The Difference of Generations

This political season I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference of generations.  Women my mother and grandmothers’ ages, whether they are fans of Hillary Clinton personally or not, understand the significance of this race differently than I do.  I understand how amazing it is that she was the first woman, and Barack Obama the first African-American, to run for President.  It’s so great that this is the political landscape for Democrats this year: history-making, significant. 

And while I understand the importance, it was not enough to base my decision on.  Because of the historic nature of the race, I would not have supported anyone except the two of them, I knew that much.   But in deciding to support Obama, I did not feel the huge sense of betrayal my mother felt in doing the same.  I didn’t feel like this was a betrayal to feminism, or that this would be the last time I would see a woman vying for the office in my lifetime.

Even in my life, women have made major steps towards equality, but none so large as the strides that were made before me. Because of them, I have been fortunate to grow up in a time when women having choices about careers, marriage, and having children is not revolutionary.  It is just the way it is.  I truly honor everything they sacrificed and fought for so that my experience of life as a woman could be different.

When I think about this Democratic primary, I can’t help but reflect on how things will be different for my own children.  Turns out they will never know a time when women and people of color were not considered viable contenders for the office of President of the United States.  For their whole lives, despite what they learn in history class, they will take for granted that this has always been so.  Even though we have a long way to go as a nation where racism and sexism are concerned, our children will not remember that, at a point in our not-very-distant past, this kind of race would have been impossible. 

So, for the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful about the kind of country they will be inheriting from us.  They will not inherit only our problems, but our progress too.

No matter which of these two Democrats you supported in this primary, we were all supporting progress.  We did this because we are hopeful about what this race will mean for our children, whether they recognize it (yet!) or not.

Check out our previous conversation on the Democratic primary and gender here. 

Comments

[olivia]

This is a very interesting read for me on several levels. First off, I am the first generation of my family born and raised in the US. My experience of politics in America is so different from my parents and grandparents (all of whom are now US citizens) experiences. The generation that came before me, my parents' generation that immigrated to the states, now identifies very conservatively. We do not agree on many levels when it comes to the role of government and/or public sector intervention. My support of either Obama or Clinton directly conflicts with my mother's choice of candidate.

It is great to have images like Obama and Clinton vying for the highest office in our nation. However, when I am called a "china doll" on our way to school and when my husband is called a "chink" on his walk to work and when my daughters are confused for the other Asian kid in the class/school, I know that we are not translating our images of people of color or women to our daily microcosms.

I know we have made great progress in recent decades. Women can vote. Black people can vote. Women can own property. Black people can own property.

I have a different feeling about the state of where we are. People of color, women of color, still have many issues not being addressed or met. Socioeconomics, educational attainment, access to healthy lifestyles, ability to live in affordable homes in geographically accessible neighborhoods - there are many ways and reasons that certain parts of our communities are still unable to be part of all the programs we've designed to meet the needs of all. We see a lot of it here in Portland and statewide, as it struck me when I read that recent NYT article on gentrification in Portland: the Black and the White of it.

And, not to mention, being treated differently because of skin tone is still very much something that my family and I are reminded of on a daily basis.

[lauralye]

I did not vote for Clinton over Obama based upon her sex. I think that many people, male and female, opted for Clinton over Obama based upon a variety of reasons. I appreciated her concrete statements, her eloquence in debates as well as other factors.

My mother, who swore she would never vote for Clinton because she stood by her man when my mother believed he should have been kicked to the curb, also voted for Clinton based upon her performance in debates and her detailed explication of plans connected to the war and health care.

All that aside, I will be voting my views at the general election and I think Obama is a good candidate, not because of anything other than that he shares my political values.

I do also believe, however, that this is a glorious moment in the American political process.

[LeeAnn]

For every woman (esp. older women) who supposedly voted for Clinton "merely" because she's a woman, there are just as many OTHER WOMEN out there who don't believe another woman can run the country & voted for a guy instead. My 90yr-old grandmother is no feminist. While it amazes her to think the country has changed so much in her lifetime, she has deep-set notions about women's place being in the home... Just wanted to point out that there are members of the older generation who don't think HRC is representative of them, or a good example. Sad, but true.

[Andrea]

Sorry, I hope I didn't imply that the fight for racial and gender equality is over - I know we are nowhere close. Also, I'm aware that, even in the context of this historic race, there were very racially-biased and sexist comments made about both candidates. That many people didn't even recognize those comments as such shows, as Olivia points out, how much racism and misogyny are entrenched in our attitudes.

I'm just hoping that our children's experience of race and gender will be different than ours has been. That this election represents progress, even if only by small measure in our day-to-day lives. However, I fully understand that it may feel like more progress through a lens of middle-class, American, white privilege than it actually represents.

Also, not trying to infer that people didn't support either Obama or Clinton for their policy stances or approaches to leadership. In fact, that's exactly my point, that I did not feel compelled to support one or the other of them because of their gender or race, but instead felt free to just consider who I felt would be best for the country.