Thursday, September 11, 2008

Working Mothers I Admire, Book 1

Here's the theory:
The polarity of the current campaign has split everything in twain. As Harrogate reminded us earlier today, there are multiple "third parties," and their voters, who can still be satisfied by compassionate inclusion of their concerns into public debate. We have a bad habit of roughly halving all we're offered.

It isn't "us vs them."
There are more options than choosing between my proscribed path and the highway.
It never was Blur vs Oasis as the future of Britpop after all.
You don't have to be a T-guy or an A-guy; I know someone who likes feet in pies, for the love of Pete.
It's not paper or plastic. It could be both! For, like, I guess, big milk! Or several pre-wino-ed 40s. Or spend money to buy a reusable cloth bag not even big enough for milk! (God, who does that? Really?)

One bizarre side-effect--one that even seems to have infected this blog at times-- is the amazing pretense that two women ever have managed to:
A) own one (1) vagina
B) squeeze an infant out of said vagina.
C) be successful/important/notable

I would like to even hold up for consideration that the two women held up as paragons of A+B+C aren't even anywhere near ideal examples.

So,

Here's the proposal:

Let's do this call and response style and really use the commentary area. Who do you think of when you imagine both a successful mother AND a mother of import? Let's really tally here.

Suggested guidelines:
1-Ignore Palin and Clinton for now.
2-You (or your wives) are givens. No nepotism.
3- Same thing with your moms. You should have said it on her birthday; not here.
4- Eve, Mary, etc. Yeah, I get it. Move on.

I'll lead:
Benazir Bhutto

11 comments:

  1. Hi The Roof Almighty, aka Mr. Reads,
    I'll bite. But gently.
    Mary Wollstonecraft.
    Mary Godwin Shelley.
    Elizabeth Gaskell.

    So that I'm not a literary snob, I'll be an Anglophile, too.
    Queen Victoria (praised for her maternity, in fact!).
    Queen Elizabeth II.

    But most of my smartness ends pretty much after Victoria leaves the throne, so my timing may be a bit 19th century for some tastes.
    Ciao,
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  2. There we go.


    "If you got some successful mommies / they be clapping like this, y'all"

    Next up: Connie Willis

    ReplyDelete
  3. Harrogate likes artists better than politicos. They get less people killed.

    Linda McCartney
    Gwen Stefani
    Tabitha King

    ReplyDelete
  4. Um...Dina Lohan? Just kidding.

    Harrogate stole Gwen Stefani from me.

    So, I'll take Hillary Clinton (yeah, that's right.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Um, I think anyone portrayed by Joan Crawford should automatically be removed.

    In all seriousness though, here are a few women who I think fit the bill:

    Harriet Beecher Stowe
    Lydia Maria Child
    Harriet Jacobs
    Toni Morrison
    Alice Walker
    Nancy Pelosi
    Golda Meier
    Diana, The Princess of Wales
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton
    Abigail Addams
    Sojourner Truth
    Cindy Sheehan
    Margaret Sanger
    Adrienne Rich

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you, M.

    And Superdisco...the first rule is read the rules. I'm pretending you said "Madonna".

    I'll add
    --Pauline Kael (single mom bonus points)
    }}}!!!deekoo-deekoo-deekoo-deekoo!!!{{{
    --Tori Amos
    and
    --Samantha Bee, dammit!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Apologies. That was a typo. I definitely meant Madonna.

    Does Queen Elizabeth I count (she *was* a mother to England, right?)

    Supa-T is demanding that I "get up"--so I shall...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm going to give one more awesome, hard-working mom shout-out before Ike sits on us:

    Tina Fey

    Although I have to say that I'm surprised that Harrogate hasn't mentioned Liane Cartman.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tina Fey--excellent choice, Roof!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well, if we get bonuses for single moms, then I'm adding--

    Sheryl Crow
    Diane Keaton
    Frances E.W. Harper (yes, that's right, a 19th-century single mom)

    ReplyDelete