New Feminists Faces on dollar bills in the US

[Selin]

Dear members,

I just saw an article about the new faces on the 5$, 10$ and 20$ bills. There's a lot of feminists women in the list. Of course, the goal is not to see dead feminists faces on bank notes, but living women faces in our political institutions, at the head of companies, and generally women having the same rights as men, but I think that every little step can mean something.

What are your views ?
Curious to read about it :

Cheers,
Selin

[Aglaea]

It's fantastic and the ironic situation is well described here:

"Harriet Tubman, anti-slavery activist, to be on new US $20 bill"
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-3609...

I find it a bit amusing, as in good for her.

In regards to the Underground Railroad, is there some good book someone could recommend? I've heard of it before and found it both scary and admirable at the same time.

[Kori]

Here's a short list of some good books and bios on the Underground Railroad and some of its conductors.

http://www.signature-reads.com/2012/0...

[Ashley Marie]

Aglaea wrote: "It's fantastic and the ironic situation is well described here:

"Harriet Tubman, anti-slavery activist, to be on new US $20 bill"
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-3609...

I find it a bit amusing..."

I caught the irony in that too, it made me laugh :) So excited to see women on our currency!

[Aglaea]

Kori wrote: "Here's a short list of some good books and bios on the Underground Railroad and some of its conductors.

http://www.signature-reads.com/2012/0..."

Thanks! :)

[Lily]

That's so cool and really, really hilarious to me. I always felt strange about Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

[Katelyn, Our Shared Shelf Moderator]

I'm also excited about this because originally they were planning on adding one woman to the currency, so it's really great that they've decided to expand that plan.

Glad to see MLK jr. included, too.

[Ashley Marie]

Lily wrote: "That's so cool and really, really hilarious to me. I always felt strange about Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill."

Apparently he's still going to be on the $20, just on the back. Feeling a bit shortchanged by this.

[Aglaea]

Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Lily wrote: "That's so cool and really, really hilarious to me. I always felt strange about Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill."

Apparently he's still going to be on the $20, just on the back. Feeling..."

Lol because god forbid there would be *gasp* a woman on the back also. The sky would fall down then.

[Ana, Our Shared Shelf Moderator]

It's one of those things that will have many people thinking, 'Oh wow, so what, big deal you've got going on there,' but that it will help change stuff and raise awareness. Thumbs up, I say! :) Obviously not an uber important thing, but in the big picture, change is composed of many little steps. :)

[Aglaea]

Ana wrote: "It's one of those things that will have many people thinking, 'Oh wow, so what, big deal you've got going on there,' but that it will help change stuff and raise awareness. Thumbs up, I say! :) Obv..."

I mentioned in the Feminist Societies thread how we have stamps of Tom of Finland now. Like actual stamps issued for public use. Gay men in leather with naked torsos and muscles flying in all direction. That kind of stamps. In my opinion, it is huge, as in maybe there is actual hope still that one day this world could be truly equal in actions, not just words.

Even the Pope is slowly warming up to more inclusion, and while gay people in the US among others (read some article online) have criticised him for his lack of real inclusion, I still choose to celebrate the small steps when they happen. Because for the actual Pope to even use the words include don't exclude (conservative feminist thread, my link) means he is paving the way. He can't change everything over night, but he can slowly introduce new thoughts and ideas as well as challenge the people to think of what inclusion means in today's world, which is far from Bible times.

All victories count.

[Tim]

I've voiced my opinion on women in high positions in society just about at nauseum, so I'll skip over that. As for this bank note decision, I don't really care to be honest, nor do I think the people who made the decision care. I think they only did it to make the people who do care (most if not all of them being feminists) happy and to make sure they have less reason to complain. I feel like that's how our current system in its entirety works: avoid addressing any problems, and when you do address any, only address them to as much as an extent as people are appeased with, and no further.

I don't know, it may be because I'm male, but this just doesn't feel like a victory to me.

[James]

Tim wrote: "As for this bank note decision, I don't really care to be honest, nor do I think the people who made the decision care. I think they only did it to make the people who do care (most if not all of them being feminists) happy and to make sure they have less reason to complain."

Have to say i agree with you here. Seems like the sentiment is just for good PR and not much more. Its fine that they are doing it but just seems like they are trying to sprinkle fairy dust into people's eyes while avoiding the bigger issues at hand.

[Ana, Our Shared Shelf Moderator]

Tim wrote: "I've voiced my opinion on women in high positions in society just about at nauseum, so I'll skip over that. As for this bank note decision, I don't really care to be honest, nor do I think the peop..."

Interesting take, but even so...well, at least now we're someone worth to make happy in society, right? It's an improvement.

[Lynn]

Yes, Ana. It's a step in the right direction, so I'm all for it.

About having Harriet Tubman and Andrew Jackson on the same bill: it illustrates the duality of our history. We've always had some people doing right, and some doing wrong. Maybe one day the people doing good things will outweigh the others.

[Bunny]

I heard the secretary of the treasury being interviewed. He said they were planning to redesign the bills gradually and have each one represent some aspect or event of American history including different people who were relevant to that theme.

The $10 bill will have the first secretary of the treasury on the front of it and women from the 1913 women's suffrage march on the treasury building and other suffrage leaders on the back of it. including Susan B Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

The five will have Lincoln on the front of it and people from the 1963 march for civil rights that ended at the Lincoln memorial on the back including Martin Luther King, Marion Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt.

I think they are stretching a little bit and some of their connections are kind of clunky but I appreciate the intent.

[Kaitlin]

We won't be seeing the new money until 2020.

[Bunny]

Possibly longer.

[Tim]

Ana wrote: "Tim wrote: "I've voiced my opinion on women in high positions in society just about at nauseum, so I'll skip over that. As for this bank note decision, I don't really care to be honest, nor do I th..."

Is it though? I hate to be a naysayer in this group, but I don't think people will appreciate feminism more just because there are women on money bills. In fact, if an anti-feminist saw how joyful some of us are about this, I'm sure they'd just go "Wow, look at these feminists making a big deal out of who's on money bills lol humanists are so much more down to earth." I know it's a shame they'd think of us that way and I absolutely do not agree with their reasoning, but I think the only people who are affected by this are people who already are feminists (happy about it) or MRAs (not happy about it). Most people probably are not at all affected and when you see people so affected about something that does not affect you, be it in a positive or negative manner, then I think the mindset of "both are stupid in equal measure" is only fueled further. And this aforementioned mindset seems to be the predominant one amongs "humanists", "equalists", etc.

It's cynical, I know, and I realise James has been the only person to express agreement with me, so again, this may just be male bias here, but when people are being sytemically and subtly sold out (especially women), then do such details as whose face is on the money really make any difference? I don't see gender wage gaps going away any time soon because of this.

Again, I may just be in a cynical mood so let me know what you think (yes, you there, not just Ana).

[Indigo]

I just want to drop this link here and see what others think about this. Before I read her analysis of Harriet Tubman being on the $20 bill, I along with my mother thought it was a great thing to FINALLY have a woman on the dollar bills, let alone a BLACK woman, and one who did so dang much for this country finally getting some of the attention and respect she deserves.

Then I read this link and now I'm not sure what to think about this, and wondering if it was my white privilege that blinded me to the other...unfortunate...implications of that move and whether this is a good or bad or even ultimately neutral move at all.

Analysis by a respected black woman that I agree with a lot of her previous analysis of things, and I am undecided of this current one, now: https://amarie24.dreamwidth.org/60107...

What do you think?

[Aglaea]

Tim wrote: "Ana wrote: "Tim wrote: "I've voiced my opinion on women in high positions in society just about at nauseum, so I'll skip over that. As for this bank note decision, I don't really care to be honest,..."

I think I truly understand what you're saying, Tim, and unfortunately I agree with it completely. Fact is, though that people change when something becomes normal. And if they see only a man on a piece of paper, where other genders could be displayed, they will keep thinking that is how stuff is supposed to be. But when change becomes in your face (literally), you will pay attention.

Consider negative feedback you receive from someone rude, who aims to bring you down only. Some people say one shouldn't pay attention to such feedback, but I think it's a missed opportunity. Isn't the ultimate "revenge" (I cringe at writing this but oh well) to take their intended-as-hurtful words to heart, examine them, and create something beautiful out of them? It's a choice and completely up to us to decide whether we want to develop as humans or not.

So to bring it back to the dollar bills, even though Tubman might have been picked just to show that on paper someone "cares", which is somehow a juvenile act, we can choose to turn the situation around and celebrate the heck out of it. They might think they were able to manipulate us and that we don't grasp we just got pissed on in reality, but who seriously gives a hoot? Who's the one laughing the last grin? Those, who start drawing power from the situation, and who see the potential in putting Tubman where she has earned to be.

As for the systemic selling out, well, I could choose not to celebrate this piece of the puzzle (which would make a victory for anti-feminists), or I can see it as proof that things are progressing in the right direction.

Finally I want to say that no system will ever be perfect, it's an impossibility pure and simple, so in my humble opinion whatever brings us closer to one doesn't deserve cynicism.