[ad_1]
Following Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court on Saturday, we asked women across the country to tell us how they were responding.
We heard 40,000 people.
Many women – lawyers, teachers, home teachers and military spouses – expressed their anger and bitterness at the struggle for nomination and those on the other side of the political divide. They also told us what lessons from this confirmation they would convey to the next generation.
Here is a selection of their answers, edited and condensed for clarity. Please use the comments to tell us how you saw this moment.
On speaking
We must break the patriarchy now!
We asked readers: If you had to teach a lesson to your son or daughter from the Kavanaugh nomination and auditions, what would he do?
I will tell him, and my sons, to watch Dr. Ford and his force closely under fire. We must imitate its strength in our daily lives. Each. Unique. Day. I want my children to know that they should never wait 30 years to tell me if something bad is happening to them, because I will believe them the minute they tell me – and I will fight for justice made.
I want my children to know that, if they act the same way as Kavanaugh, whether in high school or for a job interview, I will not be on their side. I will discipline them for abominable behavior with all that is in my power.
– Dr. Lisa Baracker, California
Observe Liberals' childish reactions – hammering and scratching the doors of the Supreme Court, blocking roads, attacking right-wing people, chasing politicians or experts over the subway, out of restaurants, and so on. – only confirmed my position against my beliefs.
His lesson:
If you are a victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault, talk about it when it happens.
– Nicole MacKinnon, Columbus, Ohio
I am devastated. MAGA means coming back to the "Fifties when women and minorities are sidelined, punished and minimized at every turn.
His lesson:
To my husband and my son, I said that I am insulted and angry because many believe that all men commit sexual assault and that this is part of the growth. To my daughters, I say that the world is not fair. Women are not believed when they report a sexual assault.
– Maureen Blackwood, Richmond, Virginia.
On the equity
I am pleased that basic human rights such as "innocent until proven otherwise", "the burden of proof lies with the accuser", the need for "evidence", etc. ., have not been removed from our society.
His lesson:
If I counseled a son, I would tell him to avoid as a plague any woman who identifies with people that will literally do anything for power, because we can not trust him to treat you with fairness and honesty.
If I advised a girl, I would tell her not to look like them. Do not play the victim. Do not lie to attract attention, money and power. Be fair, honest and decent.
– Margaret Johnson, Texas
Kavanaugh's hearings were not a criminal trial. It was not necessary that the allegations be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The hearings were a job interview for one of the most respected positions in the United States.
There is clearly doubt and disagreement about what happened all these years ago. For me, that should have been enough for more senators to vote no.
His lesson:
Everyone should learn a lot more about the structure of government, the standards of evidence and the timing of their application.
– Victoria Church, Connecticut
I will vote Republican now. I do not want this shit to happen again in this country.
His lesson:
Due process has been protecting all Americans for decades – the time of lynched publicly for unsubstantiated claims or assaults are over! Thank God.
– Meredith Fiori, Palo Alto, California
It's not about men or women. It's about right and wrong. If women really want equal rights, stop doing everything about gender. What happened to not judge someone based on race, religion, sex, etc.? I am Latina and that has never stopped me from realizing anything.
His lesson:
To my sons: Always do what's good, right and be nice. Oh, and start a calendar diary. You never know when it will be useful.
– Yvette Varela, Arizona
Honestly, I have the impression that the left has used this woman as a political pawn. If one of them really cared, Juanita Broaddrick [a woman who accused President Bill Clinton of sexual assaulting her in 1978] would have his day in court, too.
His lesson:
Justice, it seems, is only possible for some people based on their political affiliation.
I have asked my son to take the necessary precautions in the future as a result of this case. While I would like to joke, I begged my son to "understand it in writing" before entering into any relationship whatsoever.
– Tanya Heart, Waterford, Mich.
On personal responsibility
I think that if more women were senators and could have voted, it would have been clear that it happened to so many women and that Dr. Ford would never have revealed if it was wrong.
His lesson:
I have a 20 year old junior in college. I taught him to never drive you back to haunt you because of your despicable behavior. Do not drink and do not smoke. Treat women honorably, be nice and obey the law.
But my son is African American and he is even more likely to be judged by his behavior and the unjust consequences that young white men like Kavanaugh would never have suffered.
If a young black man had been the type of young man Kavanaugh was, he would never have dreamed of being sworn in the Supreme Court. Never.
– Sheila Coleman Castells, Eglon, West Virginia
It's not so much that I leaned towards himI moved away from him. I really seemed to be someone who is prone to a frenzy, a binger.
His lesson:
I have four sons and they all grew up. I was very outraged (because of their embarrassment) every time I discovered that they were at parties where the consumption of alcohol and drugs was plentiful.
Nobody is able to be responsible for his safety or that of others when one is drunk stupid. And you are still responsible for your actions later, even if you can not remember what happened.
– Jamie Ballenger, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Tell the truth
Senator Collins is a woman. She examined the facts, voted for her conscience and did not let her emotions or her party dictate her vote. That's the kind of person we need in Congress. I do not care about their sex.
Women who invent false allegations against quality men will ruin the credibility of abused women.
His lesson:
Tell the truth. Always. And do not party before being an adult.
– Renee Tate, Arkansas
I think it is vitally important to have more women in the public service because our government should be representative of the people of this country. This means fewer white men over the age of 50 and more young people, people of color and women. We deserve a government that looks like us.
But I do not think women are intrinsically less likely to make selfish choices, so I do not think that more women Republican senators could have made the slightest difference.
Her lesson:
The fact that people do not believe that Dr. Ford does not mean that she's wrong. She was incredibly brave and history will eventually see her as a heroine.
– Julia Specht, Brooklyn, N.Y.
I will have to protect and protect the men of my family from false attacks.
His lesson:
My daughter will learn to abide by the law and not to falsely accuse someone of an act. My son will learn to respect women but also to watch over his back because it could bite him at the end.
– Monique Dorsey, Connecticut
On a good citizenship
If Kavanaugh had just admitted that he drank too much and did not remember it, but if he did something, he would apologize, I would feel so different about everything.
His lesson:
The first is to vote and that every vote counts. The second is that everyone makes mistakes in his youth, and it is important to be honest about your mistakes and to own them. If you mislead someone, please excuse yourself, it will help you AND help them. If you behave badly, you own it and promise never to do it again.
– Melissa Spencer, Los Angeles
Roe v. Wade will not be upset. It is the law of the country. Too many liberals think with their emotions and not with the rational parts of their brains, which drives them to act as if they were irrational teens.
Trump, Kavanaugh – these men are not going to take away women's rights. In fact, if people took a minute to examine the evidence, they would find a lot on the contrary.
His lesson:
It is important to stand firm and fight for everything that has founded this country.
– Jennifer Turpin, South Carolina
I was elected to the local office last year. I always tell political passionate friends that they should consider taking charge of themselves. It is extremely important to have more women in power, especially women Democrats. We also need more women to believe that they deserve to be elected.
His lesson:
Oppressed people have overcome much worse difficulties than we are currently facing. Never lose hope and always believe in the power of collective action to make a difference in the world. The human spirit is indomitable.
– Sadaf Jaffer, Montgomery Township, N.J.
A woman does not forget the face of the man trying to undress.
She also had a previous relationship with him. This was not a stranger. She knew him. She had context for him. She would have known him at the party. With him above her, all the background that preceded him would have crossed the mind to try to understand how that had happened. When she said that she was 100% sure, I believed her.
Her lesson:
Vote. Our current president is in power because he won about 70,000 more votes in three key states of swing. Many senators who voted "yes" for Kavanaugh won their seats in the midterm elections. The lesson is: vote!
– Lisa Sharon Harper, Washington, D.C.
Note to readers who are not subscribers: This article from Reader Center does not count in your monthly limit of free articles.
Follow the @ReaderCenter on Twitter for more coverage by highlighting your perspectives and experiences and to get a glimpse of how we work.
[ad_2]
Source link
