Friday, February 29, 2008

Haiku Friday

I have been feeling the need to point out a few reasons why a person might take gender into consideration when choosing a candidate in this election. (Obviously similar reasoning would apply to race, but I am most effected by the gender issue, so that is where I am writing from.) Thank you for reading!

A Haiku about
finding that one person who
can represent you.

Haiku Friday
Why would a woman
favor another woman?
Representation.

Women face issues
unique to women, shared
by other women.

Pregnancy alters
the path of women’s careers
and not that of men.

Big boobs and buttons
aren’t high clothing concerns
in a man’s routine.

Painting on faces
starting the day behind masks,
competing always.

Will this haircut or
these shoes make them take me much
less seriously?

Women are bitches
when voicing our opinions,
with strong confidence.

Women face issues
different from those men face.
Our own challenges.

I want a woman
because I am a woman.
She represents ME.

I want this woman,
Because she is the best AND
She represents ME.

I like her issues
I approve of her platform.
I want Hillary.

33 comments:

Kat said...

Well said. We must vote on the issues not on gender, race, eye color or anything else.
Happy Haiku Friday!

Toni said...

Great ku even though I don't feel well represented by Hillary. We do have to vote our conscious, don't we. Way to remind us all of that!

Amy Y said...

I loved your haiku!

You may know from my blog that I'm an Obama fan...

I loved them both from the beginning... and was torn about which way to go for months. In the end, I went down Obama's path and there aren't many reasons because they are both similar in platform. I think either would do a good job, overall, and would be 1000 times better than what we have (and not just because they are democrats).

The thing with Hillary for me... I can't support her just because she's a woman. I don't think that alone qualifies her. Though I think she is qualified and would do a good job, I don't know that she would better represent me just because of her sex.

I think Obama, living in a house of women, and being a good father, is also going to have an interest in making sure that our rights are protected... just as much as Hillary would.

My biggest problems with Hillary are these: a) I think she has gotten nasty in a way that most politicians get, but in a way that is not Ok. I don't think Obama has sunk quite to the level she has, yet. I would love to see a much cleaner race than what she's run. I know she's desperate and probably feeling backed into a corner, but I'd still like to have seen her take the higher road like I feel he did, mostly.

And b) coming from a family of red, red conservative republicans, I think she would be too divisive for our country. People either love or HATE her with all their might. Which would be such a tough position to be in as president. And though her intentions might be good (and I think they would!), I don't know how much she could get accomplished while fighting media scrutiny, Americans' scrutiny and goddess knows what else! I think her path would be a more difficult one and at this point in time, I think our next commander in chief would have a big mess to clean up and will need all the help s/he can get.

If Hillary is who gets the nomination, I will vote for her because I certainly do not want to see McCain in the White House... But I don't think she's the best person for the job. At least not right now...

Just my two (or 5?) cents. :)

Either way, I'm glad that there are still people like you who are out there fighting for what they believe in and not simply throwing their hands up and walking away because it's too frustrating, the position we find ourselves in right now!

Danielle said...

Nice 'ku. I don't feel represented by this particular woman but I have to believe the one for me is out there, somewhere, and will surface in the coming years.

Happy Friday. I really love this 'ku.

Cathy said...

nicely done.
I try not to talk politics on blogs - so that's all I've got to say about that.

blizzo said...

A Haiku for You:

Who can give us change?
Let's end the legacy of
Clintons and Bushes.

blizzo said...

I thought of another one, don't take this too seriously:

"Women vote Women"
Should sound just as bad as this:
"Men should vote for Men"

<soapbox>
People shouldn't vote based on age, gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, or anything else. Someone who shares one of those categories with me doesn't necessarily make for someone who would do a good job representing me. I wouldn't vote for Lieberman just because I am jewish. If I said "I want to vote for Obama because he's a man" people would be SO offended.
</soapbox>

storyteller said...

Wonderful 'Ku about important 'stuph' ... though I must admit I'm leaning toward Obama at the moment. It's a shame they're both running for President at the same time!

Thanks for stopping by Small Reflections this morning you blogging addict! LOL ... I hope you snagged a 'thank you friendship award' even though I neglected to add your name to the lengthy list. I do appreciate your visits.
Hugs and blessings,

Scylla said...

Amy

You have good points, though franky, I am nervous about offering the most liberal senator on the national scene as a presidential candidate. The majority of the country is not as liberal as Obama, and I am afraid that may hurt us in the national election.

Blizzo

Nice 'ku's, but you missed the point of mine. I am not advocating that women vote for women, just because they are the same sex.
I am simply pointing out that women have different experiences than men do, and that a person's experiences shape their ideals.

I feel no shame at all in voting for someone who is more likely to have shared my experiences, and my ideals.

Now if she was wholly unqualified, or clearly didn't share my ideals, then I would be voting on the basis of gender alone, and I wouldn't condone that.

However, I am angry that this election, which offers us the first opportunity to elect a female president, or a black president, has come with the belief that their sex or race shouldn't play into the decision at all.

If they don't play into the decision at all, why do we care that the past 43 presidents have been white men?

Scylla said...

Storyteller - I did not snag one, though I will stop by again and do so, I enjoy visiting!!

Scylla said...

Storyteller - I did not snag one, though I will stop by again and do so, I enjoy visiting!!

Joyce said...

I enjoyed your brave Haiku (though I favor Obama), and your cogent commenters are great, too, especially Amy y and Blizzo.

Isn't Haiku the greatest? It's so easy to say WHATEVER one wants to say, in an interesting way. :)

Thank you for commenting on my Haiku, too.

Scylla said...

Joyce,
Thank you for coming over! I appreciate it. I do find the Haiku to be freeing.

Anonymous said...

Great haiku and some excellent points, even if Hillary isn't at all my girl (being generally divisive and too deep in the pockets of the health insurance industry bastards to fix the problem are a couple of the bigger reasons for my opinion, not that anyone asked...). I do think it's awesome, though, for the kinds of reasons like feeling represented as you said, to see both a woman and a black man running for president, and I hope that every future election represents more diversity than past elections. What an exciting time to be a voter!

Scylla said...

It is an exciting time to be a voter Maggie. I was looking at the lineup on the Republican and Democratic sides for Super Tuesday.

On the one, it looked as it always has Older white men lined up side by side.

On the other, there was color, and gender, and... change.

So yes, it is a great time to cast a vote!!

Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander said...

great ku! love the blog title too! thanks for visiting mine as well.

Becki said...

Wow. Very well written haiku, but I don't know if I'm sold on the reasoning...

Woman with a Hatchet said...

Misty: perhaps it's time for someone liberal to take the office and get the country moving in more liberal/progressive ways?

I will vote for either Dem, you know that, but I want a seriously liberal president. All that sitting on the fence gets us is more fence sitting.

And a pain in the butt. : )

Fighting for the middle isn't what should be on the mind of the candidate OR the people voting for their particular choice. You should vote for whom you are most passionate and then after all is said and done, we see who is our nominee.

All that being said, it has pissed me off to no end the smack that Hillary is taking just for being a woman. Apparently we're still not people to the other half of our population.

Scylla said...

Hatchet, I hope beyond belief that the country is ready to vote Obama in with the same passion the Dems are choosing him.

I am nervous that he will not appeal to moderates, and that we could face another republican presidency.

However, if he wins the nomination, I will back him, after I shed a tear or two.

Scylla said...

Crackerjacksmo, harmony, kathryn and toni - thanks for stopping in a sharing in the haiku fun!

Anonymous said...

Great haiku, when the UK 'experienced' a woman in power, it was the downfall of Scotland, she took away all our industry (ship building and sugar refineries) and gave it to English companies. Still gives me the shudders after all these years.

Thanks for your visit and for taking the time to comment!

Anonymous said...

A very brave haiku here!

Anonymous said...

Love your haikus. Thank you for bringing a level of seriousness that was sorely lacking in mine. Also LOVE your blog -- I hadn't seen it till today. I'm a lawyer but I've never been able to get the hang of doing that and raising children. You go girl!

Scylla said...

Abritdifferent: You have made me laugh!! What a great response! Thanks for the visit!

Betsy Bird: Fellow Lawyer's unite!! I am glad to find you! Thanks for coming!

Jennifer: Thanks for the visit!!

Amy Y said...

Wow!! I am impressed with the gentle debate here! :)
I love that Obama is so liberal and I think it's just what we need... But I hope the country is ready for such a drastic change.
I'm optimistic that we are, as the polls (currently) indicate that he is electable against any of the Republican candidates.
Even my own very conservative family doesn't care for McCain...

Either way, it's going to be quite a race! :)

Joyce said...

I second the commendation of the Gentle Debate. I love it when people can discuss an issue without descending into Conversational Terrorism. :)

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

VERY well said. Especially in ku form!

Anonymous said...

Very well articulated. Happy Haiku Friday!

Anonymous said...

It's the issues... I keep reminding myself... it's all about the issues. This was great.

Anonymous said...

Must vote my beliefs
For us, Super Tuesday
We'll vote for Ron Paul.

Scott said...

Ok.. so.. many years ago when choosing character traits to teach the children in our care, the women in the room decided to have the traits fight and whichever trait had the most votes would win. My candidate was courage. Courage did well in the primaries, but in the end came up against kindness. The women in the room voted unanimously for kindness.

I went to dinner with Scylla that night and she shared in my outrage. The quote from one of the women, "We don't need all that macho courage stuff around here." drove Scylla and me insane.

In the end I stormed my white male ass back in and told them how it was going to be. That without courage, everything they wanted to teach would be for nothing. So we were going to change the rules, and instead of 6 traits, we'd have 7.

I feel like this election is a lot like that. We're given a choice of two people, they fight to the death, and we lose one of our choices.

Scylla said...

Scott, thank you for sharing that memory. I don't think I will ever forget our dismay at that situation.

And you are right, in this primary, sadly, there is no storming back in there and demanding an expansion of the list.

Melissa said...

Wow..great 'ku. Would love to have something better so say, but I don't. Very sad. Too much soccer today...

Search Me