Wacko Nuts and Cyclepaths

Just days after writing about some inspirational women in environmental politics, I read about the current law case being brought against the city of New York by a group of residents opposed to a bicycle lane in a wealthy area of Brooklyn. The case raises objections to the creation of a segregated two way cycle lane in the area in 2010, and claims that the city mislead residents about the benefits of the lane and safety statistics, while working with bicycle activists to silence local opposition. That the path reduces resident parking, restricts views of the park and could adversely affect property prices I imagine is on people's minds, if not their court documents. 


But what struck me about the subsequent reporting was not the environmental issue, or even the social aspect (the practice of taking road space from motorists to give to cyclists and pedestrians has been labelled a 'Robin Hood' practice), no, what is noticeable is the particular focus on Janette Sadik Khan, NYC Transport Commissioner, and the women responsible for the recent cycling initiatives in New York that have previously been lauded for improving cyclist and pedestrian safety, time efficiency and adding to the general worker mobility of money areas such as Wall Street. 


As others have highlighted, the action against the city has started to take a very personal tone. While the case in question calls for the removal of a single cycle lane, reporters and opposition groups have been quick to jump on the idea that this is a long over due backlash against Khan. Reporting, in particular from the New York Times, has focussed on her personality and management style, speculating about her 'brusque, I-know-best style and a reluctance to compromise' as well her aggressive attitude. One wonders if these aspects of character would have been so freely commented upon if Khan had been a man, and even then, would that have been seen as entirely negative. And that's before we even get to the undignified comments of gossip columnist Cindy Adams which refer to Khan as a 'wacko nutso'.


But this is hardly the first time that a women in high public office has seen objections about her politics turn personal, and in some cases overtly sexist in tone. Sarah Palin faced high levels of criticism during the 2008 election, much of it turned personal (yeah, that's politics for you, regardless of gender, I'm not that naive), but some of it turned sexist and sexual. Huffington Post contributor and screen writer Michael Steitzman in his insightful 'Sarah Palin Naked' article stated 'She's really is kinda hot. Basically, I want to have sex with her on my Barack Obama sheets while my wife reads aloud from the Constitution.' C'mon people, Palin's politics alone should be enough to ridicule her, there's no need for that, or the photoshopped bikini pictures, or the Palin porno for that matter.


At the moment Khan's critics have focussed on attitude rather than sexuality, yet the fact that the argument has shifted away from the issue and onto the public servant either speaks volumes for the weight of the original argument or reveals more about the growing resentment towards Khan. Is it personal? It is certainly starting to look that way. Is it gender related? Perhaps not across the board, but some inherent attitudes seem incapable of distinguishing between the woman and the job she holds.



Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

International Women's Day: Women in the Business

In honour of International Women's Day, today's post focusses on women in environmental politics and social campaigning. Of course they're working hard every day, but it doesn't hurt to take a few moments today to give them some much deserved kudos.


When I was studying politics some years ago I came across a worrying statistic that showed that women in Ireland were proportionally less represented in elected politicians than The Sudan. Yep, you read that right, The Sudan. That was some years ago and from what I can remember represented only the ROI, but it was still a shocking figure. Have things improved much? Last months ROI elections saw 24 women elected to the Dail, two more than 2007, but that is out of a possible 166 seats. Ireland still trail behind The Sudan, Kazakhstan and Iraq in world league tables. Here in N.Ireland representation isn't much better, with 18 female MLAs elected to Stormont in 2007, a paltry 16% of the total seats.

Of course there are some great female politicians and candidates, victories in 2010 Westminster elections for the likes of the Alliance Party's Naomi Long, against First Minister Peter Robinson no less, and Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew in the tightly contested Fermanagh seat, prove that female politicians can do the business come voting time, and it may be simply a case of ensuring that more women are encouraged to stand. In this year's Local Assembly Election's I'm extra pleased that the environmental option in South Belfast lies with the Green Party's Clare Bailey (pictured). I'll set my impartiality aside for a moment and state that I've been canvassing with Clare in recent months and I can safely say that my vote has never been in better hands.


Of course a great deal of political involvement starts at school or university, and I'm also please to say that the QUB Feminist Society is now up and running as an active society for students in Belfast. Recognition should go to co-chairs Ashleigh Simpson and Judith McGimpsey for making such head way in recent months.


Finally I'd just like to highlight three inspirational women who have influenced me in their politics, dedication and commitment to eco and female issues:

Caroline Lucas: The first English Green Party MP on her election last May, Caroline Lucas's leadership of the party over the past three years, and eleven year stint in the European Parliament, have seen the profile and image of eco concious politics in the UK raised significantly. She's also done more than her fair share for women, campaigning on issues of domestic violence, breast cancer, sexual health and maternal care.

http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl.html

Petra Kelly: Instrumental in the creation and development of  Die Grünen, her tragic murder in 1992 may have meant that she never fulfilled her full potential, but what she did manage in her life was extraordinary and she is truly as inspiration and role model to environmentalists across the globe, male and female alike. 

Harriet Lamb: As Executive Director of the UK Fairtrade Foundation, I guess Ms Lamb is having a busy time of at at the minute as we're right in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight (check out Fairtrade Pancake recipe of Greensheen Kitchen). She is also the author of Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles, which is available via Amazon.