Good
morning, Tuesday. Hot and humid day in the city and getting that feeling a lot
of people are on edge. I can feel that coming off of people today because I
stand with them in that- I'm feeling super on edge and though I try not to get
too political in these posts, I have to. I wanted to write a piece about what
to pack for the Fourth but feel compelled to do otherwise. Because I'm not on
edge from the heat, but rather, the Supreme Court ruling yesterday denying
women of their rights.
I'm sure there's some conservatives among you that think that birth control is not something employers should pay for, but as one of my Facebook friends pointed out, Hobby Lobby pays for prescriptions to Viagra for their male employees. Oh, and vasectomies. So men can have as much sex as they want to, as often as they want to, with little consequence besides an erection that may last a little too long. That seems fair.
What's truly stinging about this decision besides its obvious archaic and ridiculous premise is that not only does this wreak havoc with women's rights, but it also comes a few days before we celebrate our independence. As a free country. Where the old guard can no longer tell us what to do. With liberty and justice for all. Remember that? That's my biggest issue with these people- they claim to be Constitutional purists and literalists yet, but only when it's convenient to support their inbred agendas. I for one am not feeling very patriotic right now, but my American DNA tells me to fight this somehow, along with everyone I know who should do everything in their power to fight this, because yesterday's decision gave me the deep DIYs- as in, let's do our own things and start working for ourselves. I have met too many smart and creative women to think that a commitment to self-employment would not be an effective measure to fight this ridiculous ruling.
We can't allow our employers to determine what we do with our bodies. I think it's clear to me now that women need to take a stand, not just by protesting, but also by completely going out on their own, and starting businesses that prosper and flourish because some dinosaurs on the Supreme Court said it's ok for employers to impose their religious beliefs on them. There has really never been a better opportunity in history than right now for women to take control and shift this paradigm. I've never felt more strongly that we need female entrepreneurs more than we ever have, not just so women can have their own success but so these same women can help those that need jobs. It's truly a win win, even though this decision is anything but.
And I ask you- would you rather work at Hobby Lobby or work for someone who supports your decision to choose what's best for you? And further, would you rather work at Hobby Lobby and contribute to this nonsense or try and go out on your own, supported by scores of women who should band together to help each other and guide each other through a more entrepreneurial life? After all, isn't the 4th of July a celebration of our independence- is there a better time to start acting on that great idea you had for a business or joining a company where people share your values? And here's something else- I wonder what Hillary would do. When asked about the ruling yesterday, she said she found it "deeply disturbing we are going in that direction". I'm curious to see what this next election brings, but until that time, we need to knock some heads and go out on our own. It's our right as Americans and that's the truth. Sometimes you have to hit bottom to get to the top, and if this isn't hitting bottom, I'm not sure what is. And though many of us are spinning the globe thinking of what country to move to (present company included), maybe we need to stay home and teach these fossils a thing or two by embracing our own self service as fire starters and business owners. Hobby Lobby can suck it. We are not powerless and I suspect this is far from over. In the meantime, dust off that business plan and get to work.
Cause that's what's up this doing it for ourselves, not powerless kind of Tuesday in the 212. Yours, in flipping that script. XO