unfinished flow through some 60 years of breakneck change. Faced with the dismaying rise of flirty, dirty Sarah Palin, a woman who declares that all she ever needed to know was learnt on a basketball court, we cling to the idea of a woman of substance, whose eloquent life is making the impossible possible.

Women look at HRC and think that she is that rare thing, a fully realised woman. If I were Cole Porter I would write a song for her called: ”You’re the Top”. A Porter lyric is immortality, not the way you dress. And, dear 15-year-old, 63 is not O.L.D.

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freespirit


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Thanks for setting that young lady straight, Jen. Damn straight it ain't old, and we should all be so lucky to accomplish a fraction of what Hillary has accomplished, and continues to accomplish by 83 - let alone, 63.

I love this sentence:

It seems to me that, as she finds out who she is now, she’s increasingly unafraid to declare herself.

She knows who she is, what she believes, and to hell with those who want to limit her to their own small, distorted view of who they think she is. 

This applies in triplicate to those who would try to reduce her to her looks, clothes, and/or hair.  Even if she sets her hair on fire, and wears it in charred ringlets with a purple bow in it - damn! it's hair, not world peace.  And, she has the right to do as she pleases with it.

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It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.  ~Susan B. Anthony
Sanders


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freespirit wrote:

Thanks for setting that young lady straight, Jen. Damn straight it ain't old, and we should all be so lucky to accomplish a fraction of what Hillary has accomplished, and continues to accomplish by 83 - let alone, 63.

I love this sentence:

It seems to me that, as she finds out who she is now, she’s increasingly unafraid to declare herself.

She knows who she is, what she believes, and to hell with those who want to limit her to their own small, distorted view of who they think she is. 

This applies in triplicate to those who would try to reduce her to her looks, clothes, and/or hair.  Even if she sets her hair on fire, and wears it in charred ringlets with a purple bow in it - damn! it's hair, not world peace.  And, she has the right to do as she pleases with it.

Damn straight! LOL

I loved this part where the author capture well that Hillary was always the success well before (with her able help,) Bill Clinton became the success.

At a time when most women, and men, still saw marriage and bride as synonyms for success, Hillary Rodham rejected Bill Clinton’s proposal. They lived together and when they did marry – in 1975, in the living room of their own house in Fayetteville, Arkansas – she kept her own name. In Arkansas, Hillary became the first female to become partner in a distinguished law firm, and until her husband became US president, she always earned more than he did.

Nowadays this sounds inconsequential, but at the time it was hullabaloo. Novels, plays and songs have been written about the horror men had, and have, of their partners earning more.

So, all the boohaha about Hillary being Senator because of Pres.Clinton -- from the likes of chris matthews - was so very wrong.

 

It seems to me that, as she finds out who she is now, she’s increasingly unafraid to declare herself

Well, I would say

As America finds out who she is now, she’s increasingly declaring herself.

It is not about being afraid. Rather about letting the people discover her.

Articles like the above and more light on such article will help all our cause.

So, let's send the article out to friends and blog it out there.



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