Liv,
I’d like to respond to your letter to me. Let me start by saying, I couldn’t be more proud of you than I already am. When I first saw you, the day I witnessed your birth, the first time I ever saw a life being born—I knew you were going to be special. You’ve grown to be a fine young woman with a lot of spunk, who stands by her convictions. You remind me of your grandmother, my mother, who too was very spunky, but I believe you know that. That day gave me a better understanding of life and how precious it is. It also showed me the pains a woman goes through to bring that life into this world. It will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Your letter has given me pause to think about what you’re saying. Yes men and women are different, we have different ways of looking at things and how we handle issues but as you pointed out in your letter, we are after all human. I can’t answer why a woman gets paid any different than a man, I’ve given you my opinion on what it might be, that’s the only explanation that I could think of, however, that doesn’t make it right. You said this isn’t just about feminism; it’s also about racism and discrimination, so now I’m going to try and give you food for thought.
I grew up in a different era than you Liv, so I’m coming from a different perspective. My family lived in the old West End, I’m sure you’ve seen the sign; “If you lived here you’d be home now,” right at the end of Storrow Drive, at Leveret Circle. You see that was a community of immigrants from different parts of the world. It was made up of the Irish, Italians, Polish, Greeks, Jews and many others that came to this country for a better way of life. Everyone knew each other and looked after each other. They didn’t have to lock the doors at night (talk about it takes a village). They came here to become Americans, to assimilate into the culture and contribute and make this country great. Their children became doctors, lawyers, firemen and policemen and politicians. They were part as many others that came before them, of the backbone of this country. Their affirmative action was to take action. Yes, they were helped along the way; however, it wasn’t a crutch. It was some help and most, if not all, gave back to show their appreciation. All have seen struggles and have been discriminated upon at some point; however it was their strength and faith that pulled them through. Then came Eminent Domain, they were all displaced for the “common good”. I guess it was a blessing because they moved on and made the best of it. Life went on.
Unfortunately in today’s society we’ve all become victims, there is no personal responsibility; and it’s become too easy to look at ourselves in that light. This may have started in my generation, which was known as the “me” generation. The theme was “what’s in it for me”. More to your point, yes racism and discrimination do exist and have since the dawn of time. No one has been immune from it - the rich, the poor, everyone at some point has felt its wrath, unfortunately, some more than others; however, it’s there and we have to move on from it. I’m not sure what the answer is, maybe back then it was easier to move on. I’m not sure what’s changed other than as I stated above, it’s become too easy to be a victim.
When I was a much younger man, I read in a Boston newspaper this statement:
“We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.” It was taken from a Congressman from upstate New York, her name was Shirley Chisholm. I later learned it was Martin Luther King Jr. who originally stated it. The messengers may be different; however the message is still the same, we need to work together, for a common goal, not against each other, we are all in this together…"E pluribus unum" is the official motto of the United States. It means "out of many, one."
Liv, we may not always see eye to eye, however, we are open to each other’s opinions and views and that is something that I cherish very much. Never give up in what you believe in, always fight for what’s right and keep up the good work.
I’m going to end with these quotes, seeing how you like quotes:
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” — John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. — Winston Churchill
Love,
Your conservative Dad
