Dear President Trump, I knew as I typed it that “Dorsal” was a weird name for a ginormous country club, but it didn’t stick out enough then, or any of the five or so times I re-read yesterday’s letter before posting it, for me to catch the mistake. Sorry about that. I do try to … Continue reading “It’s Good To Be A Guy”
Sexism
How about we go with “y’all”?
Dear President Trump, It’s often hard to pivot away from the in-our-faces news of the day and turn to something that doesn’t feel so immediate or urgent, but a lot of the time the things that get neglected because of the urgent in-our-faces news are the very things that if left uncorrected will give rise … Continue reading How about we go with “y’all”?
When are microaggressions really macro-aggressions?
Dear President Trump, Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I thought it was kind of funny that in a recent picture of you with three other men, one of whom was Sondland, all of you were wearing solid color ties but only yours was red. Sondland’s was kind of pinky-orange and the other two … Continue reading When are microaggressions really macro-aggressions?
Redistributing the onus for apologies and forgiveness
Dear President Trump, There are two small things from recent letters I want to apologize for: 1) The other day I said the gun control sign in our window says “NO! To Gun Violence”. Well, that was incorrect. Although that is the sentiment and it is consistent with my desire for there to be an … Continue reading Redistributing the onus for apologies and forgiveness
How about Warren & Abrams in 2020?
Dear President Trump, They’re small victories, but I’m going to claim them nonetheless – first, I was off my computer for about eight hours this afternoon and second, I managed to make a gluten free pizza crust that is actually really good (I did read the recipe on the computer so I was sort of … Continue reading How about Warren & Abrams in 2020?
We need a down to earth star
Dear President Trump, At about 8:45 last night when I let our old dog out to pee for what I hoped would be the last time until morning (it was) I saw a single star in the sky to the West and realized it had been months and months since I thought to look for … Continue reading We need a down to earth star
Pinky swears
Dear President Trump, Of course Elizabeth Warren knew when she knelt down to talk with the little white girl at the Iowa State Fair the cameras would be flashing and the pictures would make their way out into the wider world. I doubt, though, that she knew ahead of time she would be doing a … Continue reading Pinky swears
Sexism = Sexual/Gender Prejudice + Power
Dear President Trump, In addition to wondering what it might be like to adapt some of the People’s Institute’s Undoing Racism workshop exercises to a workshop on undoing sexism, I’ve been thinking about using the framework of the UR racism definition for sexism. You surely won’t recall that the PI’s definition of racism is as … Continue reading Sexism = Sexual/Gender Prejudice + Power
How about also undoing sexism?
Dear President Trump, This morning I read another well-intentioned article about the scourge of slavery in the WP and was following along nodding and sighing when I came upon a reference to how in 1870 the 15th Amendment afforded African Americans the right to vote (byline: Michael Ruane). There was no reality check about how … Continue reading How about also undoing sexism?
“Internalized Racial Superiority;” the other IRS
Dear President Trump, Yesterday I mentioned my penchant for getting persnickety about people’s word choices and I need to add here that I’m also fond of picking apart other's arguments. I do this with everyone, but definitely find myself doing it more with people of color and with other white women. Essentially, I’m more critical … Continue reading “Internalized Racial Superiority;” the other IRS