President John F. Kennedy was much loved and an eloquent, charismatic speaker.
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
His words have inspired and given hope to a number of generations.
But here’s another quote from President Kennedy that you might not know:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/...
“I want to express my thanks to all of you. I can imagine nothing happier than to be a citizen of Girls Nation, and I accept the invitation… So we are very pleased to have you here. I can think of no guests who are more appropriately welcome, and I am confident that some day it is very possible--well, it may not be possible for you to be President, but at least I am sure we are talking to a future First Lady.” August 2, 1963
Do you think President Kennedy was wrong when he said that it "may not be possible" for a girl to grow up to be President? That was 45 years ago, you’re thinking. Our American culture has changed since those archaic days of the 1960s.
How do we explain then this story that was written on another blog site today?
(http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/11/123243/133)
"(My friend) is the mother of a very bright seven year old girl, and we were talking (on the phone) about Clinton and whether she'd be able to break the "old boys club" and actually win the nomination and the general election in the fall. What about Obama? Would she or he be able to enact their policies or face strong opposition from within one party, or the other, or both parties? At one point, my friend hung up suddenly. Said she had to go speak to her daughter and I should call back. I did, thinking only that someone hadn't been behaving. That's not what happened. Turned out her daughter heard us talking and had said, "Don't be silly Mommy, a girl can't be president!"
It's sad that our culture gives the impression to little girls that they can't be President. No one needs to say it in words; little girls are smart, and they can figure it out on their own. One look at who has been President tells them that women don't hold the position.
Inequality doesn't change, until change happens.
Sometimes you can't wait to be asked to join in, you have to demand it. This is an issue that strikes at the heart of what it means to be female in our society. And it is an issue that will only be overturned in time, not by members of the Old Boys Club, and perhaps not by men in general. As much as our husbands, our fathers, and our sons love us, this question of whether a woman will ever lead our nation is one that will be decided by women. Women must decide if this is important to them, and if it is, they need to stand up and make a choice to support a woman. Not just any woman, but a qualified woman. We have two equally qualified candidates in Obama and Clinton. But only one is a woman, and only she can make this inequality a thing of the past.
"Don't be silly Mommy, a girl can't be president!"
Until we stand up to the Boy's Club as women, little girls will be saying this for many years to come.
Perhaps for their entire lifetime.