Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
66. Women are half the world population and give birth to males and females. Both sexes benefit.
Mon Mar 23, 2015, 11:27 PM
Mar 2015

Women are unlikely to withhold education and other tools to ease poverty for religious or the other reasons it's done to them. And a 'rising tide lifts all boats.' Why not make these steps to lift up half the human race, in some nations where girls are not even given birth certificates, as if they are non-persons?

I think something must be done, no matter how disdained the solutions may be. Because of the forces arrayed against equality, we must not just leave the solution as an it's not worth doing, or a 'do nothing' and leave it there. I think we can trust women as well as men to solve this problem.

Saul Alinsky, a well-known and effective community activist, said this:

These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.

Alinsky wrote these books that are considered standards:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rules_for_Radicals.png

Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals is the late work of community organizer Saul D. Alinsky, and his last book, published in 1971 shortly before his death. His goal for the Rules for Radicals was to create a guide for future community organizers to use in uniting low-income communities, or "Have-Nots", in order to empower them to gain social, political, and economic equality by challenging the current agencies that promoted their inequality.[1] Within it, Alinsky compiled the lessons he had learned throughout his personal experiences of community organizing spanning from 1939-1971 and targeted these lessons at the current, new generation of radicals.[2]

Divided into ten chapters, each chapter of Rules for Radicals provides a lesson on how a community organizer can accomplish the goal of successfully uniting people into an active organization with the power to effect change on a variety of issues. Though targeted at community organization, these chapters also touch on a myriad of other issues that range from ethics, education, communication, and symbol construction to nonviolence and political philosophy.[3]

Though published for the new generation of counterculture-era organizers in 1971, Alinsky's principles have been successfully applied over the last four decades by numerous government, labor, community, and congregation-based organizations, and the main themes of his organizational methods that were elucidated upon in Rules for Radicals have been recurring elements in political campaigns in recent years.


Democrats know something that is imperfect ideologically is better than nothing.

Why are women poor? Warpy Mar 2015 #1
TY! freshwest Mar 2015 #2
Welcome. sheshe2 Mar 2015 #3
first four reasons from the article Liberal_in_LA Mar 2015 #4
Yes! sheshe2 Mar 2015 #5
K&R! smirkymonkey Mar 2015 #6
So it would be better if poverty were more equal opportunity, is that the idea? How about just ND-Dem Mar 2015 #7
Did you read the friggin article? one_voice Mar 2015 #8
Yes, I read the article. It starts from this premise: "Poverty is sexist." And goes on: ND-Dem Mar 2015 #9
Well while you complain about the fact that it's based on women's issues... one_voice Mar 2015 #10
Maybe you believe that, but it hasn't worked out that way in practice. Ever. rather the opposite. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #13
So you're saying that helping lift women out of poverty makes men poorer? KitSileya Mar 2015 #15
I didn't make that claim. That's your spin. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #20
I am seeking clarification here. KitSileya Mar 2015 #21
I just gave you a post full of data. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #22
So I see. But what do American numbers have to do with world poverty? KitSileya Mar 2015 #24
so your theory of equality only applies to the third world? and what americans should do is ND-Dem Mar 2015 #26
Imperialism? KitSileya Mar 2015 #29
Microloans = bullshit failure. They put people into debt and that's the point. Schools for girls ND-Dem Mar 2015 #37
Women are half the world population and give birth to males and females. Both sexes benefit. freshwest Mar 2015 #66
I really do not understand your anger in this thread. sheshe2 Mar 2015 #46
His concern is with his own wallet, it would seem. Blames women for depressing wages.... bettyellen Mar 2015 #52
i came home from work and read that crap. sheshe2 Mar 2015 #53
As a female minimum wage worker, I already have pay parity with my male coworkers. And ND-Dem Mar 2015 #56
I don't know anything about that???? sheshe2 Mar 2015 #58
you weren't making minimum wage. i'm attacked everytime i come here. take a look ND-Dem Mar 2015 #59
I sent you mail. sheshe2 Mar 2015 #60
I've been a 'she' over 60 years now. I'm an unmarried female minimum wage worker, and have been ND-Dem Mar 2015 #55
not authority- just telling you like it is.Women and children so much worse off, here and on every bettyellen Mar 2015 #61
if, when you say "men," you mean folks like bruce rauner, I agree. If you mean the poor male ND-Dem Mar 2015 #65
The kind of nutrition they're talking about is, like the award recipients, linked to Gates, Monsanto ND-Dem Mar 2015 #54
It has been shown time after time that when poor women earn, they put most of their money to benefit the Luminous Animal Mar 2015 #11
What a bunch of sexist, classist crap. Yeah, poor men waste all their money -- only poor men ND-Dem Mar 2015 #12
They found exactly that happening among the Masai in Tanzania.... bettyellen Mar 2015 #31
yet middle class & rich men don't do that. only poor men. funny. but it's a useful finding if ND-Dem Mar 2015 #32
Not discussing the middle class- you're ignoring that supporting women helped everyone -boys and men bettyellen Mar 2015 #34
actually it's upper-class people derailing it, because they're the primary beneficiaries of ND-Dem Mar 2015 #35
"experts" say anything. depends on who pays them. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #36
Except when women earn- their resources tend to enrich everyone. bettyellen Mar 2015 #38
Women have always earned; poor women stay poor despite earning. I'd be willing to bet ND-Dem Mar 2015 #39
They are dramatically poorer than the poorest men worldwide- this starves the children bettyellen Mar 2015 #41
why don't you argue the point rather than impugning me personally? i haven't impugned you. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #43
Lol, wanting equal pay for women is divisive now? Not among progressives it isn't! bettyellen Mar 2015 #44
in theory it's not. in practice, it is. and it's also a means of racheting down wages for everyone ND-Dem Mar 2015 #50
HA HA, just like it's women's fault less men are going to college these days. Women can't make any bettyellen Mar 2015 #51
I've already told you, repeatedly, I'm a female mimimum wage worker, and an older one. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #57
It doesn't matter what sex you are if you blame women for depressing men's salaries. bettyellen Mar 2015 #62
I use that line too when a study invalidates my biases... LanternWaste Mar 2015 #63
i speak from experience in the field myself. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #64
It reminds me of the men who bemoan that poor guys can't get girlfriends KitSileya Mar 2015 #17
Lovely post. Thank you. Luminous Animal Mar 2015 #19
I second that emotion. nt raccoon Mar 2015 #27
"When poor men earn, they spend most their money on themselves (gambling, liquor, prostitutes…)" ND-Dem Mar 2015 #23
It was the reality that NGOs and relief workers found in many communities. Those that actually care bettyellen Mar 2015 #40
But just *poor* men -- not middle class or rich men, eh? So your plan is to leave poor men ND-Dem Mar 2015 #42
Poor men aren't at the bottom- it's children and women who are. bettyellen Mar 2015 #45
What? You're angry that spending effort on women is the best way to end poverty? KitSileya Mar 2015 #14
There is no changing of places on a rope WhiteTara Mar 2015 #30
there is if you knock the other guy off. and i'm pretty sure my position on the rope is a hell of a ND-Dem Mar 2015 #33
If women would empower other women, it would help greatly. Major Hogwash Mar 2015 #16
I agree, Major! sheshe2 Mar 2015 #47
I don't like to use the word hate, but . . . Major Hogwash Mar 2015 #49
Roughly speaking, it equates to the saying about educating women KitSileya Mar 2015 #18
K & R Thank you sheshe2 lovemydog Mar 2015 #25
A thread of awesome. sibelian Mar 2015 #28
K&R! Omaha Steve Mar 2015 #48
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»10 reasons why girls and ...»Reply #66