Woman-in-chief
Far away, on the other side of the world, I've been watching some of the key speeches at the Democratic National Convention in the US. But none stood out more than Michelle Obama's.
This woman is the embodiment of strength and grace, elegance and intelligence. She is the kind of woman every girl should aspire to be - confident, educated, value-oriented.
This last one, I believe, is the most important in what she and Barack Obama are trying to achieve in 2012. In her first DNC speech four years ago and the one this year, there was one central theme - values. There was this emphasis on how possessing these key values determines the kind of person you are and the kind of decisions you will make come crunch-time. And more than anything, that strikes a chord with me. It drives, she said, the ability to make the difficult decisions where there is no margin for error and to stand up and do the right thing, even when it is politically difficult to do so. That is the kind of person people need leading one of the most influential nations in the world.
To be in a fully-informed position, I watched Ann Romney's convention speech as well. And it paled in comparison. There was a story of their lives, but not once was there a discussion of values, of why Mitt Romney is in a position to make those difficult decisions. And that makes all the difference.
Ann Romney tried poorly to highlight a woman's crucial role in society. And she did so at the expense of men, claiming that women work harder and endure more sacrifices than men. Michelle Obama, on the other hand, tells a story of a new kind of feminism. She believes in a woman's independence to make her own choices about her career and body, all the while embracing wholly her role as 'mom-in-chief'. So often I've thought that to be a successful career woman, I would have to be more like man in the workplace. But Michelle Obama, and so many others (Marissa Mayer, to name one), exemplify every day that you can be a mother, a complete woman, and still achieve everything you want to on the career front.
This is the kind of woman who needs to be heard. This is the kind of woman that both men and women around the world should emulate. And this is the kind of woman who needs to be given four more years as partner of the President of the United States of America.
This woman is the embodiment of strength and grace, elegance and intelligence. She is the kind of woman every girl should aspire to be - confident, educated, value-oriented.
This last one, I believe, is the most important in what she and Barack Obama are trying to achieve in 2012. In her first DNC speech four years ago and the one this year, there was one central theme - values. There was this emphasis on how possessing these key values determines the kind of person you are and the kind of decisions you will make come crunch-time. And more than anything, that strikes a chord with me. It drives, she said, the ability to make the difficult decisions where there is no margin for error and to stand up and do the right thing, even when it is politically difficult to do so. That is the kind of person people need leading one of the most influential nations in the world.
To be in a fully-informed position, I watched Ann Romney's convention speech as well. And it paled in comparison. There was a story of their lives, but not once was there a discussion of values, of why Mitt Romney is in a position to make those difficult decisions. And that makes all the difference.
Ann Romney tried poorly to highlight a woman's crucial role in society. And she did so at the expense of men, claiming that women work harder and endure more sacrifices than men. Michelle Obama, on the other hand, tells a story of a new kind of feminism. She believes in a woman's independence to make her own choices about her career and body, all the while embracing wholly her role as 'mom-in-chief'. So often I've thought that to be a successful career woman, I would have to be more like man in the workplace. But Michelle Obama, and so many others (Marissa Mayer, to name one), exemplify every day that you can be a mother, a complete woman, and still achieve everything you want to on the career front.
This is the kind of woman who needs to be heard. This is the kind of woman that both men and women around the world should emulate. And this is the kind of woman who needs to be given four more years as partner of the President of the United States of America.
posted by Melanie at 5:06 PM
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