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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe tiger is stirring.
My friend Charles and I get together frequently, and the conversation often turns to the dire state of things since the election of 2016. Last year, in the course of one of those conversations, I sank into a rare state of defeatism and despair. "Dear god", I said. "We really may be screwed."
Now, Charles is probably one of the most hard-nosed and unsentimental guys I've ever known. He lives in the world of hard facts. Nothing Kumbaya about this guy.
So what was his hard-nosed, unsentimental assesment?
"You're wrong, Ed.", he declared firmly. "It's going to be women. You'll see. Women are going to bring the change."
That seemed like sort of a surprising statement, coming from Charles. But I let his words echo in my brain, and I began to feel the truth of them. Waxing eloquent, I replied slowly:
"Yeeess. Yes. That's it. That's going to be it. Women are the sleeping tiger of the world. When the tiger walks, things are going to be different."
And now, sometimes when I least expect it, I get a strange feeling, and a sudden realization washes over me:
The tiger is stirring.
Sometimes it comes to me when things seem darkest.
The tiger is stirring. In the darkness of the jungle, the tiger is stirring.
I bear in mind that a tiger is a creature that moves in ways that are often outside of my understanding. It does not exist to fulfill my wishes, even the most noble of them. It does not heed my call, and it does not respond to my urging. It will move in its own way, and its own time, and not in the ways that I expect or anticipate.
But it is immensely powerful.
And I feel it, I'm sure of it: The tiger is stirring.
Oh, they think they have nothing to fear from the tiger. They think they have it cowed and tamed. They think they are strong. They think they are invulnerable.
But listen closely, friends, and listen closely, foes:
The tiger is stirring.
manor321
(3,344 posts)But the Supreme Court will cage that tiger until after I'm dead.
This is what elections are for. This is what we tried to tell everyone for the 2016 election.
For many of us, it is likely too late.
babylonsister
(171,070 posts)marylandblue
(12,344 posts)Don't worry about the Supreme Court, the tiger will tear it to pieces.
ZZenith
(4,124 posts)Because so far, every one Ive seen is exactly that.
Just wondering...
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)Charlotte Little
(658 posts)Some of us (women, cough, women) are very angry and not at all hopeful right now. Sorry we can't constantly entertain you and wear perpetual smiles.
But the damn truth is that the supreme court is going to hurt us more than men, and for some of us who are a little older, it will be for our lifetimes. Especially women of color.
So, please, if you're looking for encouragement, maybe go join a meditation or wrestling website and stay off a political one.
ZZenith
(4,124 posts)And for the record, I never put anyone on ignore.
Charlotte Little
(658 posts)ZZenith
(4,124 posts)leftynyc
(26,060 posts)that aren't gloomy? Actually, it doesn't matter, I've seen none and off to ignore you go.
Charlotte Little
(658 posts)Thank you for being honest. This is exactly what the tiger faces. She'll be kept a kitten for 40 years unless a major revolution happens.
samnsara
(17,622 posts)fierywoman
(7,685 posts)Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)cpamomfromtexas
(1,245 posts)Yesterday I went to the store and a girl waited on me who Ive never met. She proceeded to tell me that management there had been preying on the help and embezzling too!
I broached the subject about Kavanaugh and she said she is ready to vote in November
Land Shark
(6,346 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,978 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,005 posts)Olafjoy
(937 posts)Never voted before. Now voting because so disgusted by.....everything. Said boyfriend in military is deploying. She was really angry that POTUS and his family didnt pay taxes on their billion dollar fortune. Taxes pay Mikes salary. They pay for his gun and bullets. I hate taxes but I pay them and I am poor. I hate rich people who cheat on taxes. It makes me want to barf
November is coming
elmac
(4,642 posts)pnwmom
(108,980 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)The women resistance in Tucson formed their own PAC.
Very professional, little question that they are going to flip McSally's seat.
Flakes seat is going to be a woman.
In addition to the high profile actions I wonder how many women are going to undertake gentle acts of subterfuge like closing their husband's ballot.
A whole lot of people are going to wake up Nov 7th and ask "What just happened?"
They are counting on it just "blowing over".
Cha
(297,304 posts)Thank You, Mister Ed
Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)Hear us roar!
November is coming! GOTV!!!!
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,635 posts)riverwalker
(8,694 posts)If ever a time for William Blake, its now.
LuckyLib
(6,819 posts)rtracey
(2,062 posts)But we need the Tiger to vote, not just prowl.....
volstork
(5,402 posts)I needed to hear that message, especially in such a powerful metaphor. It reminded me of an African proverb: " The daughters of lions are lions too."
DinahMoeHum
(21,794 posts)American elephant steaks on the menu come November 6: