The Women's March

[Deebs]

We didn't go. I was nervous to be there with four kids, in case things went south. I'm thrilled at the turnout, discussion before and after, and hopeful that more people are encouraged to always vote and contact their legislators.


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[spotty_dog]

We didn't go. I was nervous to be there with four kids, in case things went south. I'm thrilled at the turnout, discussion before and after, and hopeful that more people are encouraged to always vote and contact their legislators.

Can we correlate this feeling of being nervous for your kids' safety, with the feelings that black mothers and mothers of black children have, day in and day out? Or Latina/undocumented mothers who might be facing permanent separation from their children through deportation? Or lesbian mothers whose rights to their own children could be challenged if marriage equality is threatened?

[spotty_dog]

I didn't go but because I was scared to be honest. In a new town, I just wasn't comfortable going out on my own. I loved seeing my newsfeed with all the different woman who did march and around the world as well for so many different reason. Some I questioned or didn't agree with but for me it was about sisterhood. I may not agree with you but I'll stand here with you and support you

I like to think about the message that "I might not be able to understand your life that I haven't lived, but I'm very ready to make some space and listen to what you have to say about your experience." It's time to listen -- especially white women listening to women of color. Hope you have somebody to go with you next time, if you want to go! And I hope that the solidarity translates into action that benefits us all.

[Howfunitis]

I like to think about the message that "I might not be able to understand your life that I haven't lived, but I'm very ready to make some space and listen to what you have to say about your experience." It's time to listen -- especially white women listening to women of color. Hope you have somebody to go with you next time, if you want to go! And I hope that the solidarity translates into action that benefits us all.

Yes and just like someone mentioned above, I got to see from the few people I know their true feelings on the subject on the march. I don't speak my mind on the subjects simply because not everything is black and white and I have a hard time translating what I want to say into words.
Sometimes, when woman start picking apart everything that has been said up till now or the March and the cause or the post going around how we have it better than other worlds. I cringe and get upset. It's like this,

My parents became citizens under the Ronald Reagan administration. I'm first generation here. My sister is gay. I was sexually abused as a child. In an abusive relationship as an adult. Had an abortion 12 years ago and my uncle and aunt are illegals here and I'm Hispanic.

It's not just "the immigrants who don't have papers just need to go"

Sorry, didn't mean to go off topic. I hope to one day be able to express my political feeling with fellow people here and not feel judged or at least have the opportunity to be listened to.



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[MrsC]

I didn't go because the baby freaks out if I leave him for more than 30 minutes and none of my friends were interested. I was kind of disappointed to miss it. My great grandmother was arrested (just for marching) for women's suffrage in Ireland back when no-one was doing it 😮 My Dad would be proud to see me there haha.
I thought this article about past protests in Washington was very interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/u...tory.html?_r=0 They do make a difference!
The only thing that irritated me about this one were the organizers saying you should be pro-choice to attend. I know plenty of pro-life feminists and it kind of goes against their entire theme of equality and inclusion. Feminism is about far more than that one issue and I feel like the amount of focus on it detracts from all the other important issues.

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[spotty_dog]

Yes and just like someone mentioned above, I got to see from the few people I know their true feelings on the subject on the march. I don't speak my mind on the subjects simply because not everything is black and white and I have a hard time translating what I want to say into words.
Sometimes, when woman start picking apart everything that has been said up till now or the March and the cause or the post going around how we have it better than other worlds. I cringe and get upset. It's like this,

My parents became citizens under the Ronald Reagan administration. I'm first generation here. My sister is gay. I was sexually abused as a child. In an abusive relationship as an adult. Had an abortion 12 years ago and my uncle and aunt are illegals here and I'm Hispanic.

It's not just "the immigrants who don't have papers just need to go"

Sorry, didn't mean to go off topic. I hope to one day be able to express my political feeling with fellow people here and not feel judged or at least have the opportunity to be listened to.

Sorry you feel the need to apologize! This is totally on-topic and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to hear you. It's tough to feel your way into a new community, but I hope you find like-minded people soon.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

The Women's March

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor...rtnership.html

I found this article to be disappointing on the subject of pro-life women being excluded. Given the number of causes/reasons people had for marching, it's disappointing that there was a line drawn in the sand on one issue. It's like we can agree on 98% and want to stand with each other on social justice, rights for immigrants, fair pay, disability rights, etc but if that 2% is abortion than it's not ok.


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[Howfunitis]

I totally agree. I couldn't believe it either and it was disappointing. From the images I saw, I saw pro life signs but I guess it must have not been in every city.


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[civilspouse]

I would have liked to have gone to the local one but I am not a fan of huge crowds on my own and DD had a birthday party to go to. I might have pushed myself to take DD if she was older. Recent protests in our city have gotten a little out of hand too though so I was also a little concerned about that. I think the whole thing is really positive, uplifting and inspiring. That is disappointing about the abortion issue though. I had not heard about that. It really seems to go against everything I understood the march to be for.


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[MrsC]

[MENTION=4964]Howfunitis[/MENTION] I'm sorry. I know how it feels to not fit in. I hope you find some like-minded friends there soon.
I hate that these issues impact friendships and it's largely because of social media. It's often not something that would come up in everyday conversation.

[niener]

I went to our local one and had a great experience. Ours felt very inclusive and peaceful, and the participants represented a wide range of ethnic groups, age groups, the LGBTQ community, the disabled/differently-abled community, and so on. Lots of men there as well. The overarching message I felt was clear, which was "Women (of all races/ethnicities/abilities/sexual preferences/etc) 's rights are equal rights and we reject competing hateful rhetoric". People seemed to be marching for dozens of different, more specific reasons than that and I'm quite sure I didn't agree with all of them, but they marched for their reasons, I marched for mine. In the end we brought incredible international attention, so the purpose of a combined voice was achieved. My Facebook feed was flooded with photos from friends (male and female) at marches all over the US and for me that only enhanced the feeling of unity, so I posted photos and even a live video during the march not because I was looking for pats on the back or whatever but so I could help add to that feeling. I think rallies and marches are important and often a critical first step in a successful movement. Of course it's not the end goal, but it emboldens more people to work towards that end goal. There is an extreme power in numbers. It's easier to call your congressional representative's office to discuss a measure you disagree with when you feel like you have a few hundred thousand people behind you.

[MrsK]

I didn't go. I felt like it was a day late and a dollar short. There should have been demonstrations by Republicans, Democrats, and everything else before Trump got the Republican nomination.

It's not that I don't believe in vigorous objection to his policies. It's just that I felt like a multipurpose demonstration would only serve to make the point that we don't like him and we're angry that he won the election. I also figured it would be dismissed with a paltry tweet.

I prefer to attack issues individually, calling my local representatives, voting in midterm elections, making donations and volunteering time to causes I support. I feel like there is so much to be outraged about and I need to conserve my outrage. This is going to be a long haul.

I will say though, I felt encouraged that so many people feel outraged as well. There were people I didn't expect at the March.

As for why people are disseminating their beliefs on Facebook.....I do it from time to time for my friends who are uninformed. For instance, most of the major news outlets didn't cover the bomb threats that were called into 30+ Jewish community centers last week (or even know that the JCC houses preschools for toddlers and day programs for elderly) or about the defacing of the reform rabbinical college or recognize the antisemitic dog whistles in speeches. Someone here said that they don't think antisemitism increased during the election. It has. Also, I have friends and family abroad who only hear the alternative facts in their news and don't know what it looks like on the ground. When they post memes that they are proud of our president, they don't know how vulgar he is.

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[WolfpackWife]

I went and was at the same one as R&D. I was so glad I went, not only was it a very encouraging experiences, it was also educational. I was happy to see diversity as well, including many men. It was a powerful feeling to be among so many people demonstrating their support of or dismay for so many of the same things.


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[SoonerTexan]

I did not go. The pro-life exclusion was disappointing to me as well, but even without that I probably wouldn't have gone. It really isn't my style. Same with the facebook posts. Every so often I will post something, but I wonder if it is really worth it. I consistently unfollow people who regularly post political things on Facebook, regardless of whether they are conservative or liberal. Most of the time it makes me start incredibly disliking the person because it feels like they are trying to push their views on me, when really I'm just seeing a small part of who they are. I usually start remembering why I like them again after they have been unfollowed

After the election, I realized how much emotional effort I had spent on it, to the point that it was truly bothering me and I wasn't doing a good job at what I should be focusing on: my kids. I'm not at a place in my life where I can go out and do much. I have big responsibilities at home. Raising these little people to be kind, loving, and sure of their moral compass is the best thing I can do to affect change in this world at this point in my life.

[JDAZ11]

I didn't go. I totally agree with the too little too late statement. It something that should have happened before the election.

I also feel like it would be hypocritical of me. I voted for a third party thinking there was no chance he would win. And now I guess I have to live with my decision. How could I go protest him taking office when I didn't vote for her?

My parents (my mom voted for him - but made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone...) ended up hosting 16 people at their house this weekend who attended the march in DC. I sort of laughed to myself thinking about my mom shuttling them all to the metro, feeding them etc. all while she voted for him... certainly would have made dinner conversations more heated if they had known!

I'm very pro-choice, but I also agree that it's totally inappropriate to exclude women who are pro-life from a "women's" march. Abortion is a huge issue for women, but so are SO MANY other things. It's not fair to draw a line there.




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