Comments on: Even when we win, we still lose

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:09:34 +0000

The roar was amazing. And lasted 10 minutes! It will be interesting to see how this bill goes on July 1. I bet a lot more people will be keeping an eye on it this round and you’re right – it will be interesting to see how this incident tests democracy.
The problem is that the Republicans have the majority in both houses so … is it more or less democratic not to let the bill pass?

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 03:16:05 +0000

It’s unutterably depressing in a lot of ways, this story, but – well, I wasn’t watching when this whole thing started. I only heard about it later. But I watched this clip on your blog and I heard that crowd ROAR. That was the people talking. Talking so loudly they couldn’t be ignored.

Democracy is only a nice word to a lot of politicians. It’s incidents like this that test it’s still there.

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 01:35:07 +0000

It really was.

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 01:34:51 +0000

Because it’s a system set up to make sure we lose.

It was wonderful watching the support Senator Davis has but at the same time, I feel very depressed that this bill (for example) is going to pass anyway.

By: Helen

Helen — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 01:29:22 +0000

It was rivetting viewing and horribly depressing at the same time.

By: Tansy Rayner Roberts

Tansy Rayner Roberts — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:37:19 +0000

The ‘adjusting the back brace’ point was of interest to me, not just with the astronaut suit precedent (which puts it ALL into context!) but also because I hadn’t been watching at that point and it wasn’t clear to me whether Senator Davis had actually asked for help with that, or if her (male) colleague had stepped forward regardless.

But yes the whole thing was eye-opening as to how the political process works, how men close ranks, but also how damn hard women do have to work to be heard in the political process. And, perhaps – the uplifting part – that this will change, that things are changing. Because the doors aren’t always closed anymore.

The filibuster strikes me as a ridiculously masculine loophole procedure – and the fact that Senator Davis took it on absolutely made her a hero.

Playing nice gets you nowhere, it’s true. But also – playing dirty as a woman doesn’t get you anywhere either. Look at how Julia Gillard has been held solely accountable every day of her years as Prime Minister for the way in which she took power over Rudd – and the double standards to which she was held. Yes, she was in no way perfect as a leader of our country, but why is it that she and only she was required to be perfect when the leader of the opposition was being applauded for acknowledging that he lied and made shit up all the time?

Women are constantly being told that they need to act more like men in order to make it in whatever industry – pitch for more articles, ask for more raises, demand better treatment. If they don’t, they are “complicit” in their inequality. But if they do…

Well, they asked at the wrong time, or used the wrong tone of voice, or were asking too much, or being unrealistic, or they broke that rule there, the tiny one in the footnotes.

The positive takeaway I draw from the Wendy Davis filibuster is the support team she had, the people around her. This is all we can do against a deeply, institutionally corrupt society. We can make alliances, and back each other up, and try to talk about this stuff, changing one mind at a time.

Social media has its faults and its flaws, but it is giving us access to information we never had, and creating an instantaneous historical record – it’s a fascinating tool in the hands of the oppressed. If only the “professional” media were doing a better job of using it to stay in touch with what is going on, instead of pinching Harry Potter metaphors to say to camera.