Last year, as the war in Iraq raged on and the nation’s financial infrastructure began to crumble, Steve’s response to those who asked what he wanted for his birthday was “good news” (which by the way, is a great gift for anyone). I spent some time on the Internet and located a few sites that send you daily messages of hope and stories of people performing good deeds around the world. I forwarded those to Steve and signed myself up as well (doesn’t everyone need a little extra good news now and then?).
Lately, I have been really glad that I found those sites. Since launching this blog, I have spent considerable time tracking sexist remarks. The unfortunate side effect of this work is the need to live and breathe the sexism that is happening around the world. I find myself wondering why so many people appear to see women as lesser beings deserving of verbal assaults on their looks and character. And why aren’t more people rising up to challenge the persistent sexist commentary in the media? When you focus on sexism on a daily basis, it is impossible not to become angry, a little sad, and quite frustrated with the slow pace of change.
So last week, when one of my “good news” sites referenced the positive effects of the simple act of being grateful, I read on with interest. According to the DailyGood, research has shown that “when we think about someone or something we really appreciate and experience the feeling that goes with the thought, the parasympathetic—calming-branch of the autonomic nervous system—is triggered. This pattern when repeated bestows a protective effect on the heart.” (Not to mention your spirit.)
Given the recent onslaught of sexist remarks, I figured that I could use a little “calming.” So here goes—I am grateful for:
- The early feminist leaders who set us on a path to gender equality.
- Women and men who stand up to leaders in the business, media, entertainment, and political arenas when they use language that disparages women and girls.
- The fact that the media bullies who target women with insulting remarks are increasingly being held accountable for their actions—and all the media watchdog organizations, like Media Matters, who help us to do so.
- Men, like Dave Heuschkel (see Steve’s post below), who work in (still) primarily male-dominated industries and are willing to go out on a limb to call out their colleagues when they make extraordinarily sexist comments.
- Men, like Steve, who spend their own time (and money) on actions that promote gender equality—like this site.
- All the women who work for social justice in myriad arenas, even as the fight for their own equality continues.
- The women and men who e-mailed to tell us how much they appreciate what we are doing via this blog, who shared our site with their friends, who blogged about or linked to us, and especially those who left a comment about how to deal effectively with sexist remarks.
Because maybe the more we talk openly about what is wrong with sexist comments, the quicker we can stop them for good. Now that would be something to be grateful for.
Cynthia
