Feminist heroes and role models

[Arakan]

Just finished watching an awesome documentary about the Kurdish women militia of the YPG fighting the IS, Daughters of Fire (Franco-German Co Production). True heroes. If you search for feminist idols and role models, here they are (and not in self-serving Hollywood or Entertainment). Here are the women fighting with their lives for their basic rights of self-determination, of being the masters of their own fates. One can only admire and respect the camaraderie, integrity, selflessness and the readiness to sacrifice of these young women. 

French Version
German Version

A shame the YPG and the Kurds were so absolute ruthlessly betrayed by the US, right after they had finished most of the dirty work of fighting against the Islamic State. Betrayed because the US needs the Islamist Erdogan more than the Kurds who were just useful tools until they weren’t anymore. 

CNN and other „liberal“ US media were awkwardly silent about this. I guess because it was in the strategic interests of all relevant power groups, be it Dem or Rep. One reason why their crying about Afghanistan now is so dishonest. There really is no good MSM left in the US, all have their own agenda, lacking any journalistic integrity. CNN is as bad as Fox News, just in different ways. Well, at least there is still a lot of quality indie journalism in the States. 

Remember Kobane.

[Larry of the Lawn]

4 hours ago, Arakan said:

 

sorry nvm

[Week]

I was happy to see this thread title and interested to see what folks had to say ... The OP is more focused on some misguided axe grinding with the US and its media (?) though. Lovely tribute to women, sir.

LMGFTFY - https://www.google.com/search?q=kurd+erdogan+trump+betrayal&oq=kurd+erdogan+trump+betrayal&aqs=chrome.0.69i59.661j0j9&client=ms-android-google&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

 

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-betrayal-of-the-kurds-927545/

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/trump-betrayed-kurds-whos-next/600004/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/11/kurds-betrayal-syria-erdogan-turkey-trump/

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/28/turkey-syria-the-kurds-and-trumps-abandonment-of-foreign-policy

https://www.vice.com/en/article/j5yajg/trumps-betrayal-of-the-kurds-is-as-incoherent-as-it-is-dangerous

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/middleeast/kurds-syria-turkey-trump.html

[Arakan]

@Week
Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vice and foreignpolicy are hardly MSM. NYT is of course. 
It’s a great documentary, worth a watch for those who speak French (and German). 

Sorry for pointing out that they have been betrayed. 

[polishgenius]

19 minutes ago, Arakan said:

Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vice and foreignpolicy are hardly MSM. NYT is of course. 

 

You could maybe get away with The Atlantic, but Rolling Stone are owned by Penske, Foreign Policy by the multimedia company who used to also own WaPo, and Vice are part-owned by Disney and A&E. You'd have to have a pretty inaccurate view of what MSM means to count them as not it.

[polishgenius]

Genuinely confused about where mansplaining comes into it.

[DireWolfSpirit]

Medea Benjamin, as a founder of the feminist antiwar group Codepink, as well as other organizations like Global Exchange, she's been a fearless activist for decades.

You do not want to be on the other side of her when she's advocating, she will come for you and she will take you out of your comfort zone whether you are a Senator, President or speaking at a RNC or DNC National Convention, it does not matter she is absolutely fearless.

 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea_Benjamin

[HoodedCrow]

I’ll bite. Florence Nightingale. We’ve seen the marketing materials. She was a statistician who popularized a pie graph. Not sure if she invented it. She discovered with her brain, and applying math, that good hygiene promoted wellness…less death. She had surfaces wiped down with  vinegar.She went home after a voluntary tour in Crimea and founded the profession of nursing. She tried to talk politicians into a number of things. She was not sentimentally oriented; she wanted to get stuff done.

[DireWolfSpirit]

The amazing ladies of "Hidden Figures".

The Incredible Women of Hidden Figures | astrobites

 

The book Hidden Figures highlights the experiences of three specific black women: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, and the movie brought their stories to an even larger audience. These women led extraordinary lives that were often overshadowed by the accomplishments of their white male colleagues.Apr 27, 2020

[Fury Resurrected]

Winona LaDuke

If you don’t know who she is, she’s been an indigenous rights and environmental activist longer than I’ve been alive and founder of Honor the Earth (along with the equally impressive Tara Houska)

[Zorral]

Gwendolyn Midlo Hall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwendolyn_Midlo_Hall

https://www.whitneyplantation.org/history/the-big-house-and-the-outbuildings/allees-gwendolyn-midlo-hall/

http://amistadresearchcenter.tulane.edu/archon/?

She's still going too, even though she has to conduct her Zoom talks from her bed.  In Mexico.  

 

[RhaenysBee]

I’m honestly not sure what this thread is about but I will leave this thought for your consideration: ‘hero’ and ‘role model’ are not synonymous. 

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, RhaenysBee said:

I’m honestly not sure what this thread is about but I will leave this thought for your consideration: ‘hero’ and ‘role model’ are not synonymous. 

Yet, when it comes to Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, and others like her, the designations of 'role model',  and 'hero', are accurate words.

BTW, she published her memoirs, Haunted By Slavery, this year -- it's a wonderful read -- hair raising and frightening too.

https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Slavery-Southern-Freedom-Struggle/dp/1642592749

[HoodedCrow]

I bring Mary Pickford to your attention:) She was the first movie superstar. The “ America’s Sweet Heart” was born Gladys Smith in Toronto. She, with the help of her impoverished stage Mom made the big time. She was the highest paid star in Hollywood, I believe. The was an excellent business woman, a very popular and iconic actress and formed United Artists with Charlie Chaplin. She pioneered make up with Max Factor.( you can thank them for pancake make up)

[Teng Ai Hui]

A few years ago, I got my daughter a book called Rad American Women A-Z.

Also, I'm currently watching the new season (#6) of Nailed It!, a cooking competition program.  In episode 4, the first round's theme is barrier-breaking Black women -- Wilma Rudolph, C.J. Walker, and Shirley Chisholm.

[HoodedCrow]

Emily Carr was a Canadian painter and author. At first, she was sneered at because she didn’t want to do ladylike watercolors. She talked the second of her two male guardians into letting her pay for art classes in San Francisco from her inheritance. She was too prudish to paint nudes until she adapted. After staying with a couple with children, she decided not to have any and to pursue art. For her that meant that she would be single.

Emily became aware of the smallpox ravaged First Nations villages. She decided to try and document their villages to preserve the deteriorating art work in some way. This effort required her to travel by canoe, cart and horseback. None of that was considered cool.

She took art classes in France and England. One teacher only wanted her to do tame seascapes. She wanted to paint the woods. When she was ill in London, she was sent by some friends to s sanatorium. Very likely she’d had one of the many infectious diseases on offer in London at the time. But she was treated by restricting her to milk( not feminine enough) and forced to gain 50 pounds by diet and movemeant restrictions. You read that right. She also hated the massages that sounded more like assault. Then she says she was broken and released after 18 months.

Emily ended up impoverished but she built a house and kept boarders to make ends meet. She knew other artists like Lauren Harris. She made some serious money at last from her books. But we can see her amazing paintings of the Northwest.( and her take on indigenous art)

 

[Zorral]

42 minutes ago, HoodedCrow said:

Emily Carr was a Canadian painter and author.

I shall look her up. Thank you!

[maarsen]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:43 PM, Zorral said:

I shall look her up. Thank you!

One of Canada's greatest artists. I have loved her work for years.

[HoodedCrow]

@maarsen Emily Carr drew some cartoons of a road trip to England, and there is a picture book with these.suitable for adults or children! I liked a book on Emily Carr that was a Jungian analysis, however, that is not necessary.  She pretty much got fired for trying to teach art, when her style was unloved at the time.  She smoked, swore and made her own clothes. As an adult, she had a monkey named Woo, because of the sound he made.  What a character! 

 

[Zorral]

29 minutes ago, HoodedCrow said:

@maarsen Emily Carr drew some cartoons of a road trip to England, and there is a picture book with these.suitable for adults or children! I liked a book on Emily Carr that was a Jungian analysis, however, that is not necessary.  She pretty much got fired for trying to teach art, when her style was unloved at the time.  She smoked, swore and made her own clothes. As an adult, she had a monkey named Woo, because of the sound he made.  What a character! 

 

Such brilliant, talented, interesting people in every generation around the world, that so few of us ever get to learn about!  So vexatious being unable to know everything.