Thursday, April 26, 2012

A Pause For The Cause In The Conversation

Deb: At this point in The Conversation I thought it might be wonderful to give a tip of the bonnet to those who came before us and paved the way for the rights and privileges we DO have.

Thank you, sisters!

Women's suffrage

U.S. women suffragists demonstrating for the right to vote, February 1913
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage[1] is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or marital status. The movement's modern origins can be attributed to late-18th century France.
Limited voting rights were gained by women in Sweden and some western U.S. states in the late 19th century.[2] International organizations were formed to coordinate efforts, especially the International Council of Women (1888) and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (1904).[3] In 1893, New Zealand became the first nation to extend the right to vote to all adult women, and the women in South Australia achieved the same right in 1895 but became the first to obtain also the right to stand (run) for Parliament.[4][5] The first European country to introduce women's suffrage was the Grand Duchy of Finland—then a part of the Russian Empire with autonomous powers—which also produced the world's first female members of parliament as a result of the 1907 parliamentary elections.
In most Western nations woman suffrage came at the end of World War I, with some important late adopters such as France in 1944 and Switzerland in 1971.[6]
Women's suffrage has generally been recognized after political campaigns to obtain it were waged. In many countries it was granted before universal suffrage. Women’s suffrage is explicitly stated as a right under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, adopted by the United Nations in 1979.
(From Wikipedia)

I think Glynis Johns said it best, in this great scene from Mary Poppins!

48 comments:

  1. The video is Soooo cute...Its portrayed really well in it! :)

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    1. And is there anyone cuter that Glynis?

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    2. When I do my British characters for something (like the other night in a benefit scene with Colin, I aways channel Glynis!

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    3. Awwwh....I BET YOU LOOK CUTE just like her !!!!! Hey can you talk in a BRITISH ACCENT ??? You guys lived in UK for a while right ??? Did you pick it up ??? I mean the real adorable BRITISH ACCENT...Not like the one I have...lol XD

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    4. I love British Accent! :D :D :D

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    5. AWWH me too....In fact I do have a hint of it in my accent...AND I LOVE IT !! :D

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  2. Wow, Switzerland were pretty late, maybe the women were pacified for longer by all the delicious swiss chocolate..
    I always wear the suffragette colours green and purple when I'm going for a job interview or have to do something scary- makes me feel braver!

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    1. Purple is a power color. People are either attracted to it or repelled by it, most of the time. Not lilac, purple like grape. I love purple. I think it's a great idea to wear it on interviews. Never wear brown to an interview. People subconsciously think you are untrustworthy if you wear brown. I learned all of this in a dress for success course in business school a long long time ago. :)
      Have a great day!
      Karen

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    2. Awwh me tooo...PURPLE ROCKS !!!!!

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    3. Samara I love that you wear those colours for job interviews! Yes purple does rock, right Rigel? :-) I tried also to post the history of the women's movement in Canada but it would not post properly.

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    4. How interesting Karen- I knew that people who wear blue are percieved as more honest, but didnt know about the effect of brown. I dont own any brown clothes, I must be super trustworthy! :)

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  3. Gah! I love Mary Poppins! :)

    Anyway, yes, we owe so much to our suffragette sisters. I hate to think what the world would be like now without their determination and sacrifice.

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  4. This is one of my favorites on this subject:

    http://www.retronaut.co/2011/07/suffragette-surveillance-1913/

    And:

    http://pinterest.com/pin/21884748159307018/

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    1. Rigel I had NO idea that they were spied upon in such a formal way! Wowzer. Again I give thanks to these brave trailblazing gals!

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  5. I love mary poppins .this was my faviort movie when I was little.

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  6. Who remembers a wretched, anti feminist, harpy named Phyllis Schafly from back in the 60's & 70's? She was against every pro-women's rights issue there was. She wanted women to not have equal rights. Stay at home and take care of the family. No equal pay for equal work because it encouraged women to work outside the home! She didn't think women should be able to join the military either. Here are a couple quotes from her just to give you an idea about her charming personality:
    "Sex education classes are like in-home sales parties for abortions"
    "Sexual harassment on the job is not a problem for virtuous women."
    Yep, weren't she just a peach. Good that she's no longer around and spewing forth her garbage. My, I've been ranting haven't I. Change of subject...

    On the bright side...wasn't Mary Poppins a cute film. :D Dick van Dyke was so adorable too.
    ...and breathe. better now Carry on ladies, carry on.
    Hugs,
    Karen

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    1. "Women belong in the house... and the Senate." ~Author Unknown

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  7. Wow Karen that blew my mind! Wish I could say that she was the last of that type of thinking but sadly we all know the truth. They ARE OUT THERE!

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  8. FYI all, we are about to leave Montreal and will be on the road for about 6 hours so I will weigh in later on any comments that come in after this!

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    1. Safe journey, my friend. HUG
      Karen

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    2. Your thoughts of a safe trip got us home safe. We are back in our home now tired but with the glow of seeing the boy and some friends and a job well done! Thanks all!

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  9. To think women in the US could not vote in a national election until 1920. Not that long ago when you think about it. Yet here we are letting Men decide how to treat our bodies. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life (ironic either way since who isn't pro-life, we just want a choice) for birth control or against it. Should a man really make that decision for you? If you are even on the fence about this, let me leave you with this final thought. Viagra is covered by insurance. So if you are going by the religious views that one should only be having sex to procreate, then why would a man in his 60's need viagra?
    Heidi

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    1. Great point Heidi! And of course if men had the babies there would be any number of ways to help them out! Well said!

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  10. Shows the importance of voting and marching. I will be marching on April 28 for women's rights here in LA.

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    1. Good for you Madge!!!! Thinking of you on the 28th and sending good vibes!

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  11. Say it sister! Yeah, even though women have had the right to vote in the US since 1920, we still deal with so much inequality. I deal with it on a daily basis. Interesting fact for you, most of the professors that I have had have been women! I have never had an English professor that was a man either, and my area of study is English, so I've had a few classes.
    Maybe one day people will realize that women aren't going away and we deserve to be treated as, at least, equals.
    "Women who strive to be equal to men lack ambition." -Anonymous. Found this somewhere...
    Power to us!

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  12. Yay for Finland doing something among the first ones.

    I think that we still have a long way for total equality. I think that one reason for this being that no-one likes to give away the control that they have. It doesn't matter on how small thing the control is over. However after the change is over, mutual acceptance over the change is found. Basis for the equal treatment starts from home and it is then build up at school. I do believe that the next generation, when they grow up, will be making new changes to the equality balance. Then we will live yet again in new world.

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    1. I hope so Kasku, I hope so. We can live in hope.

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  13. Well done, ladies! :)
    In Germany women first voted in 1919.
    During the Third Reich, they weren't allowed to participate in the party and could not be voted (maybe this is actually a good thing...).

    I don't understand, why this took "us" so long...why do men seem so much more important?
    They wouldn't exist without us. :P

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    1. Very true. But we are smaller and weaker physically and the power over that is as old as time isn't it?

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    2. True, but now in the modern society there must be other ways to "defeat" the "stronger" gender. :D

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  14. Women first voted in 1950 here I guess.....As much as I love the British, they did rule us till 1947..Oh...I am trying so much to stop myself from going to the "women's suffrage" in INDIA....(which is still on BTW)....Coz....that ones a HUMDINGER....But its done...So I wont go in that inky misty darkness. Rather I take this opportunity to honour and respect the women who against all odds are thriving today and are successful THAN EVER...including All you gorgeous Ladies...Can you imagine, so many like us must be getting aware more and more...and I can so see the bright future...I am sure..we are so coming close to the time....when "women's suffrage" would just be a myth! And It will happen because of all of us....I LOVE YOU LOT! (ok the last sentence was very British...but 'BLIMEY'...DO I LOVE YOU.....YOU GIRLS ARE 'BRILLIANT'...I'm sorry I'm watching too much Doctor Who :P)

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    1. Got to love the 'Who'! You are brillant too! (hey, that rhymed)
      No worries about the 'blimey' and 'brillant', I use that sort of stuff all the time. Trying throwing in a 'forsooth' or 'pray tell...' trust me, people will think you are...BRILLANT!!!! (or crazy ;) )

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    2. Oh..I RECKON I am (did I use that right ???)..people calling me BRILLIANT ...WOW...thats new.....They always think I'm crazy ;)... which I TOTTTALLLY AM !!!
      It would be funnier If I said
      "ALLLON-SYYYY" all the time :D Classic "WHO" or shall I say Classic David Tennant!

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    3. Love all the Brit sayings. Love them!

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    4. Mmmm..... David Tennant.... *purr*

      BTW, my fave from Mary Poppins:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VwU_oS2ErQ

      I would move the needle back on the record to listen to this over and over and over again when I was little. I was completely enthralled by this song circa age 5 - 6.

      Squeeeee!!! "suffragette colours green and purple" Samara! I didn't know that! HOW COOL!!! Green and purple are my FAVORITE colors! And, now I have even more reason for that to be! :D

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    5. They're my fav colors too Rigel! :) I wrote a paper at university on the history of women's use of color, and I read that the suffragettes adopted green, white and violet for the movement because of the first letters GWV- as in "Give Women the Vote". Not sure if that's true but I love it!

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  15. Feed the Birds is a classic for the ages. Still makes me weep for all I am worth Thanks for sending Rigel. yes. I am weeping!!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. YES! That was it Glynis Johns and Colin had a smattering of David Tomlinson.
    I loved that scene ever so much, you could do that every year and I would be so very, very happy.

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  17. My darling I KNEW you of all people would love it. My worry was that no lines would pop into my head and I would be forced to just stand there and pass wind. Thank God for small miracles!

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