What the f-ck is wrong with this picture? And what do we do about it?

When I first saw this picture on Facebook, I thought that someone was recycling a picture from the financial crisis. After all what would all these men possibly be talking about at Congressional hearing except how they had killed America's auto industry, housing market, quality jobs pipeline [insert industry here]. But no, in reality these yahoos were testifying about birth control. 

A panel of nothing but men. Talking about birth control. Really?

The NY Daily News reports that this picture went viral— more than 5,000 people shared it —within hours of it being posted by Think Progress (a progressive blog funded by the Center for American Progress). 

I'm only surprised it didn't move faster. I'm actually even more surprised that while people posted it, liked it, tweeted about it, etc. they actually didn't seem really pissed off by it. More resigned to the fact that this picture represents our reality. We, women, are actually second class citizens. Or at least that is the message that image, that panel, sends. Right?

And I think we actually believe it. Where is the outrage? In 1991 the anger we felt over the treatment of Anita Hill galvanized a generation of young women. We fought and won the Year of the Woman. We helped elect the first solidly pro-choice President. Doors were opened in classrooms, boardrooms and, hell, even bedrooms. We found our voice. And we used it. 

Now it seems we're struck mute again.  I know there are plenty of us that are angry but what, really, are we going to do about it?  Our choices are actually limited. There aren't enough strong women running for office. Most of my friends would rather not get involved in civic life. The politics are too dirty, the trade offs at home (or work) too great.  

Or so it seems. I would argue that there is a lot we can do. It is time for us to find our voice again.

We should stand up in droves; refuse to vote for people who aren't real champions; refuse to donate to political organizations that work against us; rally in the streets. Hell, maybe we should even go on a sex strike. If abstinence is the only option, well then let's see how long we can hold out. 

How long do they think they can hold out without us?

[Note: Other options include donating ridiculous sums of money to organizations such as Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILYs List.]

Time Flies! And today's lesson.

When I suspended this blog in October of 2010 I honestly thought I would come back to it in a few weeks, at most a few months. I never imagined that it would be 17 months!

But as I look back on those months, I understand why. So much has happened. In life, love, work, the world. Not much of it worth sharing, or at least I didn't think so while it was happening. It was just my life.

What I have realized recently though is my life is pretty cool and there are some things that I am learning along the way that I want to capture and, if folks are interested, share.

This week's lesson: Learning is cool! (And kids today are lucky!)

Seems like a pretty obvious point, i know, but I am spending the weekend in Tempe at a conference put on by Ashoka U (a project of Ashoka) and am surrounded by teachers, students, education experts, journalists, bloggers and others who are examining the state of higher education. Conversations are focused on empathy, innovation and impact. The exchange of ideas is happening almost as quickly as the exchange of business cards. New curriculums, new research, game-playing, etc. All around me people are talking about changing the world, finding your own paths, experimenting, learning for impact. My mind is sparkly with possibilities.

My how I wish that all of this existed when I was 11, 13, 17 or 21. I know it didn't, really. I am from the Breakfast Club generation - a world divided into geeks, jocks, princesses, freaks and criminals. High school was something to survive and college was required. And when I graduated, I bounced around, unclear as to what or who I wanted to be. Like many of my friends.

Now, I ended up just fine (as did most of my friends) I have a good job, have traveled and worked all over the world (for some pretty amazing people and organizations). So my academic performance (mediocre to classify it generously) in high school and my slightly better grades in college clearly didn't reflect my actual intelligence.

But I am still filled with tremendous envy of kids today. Learning in the 21st century is cool. You can do it on an iPad. Girls with glasses are "adorkable". Personal paths are something to be encouraged, not questioned or mocked. Experimenting is expected.

Taking all this in also made me a little sad. How had all of this passed me by. What could I have done if all of this had been there when I was younger? What change could I have made in the world! Oh, god, is my life a waste?

Then I heard a twenty-something (barely) speak last night. The audience was primarily forty-somethings (barely) and this "youngster" seemed to be speaking directly to me when it said it wasn't too late. That all this cool stuff wasn't just for his generation. That the coolest thing was that continuing to learn, to open our mind to possibilities was not just the domain of kids. It was in fact something that we could all keep doing at 20, at 30, at 40, at 50 and beyond.

How cool is that!
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