I Have A Dream, . . . My American Dream.
The more Women are elected for Congress, the better for this country and for the world.
Probably because of the title and subtitle of this paper, many people reading it will think that I am interested in Politics. No, I am not interested; but I like to be well informed about what is going on in this world, and I read voraciously the news from America, because I live here. I also review all the international events, because I lived in Europe for a long time and I am very fond of several countries. I feel I must read what is happening there and then communicate with my friends.
The news about America right now, revolves around political corruption and the electoral campaign, apart from the forest fires in California and -of course- the coronavirus. But I am going in another direction. I have what is called the “American Dream,” which in my case is not getting rich and living like a tycoon. For me, there are much more important things than economic success or fame; besides, these two terms are confusing, because the idea of money and triumph is not the same for everyone.
Every time I find in my life a person with a lot of money, but who is vulgar and uncultured, I feel that what is the use of wealth, if it does not bring knowledge; and even more than erudition, what is important is wisdom. Therefore my dreams in America have nothing to do with money, since I have always had a little left over and I have invested it in traveling a lot in Europe, while cultivating myself even more.
So -I repeat- this article is not about Politics. It is about women in Politics. Let’s say it is a feminist writing. My “American Dream” is to see a lot of women elected to Congress (both Congresswomen and Senators; Republicans and Democrats) to counter the wave of outmoded men from the era of wild, expansive Capitalism who are stepping on the brakes to prevent change and progress from . . . everybody: women, blacks, Latinos, those of other religions, those who are progressive, . . . etc. . and anybody else. In general, anybody else can mean the evolution of human beings upwards, their development and the inclusion of everyone.
No, they want to continue to have all the power and for America to remain what it was in the previous century, not realizing that many things in the world have changed, except for them, and therefore they cling to the past. Even if they are millionaires, they don’t want Obama Care, or Medicare, or any other “Care”; or prolonging unemployment for families with children, or maternity leave, or a woman deciding whether to have a child or not, or anything that means that there are equal opportunities for everyone. Nor do they have any sympathy for immigrants of any nationality, except those who have the same physical characteristics as them and who also do not need to come here at all (!!), because they are comfortable in their country. Sheer nonsense.
But the dark-skinned . . . even if they have two doctorates from the most prestigious universities in America or Europe, it makes them nervous.
Besides, the fact that someone a bit “toasted” comes among them, because he is intelligent and has studied and then earned a lot of money, . . . no, no, . . . makes them feel insecure. How does someone dare to approach them and acquire power? And even though they are millionaires, they are not willing to give a dollar to help get more African-americans or Latinos or whoever in the universities so they don’t have to deal with people of different ethnic backgrounds at their level. The best way to avoid this is to have a very poor official education and thus restrict the upward movement.
In spite of that, they do not achieve it completely, because even with effort and because the universities give them scholarships, there are many students of all colors in high level educational centers.
The Solution: More Women in Congress
Given this reality, I believe that if many women enter the Congress, the landscape and the mentality will change. And since I don’t believe in ideologies, I don’t give a damn if they are Republicans or Democrats, since not all women think the same way or do things the same way; but at least we can start seeing the world from a different point of view (clearly feminine: protection for all), with other interests (bringing more peace to the world and less social differences), and from a more empathic, spiritual, refined and civilized perspective.
Two years ago in November, I was very happy when I learned that a good number of women had been elected to Congress. They are all quite young, bold, progressive, up to date, university graduates, very efficient, combative, with a lot of determination, as well as strength of character. They know very well what they want: to put the pedal to the metal for America and start the New Age. They don’t feel the slightest complex whether they are black, brown, Indian, fat or skinny, . . . . Their strength is in their brain. The stage of the female object, seen only by her physical body, has passed. Now her professional preparation and efficiency is what counts.
Is this the new leadership model for women? I hope so.
A few weeks ago we learned that Joseph Biden, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, appointed Kamala Harris as his Vice President. Woow! It was no surprise he chose a woman. That had already been widely commented on; and furthermore, it is said, Biden was advised to select a woman of color to give the image of diversity in the Party.
It must have been a difficult decision for Biden, as there were 4 or 5 women of color, each with excellent qualifications and extensive government experience, though in different fields of expertise and experience.
Kamala Harris is in her fifties -I thought she was in her forties, because she looks younger to me- who was a (tough) Prosecutor for a long time, which means she has a lot of experience in legal matters. When she speaks, it is evident she has very clear ideas and also communicates them with a lot of lucidity and frankness. My perception is that she is a happy woman in her personal life, and for this she can speak accurately and without fear, openly and spontaneously, without any affectation, revealing an unquestionable sincerity. In addition, she is always smiling; a good habit, indeed.
In other words, it is the antithesis of the studied politician, of contrived and planned words, simply because he is seeking to please and stir up negative emotions in future voters, even if everything he says is a lie and pure hypocrisy.
Kamala Harris’ story is very normal for a descendant of immigrant parents, since her father was Jamaican (i.e., black or mulatto) and her mother was born in India, presumably to Indian parents. It is not strange, therefore, that she has a dark complexion, but with fine features. Kamala’s parents met at the University of Berkeley during the Human Rights movement, and soon after, they were married. He graduated as an Economist and she as a Biochemist. He took the path of teaching at universities, but Dr. Harris was a world-renowned cancer researcher in America and also a human rights activist in India.
Anybody can read Kamala Harris’ biography on the Internet. For me the important thing is that she is the first woman chosen as a political partner by a candidate for President, knowing that she has all the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve that position. In the event of the President’s illness or any operation requiring general anesthesia, she assumes the command of the nation in the role of President, as dictated by the Constitution. This indicates a female figure will have to be seen in that political position for the first time in the history of the United States of America.
This allows us to glimpse the possibility that a “Ms. President” in this country is closer -Kamala or some other- or at least not so far away. We can safely say that a barrier has been broken down and the door is open.
When Hillary Rodham Clinton decided to run for President, the mediocre men felt challenged and hated her. Her audacity was received like a jar of cold water. They had become accustomed to the fact that a woman (and a woman of color) could be Secretary of State -in other countries it is called the Minister of Foreign Affairs or Foreign Relations.
But … President? That was too much for their mentality, especially if we think that they had had a black President -rather, a mulatto- for 8 years, which had shown them that when a person is really intelligent and determined -man or woman and of any race- they go wherever they want, whether they like it or not, and regardless of their obstructionist attitudes, because no matter how hard they tried, they could not stop Barack Obama’s rise to the Presidency.
Okay, Hillary didn’t win, but that does not mean there can’t be a new opportunity for another brilliant woman, who is determined to reach the top. The important thing is that this was the first time in U.S. history a woman had faced tradition, no doubt because of her incredible experience in law and in national and international Politics. To her master’s degrees as a lawyer, one had to add the worldliness of having been the wife of a President and knowing very well the world she was getting into. All this made her decide to jump into the arena alone and run for President.
The United States is seen as the most advanced country in the world, with the most developed democracy, but so far (almost) only white men have led the nation, with the exception of Obama. But this has to change and is already evolving, especially since the mid-term vote in 2018. Not only did many women enter Congress, but they came from different backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientations and socio-economic status: two Native American Indians, with proven tribal ancestry; two Muslim Arabs, one of Palestinian origin and the other born in Somalia; one Latina, of Puerto Rican parents; one declared lesbian; quite a few black -someone else?- and except for one, all of them were born in the United States.
Although American Indians and Arabs are a novelty in Congress, there have been black women and Latinas in it for a long time, quite logical if we consider that the former are in their country, and the latter are daughters or granddaughters of Mexican immigrants who arrived here at the beginning of last century. But they are not enough.
We have to look for diversity. However, the “old guys” can’t stand it. They think that there shouldn’t be men of different races as Congressmen or Senators (although -I repeat- there are already quite a few blacks and Latinos), much less in higher positions. They don’t assimilate Barack Obama’s arrival to the Presidency yet, let alone that it lasted 8 years. Would they accept without anger the arrival in Congress of so many women? And now, … one more rupture, … a woman -a woman of color!!- to the Vice-presidency!!?
Another thing they don’t digest is the presence in Congress of women who some might be their youngest daughters, but others . . . their granddaughters . And also with a lot of knowledge and desire to serve the United States. It can be said that almost all of them are more interested in making significant changes in Politics than in their personal advancement, which they know very well will be slow and difficult, rather arduous, and will involve much work and long hours of study to channel the fresh energies of the New Age, where those who think only of power and money will no longer have anything to do or say.
It is clear that this right now engenders repression, aggression and a continual stepping on the brakes towards anything that might be progress for a future, which they will no longer live. At this stage of the planet it is a waste of time what they are doing, because the ascension of women to positions of great knowledge and responsibility has only begun, and from all points of view it is unstoppable, whoever likes it, . . . and whether they like it or not. Nobody is going to ask their permission.
Returning to the women who entered Congress in January 2017, we see that for the first time, too, there are several differences that undoubtedly reflect the demographics of America, and that break the cultural patterns of those who cannot tolerate diversity. Let’s look at them.
Although I have already mentioned there are many black women in Congress, in 2017 another one came in that deserves special attention, for being the first African-American woman to represent an Eastern state, Massachusetts, one of the most “white” and “British”, and yet she had been elected before to the Boston City Council.
With respect to the Latino heritage in general, it should be pointed out there have already been women governors of Mexican descent and even ministers -albeit not in key positions- but up to now, those who have reached the top with Hispanic heritage have been men. However, due to the large number of Spanish speakers in the United States, it would not be surprising if we had some surprises soon.
Right now, another case worth mentioning is that of a female Democrat who was a Marine fighter pilot in the war with Afghanistan -ooh, God, a real breakthrough in mental patterns!!- who is in her forties, and is trying to unseat a man who is twice her age and a super-conservative, and so get into the Senate.
Everything seems to indicate that Asian women, at least for the moment, are not very interested in Politics, but it is logical they will one day be adequately represented in Washington as well, especially Hindus, Chinese and Japanese women. I believe that with the arrival of Kamala Harris, a door has been opened. It can be said with certainty that all the ethnic groups make up the Asian continent exist in the United States, but the most numerous are Chinese, Filipinos, Hindus, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Japanese -exactly in the the order I mentioned them.
Finally, I will bring up the fact that one of the new congresswomen in 2017 confessed without any fear that she is a lesbian, which indicates that these new women also do not have any inhibition about declaring their sexual orientation and presenting the person they love, which I doubt very much that a “traditional” male politician would have done . . . even if he were . . . there are some.
Final Thoughts.
I do not know what the result of the U.S. election will be next November, nor how Congress will be integrated, whoever wins; but what I do know is that this country is in need of and crying out for a generational change at all levels, one that clearly shows the diversity of the nation, where there is a Constitution that protects all kinds of people and therefore no one should feel like a second-class citizen because of their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and other singularities.
Let’s hope that MENTAL day comes soon, where no one is surprised that a woman have reached an important ministry or any other high level position on her own. Nor will anyone be surprised the Congress reflects all the races that make up this country, all religions, . . . all everything; and that the person with whom someone lives is not a source of gossip.
I have to say as a personal opinion, that it bothers me a lot to see men in Congress discussing women’s abortion. Although I think preventive means (condoms, pills, germicides, etc.) are better than repressive measures (surgical abortion), I am convinced it is women who have to decide that, since it is certain each one will think differently, which is correct. What is not appropriate is for women to be imposed by the religious ideas of a few, and for them to be men.
I am sure that if one day the advisability and morality of vasectomy in men as a contraceptive measure were to be decided, women would say something like, “You talk it through and decide. That’s a man’s business”. However, legislators feel entitled to make laws in all matters pertaining to women -when a woman can have an abortion and when she cannot, and if she can in the first place- which is clearly imposing their ideas. Of course, women are not in the majority in either chamber.
I want to make it clear that I do not agree with taking a baby out of the womb when it is already formed, but I would not dare to tell a woman what to do. It is simply not my decision. Not all circumstances are the same in a woman’s life.
There is a reason legislators need to understand: women are no longer minors. We do not need to be led as if we were teenagers, nor do we need to be told what is good or bad, moral or immoral; in short, what we should decide. Now we have knowledge and discernment to choose what we want, and -of course!!- to face our responsibility.
I dream that at least fifty percent of the seats in Congress will be held by women.
Europe has many women in very high positions, including the Presidency of the nation, and from all points of view, they have succeeded in shaking off the restricted male mentality. They are not an exception in Congress, they are the rule.
In Politics, . . . soon . . . please, . . . less testosterone.
