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Indira Gandhi and Sarah Palin
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Indira Gandhi and Sarah Palin
Yesterday was what would have been the 92nd birthday of Indira Gandhi, the former prime minister of India, the largest democracy in the world, and the most powerful woman in the world at the time, for nearly 20 years. In a country that was considered to treat women as second class citizens, Indira Gandhi was the reigning leader for 20 years.
As I was thinking of Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi) and what it must have been like for a woman in 1966 to have been the leader of such a big country soon after its independence, I couldn’t help to think about the present, and the trials and tribulations of our female leaders, specifically Hillary Clinton and presently, Sarah Palin.
When you think of Indira Gandhi, or other female leaders that followed, i.e., Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher, you can’t help but wonder in a country that proudly shows off its fairness and equality towards all, why haven’t we elected a woman as president as yet?
It can’t be for lack of qualifications. We just saw in the last presidential election a less qualified candidate win over several very qualified candidates. So is it personality? Are we voting based on charisma? Hmmmm. This question has been asked many times before, and of course, everyone is in denial. This brings me to Sarah Palin.
Why is it that every time a female politician runs for higher office, the country is split – people either “hate her” or “love her”? Why do seemingly decent, tolerant people tend to lose it with female politicians? You say it’s Palin they can’t stand because of her issues?
I dare you try out this little test: We all know someone who was “in love” with Obama and you couldn’t say anything wrong about him. That same person “hated” Hillary Clinton. Ask them what they think of Sarah Palin. I guarantee you, you will hear, “dumb”, “stupid”, “annoying”, “crazy”, and of course more colorful language I cannot write here. I already know what your test will reveal, because I have already tried it on people who label themselves as “progressive” or “liberal.” And it’s a shocker. It’s a shocker because these same things, and much worse, were said about Hillary Clinton, long before Palin came along, but the same group of people who portray themselves as fighters for equality (remember Michelle Obama saying “If you can’t run your own house, you can’t run the White House,” referring to Hillary Clinton and referencing Bill Clinton’s affairs, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN1qZMBE9Gc ).
A woman running for office obviously stirs a lot of emotion and bad judgment on the part of seemingly good people. Sarah Palin is the last person I would agree with on the issues, but I can’t help but respect her for putting herself out there. I can’t help but wonder with all the nasty comments, what is it doing to younger women who are aspiring to be president one day. I can’t help but wonder when a young woman or young man hears their mother or father degrade Palin, not for her issues, but just as a person, what message is that young person receiving?
As a country, we are already behind on electing women political leaders and more than 40 years behind other countries in electing a woman in their top spot. Let’s not delay the process any further. Show respect for those that dare to put themselves on a soap box and take a stand for what they believe in. Dare to put your political beliefs aside and support another as a human being. We will get to equality a lot faster. Happy belated birthday Indira Gandhi. May your courage and strength help guide young women for years to come.
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