Today is International Women's Day. Are you wearing red today, ladies? Yeah. Me, neither. The malcontents on the left have organized a Day Without Women and it is as ridiculous and ambiguous as it sounds. Apparently what the women on the left side of the aisle want is a day off. The attempt is being made to garner attention to the challenges faced by women in the working world and life in general.
International Women's Day is "a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women." That website description of the day, however, flies in the face of the liberal takeover of messaging in America, 2017. Today the message is stay home, don't participate.
Not only is the message garbled - what exactly the message is isn't clear - but it is a completely elitist, privileged, aging feminist idea gone wrong. The unintended consequences are rising and one thing is clear - these women do not speak for me.
Stay home, women, and work from home today is one message. That is a rallying cry from some out of touch leftists. Work from home to fight Trump is their idea. It's for democracy, whatever that means. How big of a self-indulgent bubble does a woman have to be in to think most women have that luxury - to just decide to work from home when it suits their political agenda? Most women simply do not have that option.
At a time of uncertainty in the labor market, is it really moral to ask women to risk their livelihood to make a lame political statement? In the real world, if someone doesn't show up for work, she is fired.
As noted in this article, even schools are being allowed to close so that their unionized teachers can have a vacation day, at the expense of working moms and the education of their children.
"Several school districts across the country are closing to allow staff and teachers the chance to participate. While some people in those communities applauded district leadership for the show of solidarity, others criticized them for leaving working families scrambling to find childcare."
In North Carolina last week, the decision was made to shut down a school district instead of denying teachers the day off. This is the world in which we live.
"While Chapel Hill-Carroboro City Schools values and supports its female employees, the decision to close schools is not a political statement,” interim Superintenent Jim Causby wrote to parents. “It is entirely about the safety of students and the district’s inability to operate with a high number of staff absences.”
The problem with that justification by cowardly school administrators is that the truth is missing - the decision for the teachers and staff to skip work today is, indeed, a political decision. Leftists don't want to accept Donald Trump as president and the temper tantrums continue.
Working women, single parents, school children all fall victim to the selfish decision of a few. In the world of bitter liberals, a few decide and everyone else is to fall into line. Today has traditionally been one of the celebration of women. The left wants to make it a day for women to play victim instead of providing an uplifting and encouraging message. Instead of projecting a message of encouragement and empowerment to young girls, the message delivered today is one of encouraging dropping out and playing victim. This is an embarrassment to all women who show up every day and do the work - especially to conservative feminists.
Remember - this is an international day of recognition. American liberals are so into themselves that, ironically, they continue to miss the big picture. Instead of dropping out of real life today in America, how about making a statement against the atrocities and abuses of women in countries that do not respect them as human beings? How about recognizing the girls in countries that do not allow them to go to school, based on their gender? How about recognizing women who must go about daily life without the ability to drive themselves or shop alone without a male escort or voice an opinion in public? How about recognizing women who must cover themselves from head to toe in forced modesty in observance of ancient religious tenets? How about recognizing women subjected to honor killings or public stoning?
There is no such thing as a day without women, any more than there is a day without men or a day without children. Women run households, are the family caregivers, balance careers and personal lives, educate the next generation, own businesses and meet payrolls, hold political office, and serve in the armed forces as they strive to lead good lives one day at a time. Liberal women hijacking a day of celebration miss the point of real equality and feminism - women living the life that best suits their needs and those of their families. American women live in freedom and opportunity. The mixed messages from #ADayWithoutWomen in 2017 will be tossed on the garbage heap of history.
By the way, the slogan for today is #BeBoldForChange, not wimp out and stay home.
There is, indeed, discrimination in today's America. I've felt it, as has every woman alive. Women of my generation have seen amazing progress in American society as it relates to men and women and how we all live in the world together. None of this has been won, though, by staying home and dropping out. We show up every day and just do it. That's how change is made.
