Happy International Day of the Girl, Trump notwithstanding

Daesh (ISIS), Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, the Taliban, all these despicable groups afflicting our species are obsessed with suppressing and oppressing women and women’s rights. They’re disturbing to learn about, but remind me of my pride and gratitude that I don’t live in a society so morally reprehensible and downright inhumane. (Because last I checked, women are humans.)

But then I come back to the US, where a racist, morally malformed demagogue routinely uses words like “bimbo, dog, fat pig” and the ever-reliable C-word to describe women, and yet, confoundingly, is still treated as a valid human being to exist on our national stage. I’m baffled by that. And I’m baffled as to why this latest tape is such a big deal. Was anyone surprised to hear him talk like that? He’s been talking like that for decades.

So are we no better than those desert addictions to misogyny? Of course we are. We’re a desert society too (are we not a Judeo-Christian, People of Abraham, monotheistic culture of relative intolerance with an emphasis on war and conflict? You betcha we are. Read more here) but we’ve made some exceedingly slow and agonizingly painful progress from our more barbaric cousins.

I doubt she said this, but I agree wholeheartedly anyway

The most obvious example right now is the remarkably qualified (and preposterously vilified) alternative to Trump’s hideous immorality. She has a long career of public service, bipartisan productivity, and actually listens to other people. All three of which are profound contrasts to, and advantages over Candidate Blumpy.

And in the darkness of his remarks, I'm reminded of my fantasy of all the women in America refusing to vote for Trump, and we watch the whole country unite in rejecting misogyny, racism, ignorance, and immaturity. Now there's an image of hope. Of making America greater than it has been so far.

So there is much work to be done, but much incredible progress being made, so today, International Day of the Girl, I’m going to go ahead and feel optimism for the West, for America, and for our species, that we’re going to move away from the sort of self-destructive ideology that puts half of ourselves lower than the other half. Because that? That’s just barbaric.

So many good choices for charities. I chose Plan International this year.