Larry Summers—A Bad Signal To Women [View All]

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http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2008/11/07/larry-summers%E2%80%94a-bad-signal-to-women/


As a friend of mine bemoaned yesterday, oh why couldn’t the honeymoon have lasted longer? But with the likes of Larry Summers being considered for Secretary of the Treasury, it is quite clear that we need to move immediately towards creating a framework where respect for women’s lives is part of the “Change” that is coming to Washington. Summers, former President of Harvard University, was shown the door after opining that innate differences between men and women might be one reason fewer women succeed in science and math careers. This was hardly Summers only outrageously arrogant white male spew, he is also famously known for suggesting that “under-polluted” developing countries in Africa need more toxic waste.

That Summers is even vaguely being considered for the top Treasury post indicates that the incoming Obama administration has a very status quo top down business first lack of understanding of the current financial disaster and that does not bode well for the likelihood of the necessary change that will be needed to heal the economic health of this nation. Change that will require understanding that the needs of those at the bottom, who all too often are women and children and people of color, must be met and that that cannot be done by pouring money into the exploitive infrastructure of Wall Street.

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Finally, in the last few days, efforts have begun to make lists of women who should be a part of the new administration. That it is necessary to make these lists is a testament to the fact that we’ve not come quite that far baby. But necessary it is and there are way too many very capable, qualified women to mention here, but when confronted by the misogyny of the notion that Larry Summers would be an appropriate choice for Secretary of the Treasury, it feels appropriate to offer the name of Naomi Klein, author of the Shock Doctrine who is one of the few people that seems to understand the dynamics of our economic crisis. While she is a Canadian citizen, there does not appear to be a Constitutional requirement that Cabinet members be U.S. citizens and she would be an excellent choice if the Obama administration is truly interested in transformational change.
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the fight for women's rights is not over.