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On Cabinet membership
published: Friday | May 23, 2008
I watched as she read the notice; a look of interest was soon replaced with one of bewilderment. She read it again almost as if to see if she had read correctly; it was a notice advertising lessons for women on changing punctured tyres and basic mechanics. I laughed, as her response was exactly what mine had been, "Why on Earth would I want to learn that?"
Women fought hard for liberation and equality; the problem is when they got it they had to give up some of the benefits of being 'the lesser' sex, like a new-found belief that we must change our own tyres and carry our own bags, not to mention open our own door.
Chasing her drive
Recently after a party, a group of women stood waiting for our husbands to get the cars, parked some distance away. The first car drove up and the gentleman got out and opened the door for his wife. The second woman pointed this out to me and said she was going to wait and see whether her partner would do the same. The car pulled up and it waited. I don't know how a car can look impatient, but it did; the brake lights flashed with irritation, then the car sped off. The woman then broke into a sprint and chased down her drive!
The thing is, as women work hard and are now independent, they still long for the trappings of old. For a single mother who really worked hard to make a successful life for herself and her child, changing tyres was going to be the last straw. There was no way she was changing a tyre; she had more than enough independence in her life already, thank you very much. So she stands with her best 'helpless' face on and waits for a man, ANY man or even a woman for that matter who might have taken a class, to come and save the day.
PM's homosexuality stance
So all this brings me to comments made by the prime minister on the BBC where he clearly stated that he would not allow a homosexual to be part of his Cabinet. My question would be quite simply, would this homosexual change tyres? Golding has a large Cabinet, and while in some instance he has made some notable effort to include persons who are likely to perform in the post, he certainly has a few who, I doubt, could change a tyre, much less get the job done.
Golding has been very performance-oriented in his short time as prime minister and I must say I was relieved it was he and not our former prime minister answering the tough questions on the BBC, but his lack of pragmatism in his answers once the matter of homosexuality came up was disappointing. Surely Golding would want a Cabinet that best served the needs of the nation, regardless of what its members do once they close the bedroom door at night.
Adulterers in cabinet?
Homosexuality is only one of the many sins our very religious society looks down upon; adultery is another. Would Golding allow an adulterer in his Cabinet? Maybe. We have seen where adulterers have come under serious threat with contracts put on their heads by disgruntled ex-wives; today it too can be a threat to your security.
Already we cannot have dual citizens in Cabinet and now sexual preference is a limitation, so our chances of ever getting a change are somewhat reduced, as the field is narrowed. Perhaps what Golding really needs in his Cabinet are a few good, practical women, who just know how to get the job done!
Tara Clivio is a freelance writer; for feedback, columns@gleanerjm.com:
published: Friday | May 23, 2008
I watched as she read the notice; a look of interest was soon replaced with one of bewilderment. She read it again almost as if to see if she had read correctly; it was a notice advertising lessons for women on changing punctured tyres and basic mechanics. I laughed, as her response was exactly what mine had been, "Why on Earth would I want to learn that?"
Women fought hard for liberation and equality; the problem is when they got it they had to give up some of the benefits of being 'the lesser' sex, like a new-found belief that we must change our own tyres and carry our own bags, not to mention open our own door.
Chasing her drive
Recently after a party, a group of women stood waiting for our husbands to get the cars, parked some distance away. The first car drove up and the gentleman got out and opened the door for his wife. The second woman pointed this out to me and said she was going to wait and see whether her partner would do the same. The car pulled up and it waited. I don't know how a car can look impatient, but it did; the brake lights flashed with irritation, then the car sped off. The woman then broke into a sprint and chased down her drive!
The thing is, as women work hard and are now independent, they still long for the trappings of old. For a single mother who really worked hard to make a successful life for herself and her child, changing tyres was going to be the last straw. There was no way she was changing a tyre; she had more than enough independence in her life already, thank you very much. So she stands with her best 'helpless' face on and waits for a man, ANY man or even a woman for that matter who might have taken a class, to come and save the day.
PM's homosexuality stance
So all this brings me to comments made by the prime minister on the BBC where he clearly stated that he would not allow a homosexual to be part of his Cabinet. My question would be quite simply, would this homosexual change tyres? Golding has a large Cabinet, and while in some instance he has made some notable effort to include persons who are likely to perform in the post, he certainly has a few who, I doubt, could change a tyre, much less get the job done.
Golding has been very performance-oriented in his short time as prime minister and I must say I was relieved it was he and not our former prime minister answering the tough questions on the BBC, but his lack of pragmatism in his answers once the matter of homosexuality came up was disappointing. Surely Golding would want a Cabinet that best served the needs of the nation, regardless of what its members do once they close the bedroom door at night.
Adulterers in cabinet?
Homosexuality is only one of the many sins our very religious society looks down upon; adultery is another. Would Golding allow an adulterer in his Cabinet? Maybe. We have seen where adulterers have come under serious threat with contracts put on their heads by disgruntled ex-wives; today it too can be a threat to your security.
Already we cannot have dual citizens in Cabinet and now sexual preference is a limitation, so our chances of ever getting a change are somewhat reduced, as the field is narrowed. Perhaps what Golding really needs in his Cabinet are a few good, practical women, who just know how to get the job done!
Tara Clivio is a freelance writer; for feedback, columns@gleanerjm.com: