John F. Kennedy Quotes
I'm always rather nervous about how you talk about women who are active in politics, whether they want to be talked about as women or as politicians.”
Even as suave and sophisticated man as JFK was unsure of proper behavior with women involved in politics in the 1950s. In a way, this quotation shows us how far we have come in the half century following Kennedy’s statement.
John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, 35th President of the United States (Democrat, MA), Quoted in The uncommon wisdom of JFK: a portrait in his own words, 2003
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This particular rally targeted men rather than women. The nation was in a severe recession, and the audience of mostly men cried, “No!
Her plane and she were never found.
She was the 5th female member of the House and its first Jewish member. She was the first woman on the House Military Affairs Committee, and was one of the few Republicans who advocated spending for military preparedness. At the time of her service, many Republicans were strict isolationists and were opposed to peacetime military spending. They accused the Democrats of being war mongers for wanting preparedness and a stronger military, After WWII, most republicans became Hawks, and after the Vietnam War, many Democrats became Doves. After the Iraq War many Republicans became Doves when they discovered that the President (George W. Bush) had either lied to them and the public, or made a major intelligence blunder.
Mrs. Roosevelt thought that with the rate of improvement in society’s perception and treatment of women was improving so steadily that women in America were not far from equality. Because of the shortage of men on the home front in WWII women had performed well in virtually all occupations including welding, heavy construction and management and it was just a matter of time to reach equality of pay and parity. However, she and most feminists did not take into account the 2 million men returning from military service who wanted their jobs back. Sexists, who had been suppressed during the war when they objected to women in non traditional occupations, were no longer silenced by national necessity. An occupational backlash developed. Then a sexual one regarding contraception and family planning, (Condoms for example were illegal up to 1963 as birth control device). Each major step forward was accompanied by its own backlash and even in the Presidential Campaign of 2012 contained debate on women’s control over their own bodies relative to abortion and contraception.
Much of the culture of sexism and racism is perpetuated by language—especially the language of leaders, role, models, and authority figures. “Political correctness” cannot, in a free society, be enforced on anyone. However, making people aware of the implication of certain kinds of language usage is important provided it doesn’t cross the line of curtailing freedom of speech. People who want to perpetuate sexism by their choice of language have the right to do so in America. What is sad, however is the many people who are perpetuating sexism without ever intending to do so. Abdul-Jabbar has been a leader who has made many male sports figures more aware if the implications of their language usage.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to becoming president.
