Justice for all

Being a child of the enigmatic XYCusp or MTV Generation, I grew up with a fondness for all things 80’s sitcom. Though I am a pale pasty white Irish girl from Maine, one of my favorites was A Different World. Seriously, to this day if Dwayne Wayne asked me to run off with him and his flip-up sunglasses I would in a heartbeat.

That, however, is not the point of this post, just an important footnote. Teen rap sensation Kris Kross (yep, the “Jump” kids) guest starred in an episode (Original Teacher) about inner city gang problems and the perpetuation of generations living in these circumstances. Kris and Chris played rivals locked up in a juvenile detention facility with one chance at probation. To work together on a project with…you guessed it…Dwayne Wayne.

Dwayne tells a story (also recapped by motivational guru Zig Ziglar as a podcast) of fleas kept in a jar with a lid on it. Fleas will jump up again and again smashing their head on the lid. Eventually they stop jumping as high because they discover that hitting your head on a jar lid hurts! The weird (and kinda scary) thing is that you can actually remove the lid from the jar and the fleas will have conditioned themselves to not look up or notice the freedom above them. They refuse to jump to the potential they once had, because really…who likes hitting their head on a lid?!

This story had a strong impact on my life (it aired in 1992…over 15 years ago) and I was reminded of it sitting in a few meetings recently for various “womens” groups. By far I am frequently the youngest in the room. By virtue of my 9-5 I end up grouped with women much older/more tenured than myself. In general I’m fine with that - I feel that I have lots to learn from older feminists and that I have a lot to offer them.

One thing that stuck out the most was a woman who superiorly made the statement “I just don’t know about young people today. I asked a group to identify women from the suffragette movement and they could only name one. Susan B Anthony. I’m pretty sure that’s only because she’s on a coin.” My mouth must have dropped through the floor and everyone was too polite to comment on the huge hole because of the look on my face like I had just been bitch slapped. I must be a horrible feminist…I know I couldn’t name anyone else. Would Hillary Swank count, cause I know she played one in Iron Jawed Angels?

People ask me frequently how I’ve managed success in a corporate arena being a woman. I don’t think these older women will want to hear the response. I’ve succeeded because I keep bashing my head against “the glass ceiling” even after it hurts. It’s one of the most pervasive sentiments I’ve noticed in most successful women in this new feminist generation. We don’t want to pay attention to “the glass ceiling” we’ve been taught we’ll have to fight against “our whole lives.”

Call it stubborn, call it entitlement, call it plain outward stupidity. We realize that we no longer need to wear men’s clothes to play in their arenas. We no longer need to burn our bras to shed the constraints placed upon us. We had a woman (almost) run for President of the United States for goodness sakes! In fact the thing that keeps me down the most is people looking down on my age.

I often repeat the quote “You have to know where you have been to know where you are going.” As a historical and scholarly learner I think you need to understand both the triumphs and challenges of the past to make sure you move forward without making the same mistakes. And I understand that it would be foolish to believe that women are on a totally equal field as their male counterparts. Beyond Corporate America one need only look at some of the more underdeveloped areas of countries to see that there is still a disturbing and real chasm between the genders.

I appreciate SO much about what women have done before me to allow me to be the spoiled little feminist brat they see me as today. But I want to stand on top of a building and shout at the top of my lungs “Stop holding me back because of what you had to go through. Is this truly the legacy that you want to leave to your children?”

Are we as feminists limiting ourselves by constantly referencing/acknowledging/fearing “the glass ceiling?” And what might the feminist movement as a whole be capable of if we started reaching for our potential, rather than fixating on our limitations. Would “the glass ceiling” still exist if we didn’t know it was there, and are we raising future generations to be a jarful of fleas?

As Dwayne Wayne told Kris Kross, desperate to see them jump to the potential he knew they had deep inside: “You can be anything you want, but you gotta know one thing: There’s no lid over you.”

The Changemaker

Elisa Doucette is a not-so-average girl next door who writes various musings and ramblings about the beautiful disaster that is her life over at Ophelia’s Webb.  If she’s not out having really good conversation with friends over cups of coffee or pints at the local pub, she’s most likely curled up with a book listening to jazz or catching the latest Pats/Sox/Celtics/*Insert Kick Ass Sporting Team* game.

Connect with her over at her blog, Ophelia’s Webb, or on her Twitter, @OpheliasWebb!

I have a dream book. Not the kind where you put your sleepy, bleary-eyed memories of the night before under shut-eye, but the kind where you sprint to write down all the excitement in your chest before it escapes you forever. The kind where you write down how, exactly, you plan to change the world.

I’ve had this dream book since Christmas of 1998, a gift from my mother. I read it over the other day, and smiled at this entry -

“I want my generation, the time that I live, to be great and remarkable and groundbreaking. I want my generation to be the one with the first black and woman presidents.”

This was before Obama and Hillary declared their intention to run for President of course, and before I knew how close my dream would soon be a reality.  And as I read those words, I got goosebumps that something that I desired so badly had come true.

Most of the dreams laid forth in the book aren’t as grand though. They’re more to do with me, less to do with the world. And yet, for eleven years, the same themes keep popping up. Keep returning and haunting the page. For eleven years, I’ve wanted to change the world in the same ways, and for eleven years, I haven’t.

Now, to be fair, I’ve done quite a bit. And an outsider would probably say that my involvement in changing the world, while not extraordinary by any means, is passable for the average human. I’ve made a difference. And that’s good.

But in my dream book, the one where it’s quite visible that my mind is racing faster than my pen can keep up, I don’t want to be average. I want to inspire and empower and make change. Like in education. And equality in design. And the environment. And public art. Things that connect people and community and show our common humanity.

And at the end of my life, I hope it’s goosebump city from so many of my dreams coming true. Today though, I’m going to stop writing in my dream book, because there are enough words. Now it’s time for action.

The Changemaker

Rebecca hosts career and life conversations on her blog, http://modite.com/blog/, which is responsible for her current boyfriend and her current job at Alice.com, where she works in PR, social marketing and sells toilet paper. Her blog has been featured in the New York Times and her favorite brand of toilet paper is Cottonelle.

Connect with her over at her blog, Modite, or on her Twitter at @Modite!

I just want to take the time today to send some appreciation the way of Samantha Karol of Lifes Chocolates, who has started an amazing, energetic, appreciative revolution. She’s featuring a series of guest posts from fellow bloggers about the meaning of appreciation, and she’s given me the great opportunity to join in.

So check out her blog and read all the latest posts about appreciation. And while you’re at it, read my guest post for her series: Thanks to the “Invisible” Heroes of Our Generation.

Some of these people are famous, but the vast majority of the people doing some of the most grueling, dangerous work out there are not. They’re not doing it for the recognition. Most of them don’t own their own domains and blogs, and don’t try to “brand” themselves like we do. Instead, they remain anonymous. While I’m sitting in my comfortable room in Europe, enjoying pasta and bread, these brave people are living in difficult conditions and putting themselves in danger to fight for what they believe in. I know I am immensely lucky to have what I have, but I think I lack something that these people have: courage. I talk so much about international issues on my own blog, but I haven’t actually gone and volunteered in a conflict zone, nor have I ever experienced living in conditions of poverty. I’m not sure I’d ever have the strength to become an aid worker in Darfur, or a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote village. I’d like to think I’m up for all these challenges, but I still think it takes a special type of person to dedicate their lives to such work.

Read the rest of the post here.

Thanks Sam for facilitating such an engaging series, and encouraging people to value appreciation. I feel that far too many days, we forget to truly appreciate how lucky we are and what we have in life. This series gives you a chance to do that. So take a look now!

Watching TV news reports or reading newspapers fills us with depressing news from all over the world. No wonder people get obsessed with their favorite celebrity’s latest hairdo or sports teams’ scores. From protests against injustices, to wars, famines or natural disasters, we are all better off ignoring the plagues of the world and focusing on our daily lives. But, are we really?

I agree that media focus on the negative has no use apart from making us depressed, especially given that 95 percent of people, in western countries at least, live peacefully without any major obstacles. It is nevertheless important to be aware and spread awareness of injustices and human rights violations.

Why? Because we are all in this together.

I like this article on Alternet, which basically ponders on the reasons why we have a so called Earth Day, as the earth itself will be better off without us. The author continues saying that “ultimately, stopping climate change is not about preserving the earth (…) but about preserving ourselves”. The same goes with human rights. To care about human rights is not caring about some abstract ideal, it is caring about ourselves as the human specie and as individuals, because, in the end, helping others is helping ourselves and the world.

The global economic crisis taught us once more that we are all interconnected and interdependent on one another. A conflict somewhere may lead to the destabilization of a region, with a direct consequence on your wallet the next time you fill your gas tank, or buy some imported goods. It will most likely bring a surge of immigrants and an increased spending in humanitarian or military assistance. Beside these material consequences, violations of human rights touch directly at the core values of humanity. They compromise the dignity, integrity and equality of every human beings. Lastly, improving others’ lives ultimately improves the quality of our own life on earth, by ensuring wealthy, peaceful and tolerant nations. Thus, enabling further trade, cultural exchange, and eventually peace and wealth for everyone.

We all were born on earth, and we will all die. Our experience in between is our responsibility.

Awareness is not sufficient. Action is needed. Gandhi summarizes it well in his famous quote: “we need to be the change we wish to see in the world”. It is delusional to rely on governments, leaders, corporate or nonprofit entities to get the work done. These can only be a medium to improve the respect of human rights.

Through our everyday actions we need to thrive towards the respect of human rights and the values they represent.

With today’s technologies, it is becoming easier than ever to help a cause in no time. In two mouse clicks you can help spread awareness and protect human rights. You can join a cause or group on Facebook, retweet human rights alerts, and show support for advocacy efforts. It will only take two minutes of your time, but it will have a major impact. The recent cases of Roxana Saberi and Aung San Suu Kyi prove how international pressure can truly help reporters and human rights defenders.

I highlight below a few amazing organizations, which provide platforms for you to have an impact in the world today.

Human Rights First does wonderful work protecting human rights defenders and people at risk of human rights violations around the world. You can sign up to their human rights defenders alerts or participate in HRF actions against torture and baseless prosecutions.

Amnesty International is one of the first organizations that mobilized people for the respect of human rights around the world. Amnesty sets up campaigns to help protecting human rights defenders, to stop torture and prevent human rights abuses.

Physicians for Human Rights organizes online campaigns to mobilize people against health and human rights abuses.

Avaaz is global web advocacy organization, which organizes various online petitions on major issues, such as environment, human rights, corruption and conflicts. They do great work in ensuring people can have an impact on global decisions. You can sign up to participate in their campaigns. You will be able to have your voice heard in literally two clicks.

2Care is an online petition website that mobilizes people on environmental issues, global warming, wildlife protection, health policies and human rights.

Human Rights Watch is a leading organization advocating for human rights protection around the world. It has a great online action center where you can take action to protect human rights.

And don’t forget that the real power of change lies in your hands.

If you haven’t already, please pop on over to Matt Cheuvront’s blog, Life Without Pants. I recently wrote a guest post for his Inconvenience of Change series, describing my viewpoint on why social change is so important and why it’s so hard for people to understand that. Here’s an excerpt:

“Why is helping someone thousands of miles away so important? It’s because we are all truly, deeply interrelated. We can’t separate their poverty from our success. My success depends on the success of a farmer in India, or a small business owner in Mali. By making the world better as a whole, I’m improving my own life. By improving the economies of developing countries, we here in the U.S. are finding more emerging markets to export to. By helping Somalia establish a stable government and helping Somalian fishermen, we are preventing piracy attacks on U.S. ships. By educating children in poor areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, we are helping to reduce extremist Islamic ideology that recruits future terrorists. Helping others helps us. Good karma comes back to help you when you need it. This isn’t selfless altruism: it’s the virtue of selfishness.”

So please head on over there to read my full post, and while you’re at it check out the rest of the excellent posts in Matt’s series. I thank Matt for the great opportunity to participate, and it’s been really great to hear everyone’s unique viewpoint on change. Enjoy!