Blog5: Society

Today's Blog5 challenge:

Many socially accepted practices throughout history have become considered morally corrupt. One of the most notorious examples of this on a grand scale is slavery. Today not only is slavery regarded wrong for our modern society, but society in history is judged as failing morality.

Option A: Describe a less well-known example of this. How do you think society taught itself to accept it? Did everyone find it acceptable?
Option B: What practices in the modern world do you think will be considered as obviously immoral in the future and why.

If I was a good student, I would do lots of research for this most recent Blog5 assignment, but instead, I am going to rely on what I learned from Schoolhouse Rock, so hang in there with me.

The very first thing that came to mind when I read the above instructions was the very same thing that Cynical landed on when I ran it by him, so this seems a suitable subject.

Sufferin' Till Suffrage
I don't know that I ever stopped to think that women have been allowed to vote for not even half of the life of our country. It is difficult to fathom that not until 1927 were we, as women, allowed to enter a voting booth, make a choice and help elect leaders that shape our lives and our country.

I also don't know if I ever realized what a battle it was to achieve such "status". I don't know if you have ever seen "Iron-Jawed Angels", an HBO creation, but it wasn't until I viewed it that it ever hit me that the women's movement to vote was more than a cartoon. It was a battle, it was a struggle and it was the work of determined, intelligent and heroic women. Make no mistake, this battle was fought just as visciously as any battle involving guns and warfare. It wasn't easy, it wasn't simple. . . it wasn't anything like I had ever imagined.

It may be socially acceptable and routine now, but what bothers me most is that it was ever a battle or a struggle. No one should have been sufferin' till suffrage. What ever made our country not believe in the strength of its women, those that we trusted to teach our children, raise our children and run our homes.

It was the 19th Amendment that granted this right, this privilege. That means it took 18 previous amendments before they even considered this type of "liberation." That means it fell behind free speech, right to form a militia, right to a grand jury, rights involving warrants and unlawful entry, freedom from excessive bail and fines. . .

Being outraged now will accomplish nothing, but going to the voting booth does. Honor the women that made it possible for you to choose. Vote.

Before I launch into an "Oh. . . the humanity of it all!" speech, for all of you that appreciate a lesson in song, I present the words to:

Sufferin' for Suffrage

Yeah!... Hurray!

Now you have heard
Of women's rights
And how we've tried
To reach new heights
If we're all created equal,
That's us too.

Yeah!

But you will proba-Bly not recall...
That it's not been
Too long at all,
Since we even had the right to
Cast a vote.

Well...

Well sure some men
Bowed down and called us misses,. . . . . Yeah!
Let us hang the wash out,
And wash the dishes, . . . . Huh...
But when the time rolled around
To elect a president
What did they say, sisters?

What did they say?
They said, uh, see you later,
Alligator, and don't forget my, my...
My mashed potatoes,
Because I'm going downtown to
Cast my vote for president.

But we were sufferin',
Until suffrage, . . . . Whoah...
Not a woman here could vote
No matter what age.
Then the 19th Amendment
Struck down that restrictive rule.

Oh yeah!

Now we pull down
On the lever
Cast our ballots,
And we endeavor
To improve our country,
State, county, town and school.

Tell 'em bout it!

Those pilgrim women who
Who braved the boat
. . . . They cook, cook, cooked!
Could cook the turkey, but they,
They could not vote

Even Betsy Ross who sewed the flag
Was left behind that first election day.

. . . . What a shame, sisters!

Then Susan B.Anthony . . . . Yeah!
and Julia Howe, . . . . Lucretia!
Lucretia Mott, . . . . And others!
They showed us how,
They carried signs
And marched in lines
Until at long last
The law was passed.

Oh we were sufferin',
Until suffrage,
Not a woman here could vote
No matter what age.
Then the 19th Amendment
Struck down that restrictive rule.

Oh yeah!

And now we pull down
On the lever
Cast our ballots,
And we endeavor
To improve our country,
State, county, town and school.

Yes the 19th Amendment
Struck down that restrictive rule.
Yes the 19th Amendment
Struck down that restrictive rule.

Yeah, yeah!

We've got 'em now!
Since 1920, S
isters Unite!
Oh lord!

*It may be cheating to include this, but I couldn't resist.