It's been a good few weeks for women in politics. In the United States this year, there is a record number of women nominated for House seats in the primaries. Rashida Tlaib is poised to become the first Muslim woman in Congress and about a month ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the NY Democratic Congressional primary, unseating the long serving Rep. Joseph Crowley. He has served in Congress since 1999 and hasn't faced an opponent in the primaries in 14 years. On Tuesday, Christine Hallquist became the first transgender person to win a major party nomination for governor. Ilhan Omar is on her way to becoming the first Somali-American in congress, as well the second Muslim woman. That feels good to say. That feels like a victory. We all know how much we need those.
I recently began reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s a rich story and a wonderful world to get lost in, but what has struck me the most is how relevant it feels. There is a theme in the story of the struggle of good and evil and holding on to hope, even when the situation seems irreparable. There is a clear parallel to the past year in such a turbulent political climate. We have all felt a sense of despair or dread when reading the news. We have all felt hopeless and there are countless articles and think pieces on how to stay sane and emotionally healthy and stable in such times. There is one line in particular in The Fellowship of the Ring that strikes me and illustrates exactly how I feel about the world right now. It's the scene in the mines of Moria when Frodo is telling Gandalf that he wishes he never got the Ring and that he wasn't in this situation.* Gandalf says to him:
"So do all those who live through such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us (J.R.R Tolkien)."
This quote resonates with me. I was raised with the idea that is is our duty as responsible citizens to do something throughout our lives to make the world a better place. We cannot just opt out of engaging with the problems of the world because they are difficult. That is not being a responsible citizen. Ignoring problems like global warming by not creating greener solutions earlier and making more sustainable choices is what has us in a semi-emergency state of climate change. So now we live in the reality that we are one degree away from irreversible climate change. Even though it’s easy to feel like a tiny spec in the universe, or just a face in the crowd of millions, our actions do matter.
We cannot afford to grow jaded and passive if we ever want to improve things. A theme throughout Lord of Rings is that one person can change everything. The battle between good and evil literally rests on the shoulders of one character. Frodo has to destroy the ring or none of the actions of the other characters matter. I think it's a powerful way to look at creating change. One person can spark a revolution, if we just support them. That is really key. All those women who are winning primaries are creating ripples of change through the status quo. Their platforms are based on liberal issues such as getting rid of student debt and allowing more immigrants to be admitted into the United States. Cortez ran under the title of Democratic-Socialist, a phrase that many established politicians run from. To them that is dangerously close to communism. To Cortez and her contemporaries, young adults like me who have grown up around recession and watched our student loans pile up, we just desire the type of social change that fosters more economic equality. This is the type of radical social change we need in the U.S. The way we have been doing things is clearly not working, the status quo has created a deeply divided and contentious political climate that constantly threatens to burst. We are having great difficulty working together because both sides see the other as decidedly wrong. I think it is up to the younger generations to take our new perspectives as the kids that watched the familiar methods fail and contention rise to a breaking point. We are not so set in the way things have always been done. Youth gives us a fresh perspective and the willingness to try something different because it just might work.
If these three women are the future, then the revolution is indeed female. Let’s tear up the comfortable way we have been doing things and throw it away. When you get too comfortable, it is very easy to become complacent. Complacency has fed My generation is so fed up with all this turmoil. A revolution is looking pretty good. We might as well think big, and maybe elect a democratic-socialist president one day! At this point anything is possible, which can be scary, but also very empowering. We must keep an eye on these races, vote in the primaries, vote in the midterms. The power of change is in our hands. Harness it and put somebody in charge who you actually believe in. This matters.
It may seem radical, but this change is so long overdue that it should be! When you ignore something as a problem from long enough, when you finally get around to fixing it the change is sudden. And so far our so called new ideas are not enough. The 2016 election alone is a good example of ignoring the radical changes needed and ending up with a disastrous outcome. We put all our faith in the idea that electing the first female president was radical enough for us, but Hillary Clinton was not dynamic enough in her policy proposals to gain the support of Americans who wanted real political change. The lesson I take from that is we should put more faith in the underdogs. They are eager and ready to change the world, and that attitude along with a fresh perspective might be just what we need to start making waves.
I recently began reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s a rich story and a wonderful world to get lost in, but what has struck me the most is how relevant it feels. There is a theme in the story of the struggle of good and evil and holding on to hope, even when the situation seems irreparable. There is a clear parallel to the past year in such a turbulent political climate. We have all felt a sense of despair or dread when reading the news. We have all felt hopeless and there are countless articles and think pieces on how to stay sane and emotionally healthy and stable in such times. There is one line in particular in The Fellowship of the Ring that strikes me and illustrates exactly how I feel about the world right now. It's the scene in the mines of Moria when Frodo is telling Gandalf that he wishes he never got the Ring and that he wasn't in this situation.* Gandalf says to him:
"So do all those who live through such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us (J.R.R Tolkien)."
This quote resonates with me. I was raised with the idea that is is our duty as responsible citizens to do something throughout our lives to make the world a better place. We cannot just opt out of engaging with the problems of the world because they are difficult. That is not being a responsible citizen. Ignoring problems like global warming by not creating greener solutions earlier and making more sustainable choices is what has us in a semi-emergency state of climate change. So now we live in the reality that we are one degree away from irreversible climate change. Even though it’s easy to feel like a tiny spec in the universe, or just a face in the crowd of millions, our actions do matter.
We cannot afford to grow jaded and passive if we ever want to improve things. A theme throughout Lord of Rings is that one person can change everything. The battle between good and evil literally rests on the shoulders of one character. Frodo has to destroy the ring or none of the actions of the other characters matter. I think it's a powerful way to look at creating change. One person can spark a revolution, if we just support them. That is really key. All those women who are winning primaries are creating ripples of change through the status quo. Their platforms are based on liberal issues such as getting rid of student debt and allowing more immigrants to be admitted into the United States. Cortez ran under the title of Democratic-Socialist, a phrase that many established politicians run from. To them that is dangerously close to communism. To Cortez and her contemporaries, young adults like me who have grown up around recession and watched our student loans pile up, we just desire the type of social change that fosters more economic equality. This is the type of radical social change we need in the U.S. The way we have been doing things is clearly not working, the status quo has created a deeply divided and contentious political climate that constantly threatens to burst. We are having great difficulty working together because both sides see the other as decidedly wrong. I think it is up to the younger generations to take our new perspectives as the kids that watched the familiar methods fail and contention rise to a breaking point. We are not so set in the way things have always been done. Youth gives us a fresh perspective and the willingness to try something different because it just might work.
If these three women are the future, then the revolution is indeed female. Let’s tear up the comfortable way we have been doing things and throw it away. When you get too comfortable, it is very easy to become complacent. Complacency has fed My generation is so fed up with all this turmoil. A revolution is looking pretty good. We might as well think big, and maybe elect a democratic-socialist president one day! At this point anything is possible, which can be scary, but also very empowering. We must keep an eye on these races, vote in the primaries, vote in the midterms. The power of change is in our hands. Harness it and put somebody in charge who you actually believe in. This matters.
It may seem radical, but this change is so long overdue that it should be! When you ignore something as a problem from long enough, when you finally get around to fixing it the change is sudden. And so far our so called new ideas are not enough. The 2016 election alone is a good example of ignoring the radical changes needed and ending up with a disastrous outcome. We put all our faith in the idea that electing the first female president was radical enough for us, but Hillary Clinton was not dynamic enough in her policy proposals to gain the support of Americans who wanted real political change. The lesson I take from that is we should put more faith in the underdogs. They are eager and ready to change the world, and that attitude along with a fresh perspective might be just what we need to start making waves.