Mothers
Acting Up

Conference on World Affairs

Mothers Acting Up - April 7, 2003

Overall Impression: This was not a panel, but a group of local mothers who have started a web site www.mothersactingup.org. They took over one of the panel rooms on Monday night and I thought I would include them, especially since a couple of good ideas emerged. The first came up when someone suggested that we pay more attention to alternative media to get a better view of the world. Since alternative media is not subject to the pressures of corporate America then they are less apt to bias their presentation. I thought about that and though, "What makes alternative media any more fact-worthy that mainstream media?" I think they both have biases and that the only way to get a better picture is to get exposed to more types of media. Of course then you have the larger challenging of trying to figure out which side is bending their story the most.

A second idea that popped up was a lady who was gathering humanitarian supplies for after the war. (The war was till going on at this point.) I really liked that idea. I see so much energy expended at things that have already happened or are currently happening. It does not do much good to protest now, something that has already happened on the other side of the world. It seems like it would be better to focus our energies on things that we might be able to effect in the future.

A third thought came when I heard the various mothers talking about how speaking up energized and motivated them. They all shared what they went through when they first got up to speak or even thought about it. Fear and nausea were the big emotions. My first thought was that a history of oppression of women's voices remains. Then again it could just be the fear we all have of public speaking.

The last item was the sheer shock in a woman's voice in the audience when someone mentioned that President Bush had an MBA. "He's got an MBA?" Liberals in shock are always fun.