It’s the End of the World or the Beginning. I Can’t Tell.

Isn’t it weird how the worst of times can overlap with the best of times?

I’ve been here in northern Michigan, at my folk’s home, working remotely, hiding from the news cycle for several weeks. (Mr. CL was here too, but had to head back earlier.) I’ve spent my days weeding the garden, moving mulch, wearing sweaters, seeing family and friends. Feeling a sort of calm I haven’t felt in a long while.

(Part of that zen is that there’s no TV here. Just wifi. So, I’m blissfully out of the news cycle.)

And then RBG died Friday night.

And like millions of people, I felt deep loss at her passing. And dread about the upheaval to come. And gratitude that such a woman lived and accomplished so much for human rights.

Wait, Tracy, isn’t this place apolitical? 

It is. About elected officials. Per my Job job. RBG is dead. So I think I’m in the all clear. And if you feel a delicious schadenfreude about that (shockingly, there are people who do), I’d ask you to skip today. If you feel you must share your anti-choice abortion views on today’s blog, don’t. I’ll delete them.

“This is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” — RBG

If you find it incongruent that you like my advice, but you hate my political views — I’d consider that an honor to RBG. She had a gift for talking across the aisle. She was dear friends with Antonin Scalia FFS.

I loved how common sense, how clear-headed, RBG’s voice was. No snark. No edge. Just the pure power of reason. Why of course women, LBGTQ, minorities, are fully human. Let me walk you through it…

I used to work for the D.C. Bar Association as the staff writer and I got to cover RBG a few times. Once when she was addressing the incoming freshman class at Georgetown Law school. She spoke about her friendship with Scalia:

But more than a fellow lover of opera, travel companion, and renown wit, Ginsburg said that Scalia was a “discerning shopper” who once helped her pick out a living room rug. “It’s worn very well,” added Ginsburg.

Such small intimacies underscored a larger lesson about talking across the aisle and finding commonality among people with whom you disagree.

She quoted Scalia on their friendship as saying, “I attack ideas. I don’t attack people. Some very good people have very bad ideas.” Ginsburg said she was strengthened by Scalia’s “attacks.”

That is the epitome of mighty. Attacks only energized her. She said she’d read Scalia’s criticism and used it to shore up her opinions. Let him find the weak spots. She’d learn from it, patch that shit, and make it stronger.

There’s a life lesson.

What couldn’t this woman do, except be immortal? She put herself through law school while parenting a toddler AND her husband Marty had testicular cancer. She did his homework for him. Nursed him through it, while maintaining her own stellar grades. She had a marriage of equality and mutual support, of deep love and respect. She could die on that accomplishment alone. A woman of her generation finds a mate who loves her brain. But nope, she goes on to break jurisprudence barriers, and kick cancer’s ass.

And she was gracious.

One personal anecdote. I once pulled off an epic Valentine’s Day coup — I got Mr. CL a signed copy of RBG’s “My Own Words.”

Long story short how I managed this: I wrote an obsequious letter to her about Mr. CL, that he was a civil rights lawyer in Texas who admired her greatly. How he once demanded a sexual harasser’s shoes in a lawsuit, so the creep would have to leave mediation in socks (he didn’t get them). I told RBG I was sure she would’ve gotten those shoes. I enclosed a picture of Mr. CL at the 2016 women’s march in Washington holding a sign that read: “TEXANS UNDERSTAND BULLSHIT WHEN THEY SEE IT.” And I put the letter inside a card I purchased at the Neue Gallerie in New York, a portrait of a fierce girl.

She signed the book.

Not only did she sign it, she wrote a personal note on the back of her gold-embossed Supreme Court card. How did I know how much she loved that particular painting? Cheers, Mr. CL! RBG.

The woman gave so much of herself. Hell, she officiated a wedding in the last months of her life. Attended new immigrants citizenship swearing ins.

I hate that she is gone. I hate that we still have to fight so hard to keep the rights she spent a lifetime trying to achieve. The woman was an OPTIMIST. When a law student asked her if she got discouraged, she looked at that class of Georgetown freshman and said “No.” This room is half women. When she went to law school, the number of women students was in the single digits. And today women lawyers could be employed. (Famously, RBG — being on both the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review, graduating tops in her class, could not get a job after graduation in the 1950s, so took up teaching.)

We can’t go back.

I think of her example. Accept the challenges. Learn from them. Strengthen your resolve.

Then crush it.

Rest in peace, RBG.

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Beans
Beans
3 years ago

May she Rest In Peace.

KT
KT
3 years ago
Reply to  Beans

Yes… May she rest in power… and in peace.

VulcanChump
VulcanChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Beans

Beans, just so you know, since Justice Ginsberg was Jewish, the more appropriate wish is “May her memory be a blessing.” I only mention it because I’ve seen lots of folks use RIP and that’s apparently not it.

Joanna
Joanna
3 years ago
Reply to  VulcanChump

Let me be the Jew who reassures you that you are absolutely allowed to grieve her passing in any way that is meaningful for *you*. I’ve said both RIP and may her memory be for a blessing and meant both.

Nancy
Nancy
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

CL, thanks for the beautiful post about RBG. Yes, she had a great husband/marriage but she was also heavily influenced by her adored mother, Celia.
Celia’s life was circumscribed by the times. According to the Washington Post: Celia Amster was the first American-born child in a family of Austrian Jewish immigrants. According to family lore, she once broke her nose when she was reading a book while walking down the street and falling into an open cellar door. She excelled in school, graduating from high school at only 15. Instead of furthering her education, Celia was forced to get a job as a garment worker and pay for her brother’s education at Cornell University.

Like most women of her generation, Celia married young and had two children, daughters Marilyn and Joan, who later went by her middle name Ruth. Marilyn died of meningitis at 6, when Ginsburg was only 14 months old.
Celia had planned for her daughter to go further than she had been allowed to, saving a portion of the money her husband gave her every week for a secret college fund.
“Two things were important to her and she repeated them endlessly,” Ginsburg wrote. “One was to ‘be a lady,’ and that meant to conduct yourself civilly, don’t let emotions like anger or envy get in the way. And the other was to be independent, which was an unusual message for mothers at that time to be giving their daughters.”
Celia Amster Bader died the day before her daughter’s high school graduation. She was 48 years old. She died of cervical cancer, which we now know is caused by HPV, which is sexually transmitted. So the genesis of so much heartbreak detailed on this blog, the untrammeled male sex drive – in this case, most likely her father’s – broke RBG’s heart, too.

Sucker Punched by a Saffa
Sucker Punched by a Saffa
3 years ago
Reply to  Nancy

That’s exactly what I thought. A woman of her mother’s era, who had only one sexual partner (her husband), died from job ? That bastard cheated on her !

As an aside, there needs to more education about stds and their effects on reproductive health and cancer risks. This includes men and prostate cancer.

Sucker Punched by a Saffa
Sucker Punched by a Saffa
3 years ago

Damn auto correct ! Hpv not job

Rebecca
Rebecca
3 years ago
Reply to  Joanna

Joanna,
Thank you for adding your comment!

Today’s blog is all about the huge loss for our country and remembering the woman who gave us so much.

I’ve read comments elsewhere about how inappropriate all the flowers left for her at the Supreme Court are. While it is true that flowers are not sent to Jewish mourners, there is nothing wrong with people leaving flowers in her memory or honor.

Respecting, honoring or memorializing someone of any faith when done with a pure heart and good intentions is never wrong.

A higher rule In Judaism is never to embarrass someone who made a mistake that they had no way of knowing. It’s all about tolerance.

And the woman loved crab cakes so let’s realize she loved her heritage and religion but wasn’t a stickler for the rules!

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Joanna

Shana Tova!

BowTie
BowTie
3 years ago
Reply to  VulcanChump

http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/151229.html

“In this life, we only have a finite time to leave the world better than we found it.

So in these rare, few days we’re given, our PURPOSE is to make the lives and loves of this world better through our actions.

The things you do for yourself, will by and large and with your death.

But the things you do for Others … those will continue to ripple out across human history.

So off they go: The ripples of another day’s work”.

Granny K
Granny K
3 years ago

Thank you for writing this.

Double Chumped
Double Chumped
3 years ago
Reply to  Granny K

Beautiful, thank you!

Susan Devlin
Susan Devlin
3 years ago

No law firms would give her employment when she left university would they.
How times change hey.
I was never interested in school.
Implying to my children passing exams makes your life easier in the long term. BBC says by mid October 50,000 uk residents might be infected by virus per DAY.
its gonna be a scary world.

thelongrun
thelongrun
3 years ago
Reply to  Susan Devlin

Susan Devlin,

Your first two sentences really resonated w/me. And Tracy, I too was happy and surprised to learn in all the NPR coverage about RBG this past weekend that she was friends w/Scalia (and he w/her. They had a clip of him saying so), and how she loved and cared for her husband through all his sickness, and their life together.

I also laughed when they retold the story of her telling a school official that was reporting something their son had done to get in trouble at school that he had two parents, and that it was his father’s turn to handle a problem, instead of always calling on her.

What a wonderful woman. What a wonderful person. What a great lawyer. What a great judge.

I have said a few times to myself these past few days that I hope there is a reward in death for people like her. Or at least peace.

Granny K
Granny K
3 years ago

Also, can you post a picture of the portrait of a fierce girl?

LovedaJackass
LovedaJackass
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

This is perfect.

CurlyChump
CurlyChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

Love Klimt! Portrait of Mada Primavesi.

Velvet Hammer ????????❤️
Velvet Hammer ????????❤️
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

You can get a replica of Gustav Klimt’s painting smock at the Neue as well. A stylish alternative to leggings or sweatpants if you’ve eaten too many lebkuchen.

(I have one….it’s gorgeous!)

Beth
Beth
3 years ago

She was such a strong, brave woman who hung on as long as she could to try to protect us. We owe it to her to keep fighting to keep her legacy alive. It’s hard though because I want to curl up in a ball and hide from this reality. It’s like the DDay PTSD all over again.

Dahlia18
Dahlia18
3 years ago

Love this! She’s been an inspiration to so many of us!
I saw the Fearless Girl statue was wearing an RBG collar this morning.

Shelly
Shelly
3 years ago

I totally concur. How great that you have her signed book. We all chuckled and felt such admiration when The Notorious RBG was trending. But when we heard of her passing on Friday, it was like a dark and scary collective grief fell upon all of us who are hanging on by a thread and felt a bit of security that she was still dissenting. Ha! She was epitome of a woman being and doing her best, while making substantial impact. Describing her as an inspiration barely scratches the surface.

Lulu
Lulu
3 years ago

Love this, Tracy!

Nancy
Nancy
3 years ago

????

Chumpinrecovery
Chumpinrecovery
3 years ago

What an amazing woman. Another accomplishment was becoming a cultural icon and she did it with such style and grace. Her influence will live on.

Still I Rise
Still I Rise
3 years ago

Thank you for this post! I attended a women’s empowerment workshop over the weekend and during the closing circle, I spoke about RBG. I was the first and only one to utter her name during the entire day and I found that to be incredibly disconcerting at an event which was supposed to be about harnessing the power of women. Regardless of one’s political viewpoint(s), it is undeniable that RBG’s work positively influenced society and brought forth much needed change. Tiny in stature, yet enormous in strength, Shakespeare’s “Though she be but little, she is fierce!” line suites RBG perfectly! RBG was a true inspiration as a woman…and as a human being.

Still I Rise
Still I Rise
3 years ago
Reply to  Still I Rise

suits*

Spoonriver
Spoonriver
3 years ago

Thanks Tracy!

Jeff I Am
Jeff I Am
3 years ago

Yeah, thx RBG for not going out at the top of your game back when Obama was in office and ensuring 20 years at least of right wing court. Not that it matters that much the right and the left are competing for who can when the race to the bottom. The fallacy of an aged outdated supreme court was demonstrated during FDR’s time.

Geode
Geode
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

Why would she leave at the top her game (your words)? Would you Jeff?

Jeff I Am
Jeff I Am
3 years ago
Reply to  Geode

Yes I would or shortly there after. Almost did at 40 then I married a narc and have to rebuild at 59.

Geode
Geode
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

So that’s your decision, your story. Perhaps RBG felt she was still at the top of her game until Friday.

Chumpknowmore
Chumpknowmore
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

Wow Jeff – Tracy explained pretty specific ally that this was to be a day to respect RBG….

Jeff I Am
Jeff I Am
3 years ago
Reply to  Chumpknowmore

I was trying to be polite. Wait until Obama or Trump kick. I use to give some of those beltway narcisitic psychopaths the benefit of a doubt. Not no more. Maybe she was something in her day. She was 70 in when Obama took office the second time and it was suggested then she step aside to assure what had been accomplished. Now thanks to her here we are. It is only a matter of time before abortion is severely restricted if not eliminated. As the saying goes, “A thousand brownie points and you get an atta boy, but one oh shit wipes the slate clean.” In case you haven’t looked lately its pretty oh shit out there.

ShePersisted
ShePersisted
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

“Now thanks to her here we are”

Isn’t this similar to cheater logic? and blame shifting?

Dude. Stop this. Stop it now.

Lara
Lara
3 years ago
Reply to  ShePersisted

No, it’s just speaking the truth.

Mehmee
Mehmee
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

Hey, Jeff, thanks for mansplaining that. Bless your heart.

Beth
Beth
3 years ago
Reply to  Mehmee

???? Mic drop.

ShePersisted
ShePersisted
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff I Am

And then what? It become clear in 2016 that the Senate Republicans would block any of Obama’s picks due to an “election” year. Let’s see if they apply that “rule” consistently now (we know they won’t).

Back in 2016, no one expected that Trump would win. I’m sure that RBG, like the rest of us, thought that Hilary would win and was expecting that Hilary would pick a highly qualified woman, just like her, to replace her. It is not RBG’s fault that she did not retire when Obama was President. The woman beat cancer and held on for so long for us. Let’s honor her accomplishments

RJD2
RJD2
3 years ago

FLASHBACK TO 2016 REGARDING RBG’S QUOTE ABOUT THE OPEN SEAT UNDER OBAMA.

As for whether the Senate should take up a vote on Garland, Ginsburg said at the time, “That’s their job.”

NotANiceChump
NotANiceChump
3 years ago
Reply to  RJD2

Yes it was their job. And how very hypocritical and disingenuous of certain powers-that-be to argue that it wasn’t necessarily their immediate job back then, but it somehow is now.

Lara
Lara
3 years ago
Reply to  NotANiceChump

The difference is that the Senate is now the same party as the President.
And the President possibly has the 50 votes needed now, unlike back then.

Sucker Punched by a Saffa
Sucker Punched by a Saffa
3 years ago
Reply to  NotANiceChump

Moving the goalposts,as all the cheaters we’ve dealt have.
Oh boy…

Amiisfree
Amiisfree
3 years ago

After speaking with a host of indirect-speaking therapists, I learned real boundary setting from you, CL. It is one of the best things I’ve ever learned.

Thank you.

You and RBG sit on branches of the same tree, and that’s a fact. You’d respond humbly to that, I’m sure, but I’m correct about it.

Thanks for this lovely post. Yeah, it will be tough for some people — everyone thinks boundaries are great until they, themselves, are on the receiving end of them — but another thing I learned from you is how real character demands that we gracefully receive boundaries, too.

Another one of the best things I’ve ever learned.

Peace to you, my grieving friends.

Khar73
Khar73
3 years ago

If you don’t like it, leave. That’s what people like to say, right? Her page, her rules. Just like no shirt, no service.

Geode
Geode
3 years ago
Reply to  Khar73

And no mask no service too.

Elizabeth Lee
Elizabeth Lee
3 years ago

I have stayed away from the news for the last couple of days, because I found it so appalling that the fight over a replacement began before her body was even cold. Whether you loved her positions or not, RBG was able to disagree without being disagreeable. We need more people like her in this country.

Hopium4years
Hopium4years
3 years ago
Reply to  Elizabeth Lee

I’m like you, Elizabeth Lee. Normally a news junkie, I was sickened by the disrespect shown by those hypocrites who announced they would quickly move to replace her just hours after her death. Have they no decency? The answer to that question, unfortunately, has been obvious for the last few years.

Turned off all news over the weekend.

But I wore my Notorious RBG t-shirt yesterday.

Linny
Linny
3 years ago

Thank you. This was a wonderful tribute and just what I needed to read this morning.

Lulu
Lulu
3 years ago

Rest in peace, RBG.

Since we’re talking about politics now, and CL has previously blogged about the exploits of Anthony Weiner (aka Carlos Danger), I’m surprised that we haven’t seen a single CL column about Ilhan Omar’s affair and subsequent marriage to Tim Mynett, who she was paying hundreds of thousands as a campaign advisor. https://nypost.com/2019/08/27/my-husband-dumped-me-for-rep-ilhan-omar-dc-mom-says-in-divorce-filing/

Ilhan’s ex-husband also allegedly had the pleasure of discovering his wife’s infidelity when he walked in on the illicit couple lounging in their pajamas at her DC headquarters. https://nypost.com/2020/02/14/ilhan-omars-ex-allegedly-learned-of-affair-after-walking-in-on-her-and-lover-in-pajamas/

I somehow suspect that if the Congress person involved in this sordid scandal were someone like Dan Crenshraw or Devin Nunes, we would’ve seen a blog about it by now.

Thrive
Thrive
3 years ago

Here, here. All Rise. RBG legacy is In part the millions of women supporting their families without a man, Having productive careers, not being wholly dependent on a man, liberation from our own limited thinking, and also liberating men from being the only financial contributor. We fight on with her as our inspiration and flag bearer.

Lara
Lara
3 years ago
Reply to  Thrive

It is not a good thing that women are raising children without a man in the house.
The consequences to society of such a situation are well documented.

lemonhead
lemonhead
3 years ago

RBG’s life and, now, her passing strike a chord with chumps. She understood the de-valuing, the gas lighting, the false equivalencies, the shit sandwiches. She used those experiences to craft arguments and gave voice to the silenced.

It is terrifyingly unfair to go through infidelity and divorce, this administration, this election and this pandemic all at the same time. I remain grateful for both RBG and CL.

Susie Lee
Susie Lee
3 years ago

follow

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago

May her memory be always for a blessing. It made me feel a tiny bit better to be reminded of the Jewish tradition that a tzaddik (fem. tzaddeket), or righteous person, will die on Rosh Hashanah, the New Year that begins our High Holy Days. So in this way RBG is especially honored, though it’s a shame that Rosh Hashanah falls before the election. Time for us all to be mighty and keep Gaining That Life that RBG championed!

Kathy
Kathy
3 years ago
Reply to  LezChump

May the memory of her life be a blessing to all who knew her. L’Shana Tova RGB.

Lulu
Lulu
3 years ago

If Amy Coney Barrett or Barbara Lagoa is the nominee, the public will be treated to lots of anti-Catholic rhetoric and accusations of racism.

Roman
Roman
3 years ago
Reply to  Lulu

After how Kavanaugh was treated, I don’t want to hear a single word about how the other side feels. That was the most disgusting display of behavior I have ever seen in politics. A good man completely smeared in front of his family without an iota of proof of literally anything by a messed up lying woman with a hazy memory and couldn’t even tell you a date. They tried the same shit with Clarence Thomas. They tried it in the 2016 election as well yet convince themselves they’re the “good guys.”

They won’t try the rape thing with a female nominee so they will attack her religion and accuse her of “racism” to tie in to the the BLM cult-like worship. So predictable.

NotAnymore
NotAnymore
3 years ago
Reply to  Roman

Tracy, can this be that ish you take down today?

This blog is exposes the fallacy of the “good man” who’s reputation is being “smeared” every day.

… also “rape thing” ???? – just not today please.

UXworld
UXworld
3 years ago

” ‘I attack ideas . . . I don’t attack people’ . . . that is the epitome of mighty.”

Seems to me this is instructive for chumps struggling with interaction with their cheaters, even in gray rock situations.

The desire to attack the person who blew up our lives for selfish fuckwit reasons is so, SO very understandable. It’s immediate gratification. It feels good. It satisfies an emotional desire. All aspects of the entitlement mentality that finds a way to justify cheating.

A calm demeanor when facing volatile issues; a laser-like focus on facts rather than emotions; a relentless pursuit of what is right and fair and just; compromising if/when needed on small details but remaining resolute on big picture stuff. These are this things that make up ‘mighty.” These are the traits that should distinguish chumps from cheaters.

thingsthatmakemegrumpy
thingsthatmakemegrumpy
3 years ago
Reply to  UXworld

” I attack ideas . . . I don’t attack people’
Unfortunately, what we are going to see coming up is the attacking of people. Her legacy will be ‘honored’ by attacks on the nominee’s religion if Catholic or Evangelical, something that would, rightly, never be tolerated if RBG had been attacked for being Jewish.

KB22
KB22
3 years ago

How true…sad but true

Amiisfree
Amiisfree
3 years ago
Reply to  UXworld

Hear hear, UX!

ICanSeeTheMehComing!
ICanSeeTheMehComing!
3 years ago

Great read, CL.

And amidst all the wisdom written above, what really resonates for me is Good People can have Bad Ideas and that doesn’t mean I can’t get along with him. I have many friends with whom I don’t share common ideologies… and like RBG… what they say informs me and makes me stronger in my knowledge, it doesn’t mean I have to agree or dislike them.

In CN, we are trying to overcome Bad People with Bad Ideas… so, for what it’s worth, don’t take that comment read HOPIUM in to it. Cheaters are bad people with bad character and bad ideas about risking your health, blowing up your children’s (and pets) homes, floating around on wings of entitlement, destroying your financial future, ad infinitum.

I’m going to try to mirror my actions to RBG… be generous of spirit and temperance to good people… but I will remain firm in my resolve to keep cheaters and those who abide them well in the camp of No Contact.

GuideDog
GuideDog
3 years ago

Also funny how the woman’s exclusive right to decide to have an abortion is something for “all humanity”.

“This is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” — RBG

Therefore it’s not for all humanity but only for the woman central in making the decision.

The reasoning is flawed anyway, I think, because having an abortion is not taking responsibility for your actions (having unprotected sex or whatever). I am not against abortion, but the reasoning is flawed.

Chumpinrecovery
Chumpinrecovery
3 years ago
Reply to  GuideDog

“responsibility for your actions (having unprotected sex or whatever)”. It’s usually the man who refuses to just shut up and put on the damn thingy. There is also a very fine line between consensual and non consensual sex. I will agree to banning abortion when we can also agree to mandatory jail time for any man who gets a woman pregnant unless he has a signed agreement indicating that she is ok with becoming pregnant by him. That’s fair right? Then he has to take responsibility for his actions too. I bet that would cut down on unwanted pregnancies real fast.

Bruno
Bruno
3 years ago
Reply to  GuideDog

GuideDog, in a perfect world your flawless reasoning would carry more weight. But this is not the case, is it? Women are coerced into sex, they are forced into sex and sometimes they willingly have sex but precautions fail. They may be in a place where they want to have sex, but not in a place to raise children. Should a couple in difficult circumstances not have sex because they could conceive a child if precautions fail? Not many men would accept that.
What about young girls that lack knowledge and are even more susceptible to coercion to have sex by older men. Should they carry the burden and stigma put on them by selfish men?
Finally, how are you with the government telling you what you can do with your body? Many of the virulent pro lifers are the same people who complain about the government tyranny of being forced to wear a cloth mask. Figure that one out?

Beth
Beth
3 years ago
Reply to  GuideDog

When all humans, regardless of race or gender, or sexual preference or any other categorization are treated as fully equal and fully human it is very much good for all humanity.

Golfgrrl
Golfgrrl
3 years ago
Reply to  GuideDog

Are you a woman?

Spinach@35
Spinach@35
3 years ago

These days I sometimes slip into despair about my own life and the state of our nation, so I need this reminder: “Accept the challenges. Learn from them. Strengthen your resolve.”

RBG is an inspiration! Thanks for posting, CL!

RIP RBG

FreeWoman
FreeWoman
3 years ago

Ruth Bader Ginsberg will always hold a place in my heart. My Mom, and all my siblings loved her, too. Her marriage to such a loving, supportive man still chokes me up, it was so sweet to see! We really need hero’s like her, and it’s sad for us that she’s gone, but the love for her remains!

Golfgrrl
Golfgrrl
3 years ago

Are you a woman?

Golfgrrl
Golfgrrl
3 years ago

Right. Are you a woman?

AJ Stoddard
AJ Stoddard
3 years ago

#Sometimes… is MY favorite WORD in the entire english language.
#Sometimes… the minute you take away ANY CHOICE in this country life as we know it goes away!
#Sometimes… a SINGLE Human Being changes the entire universe by her words.
#Sometimes… a SINGLE WORD or PHRASE can change your LIFE!!
#Sometimes…. The graciousness of a SINGLE Person can totally make YOUR ENTIRE YEAR!!

Sometimes, it is not about the promise…
but WHO made the promise…
Sometimes, it is not about the vow that was made…
but about WHO will always walk beside us…
Sometimes, it is not about the words that have been said…
but WHO we are listening to in the quietness of the heart…
Sometimes, it is not about fighting, even when right…
but WHO you kneel before and ask for help…
Sometimes, it is not the ugliness of choice…
but WHO turns my view to all the beauty surrounding me…
Sometimes, it is not the walls that are boxing you in…
but WHO I remember has the power to destroy them…
Sometimes, it is not the pain of betrayal…
but WHO will never FORSAKE ME!!!

An original AJ Stoddard poem…

MichelleShocked
MichelleShocked
3 years ago

Thank you for this Tracy. You always have the right things to say that somehow always make me feel better.

As an aside, I am forever appalled that people STILL have to troll even after you have made clear they will be deleted for posting opposing politcal rhetoric. A little life lesson for the trolls:

* When someone dies and the person posting is honoring that person, maybe reserve unnecessary opposing comments this time. Allow the rest of us to grieve in peace. There are plenty of other opportunities to voice opposition (say, by voting… or maybe not following the person you disagree with anymore because you can’t bear to have contact with someone who isn’t in full political agreement with you). But being nasty when someone has passed away and others are honoring her? Stop. *

GuideDog
GuideDog
3 years ago

All of a sudden reason and logic is the same as trolling?
The story is about someone apparantly known for “attacking ideas and not the person”. Some way to honour that statement by feeling attacked by reason and deleting comments of opinion. I didn’t attack the person who died. I didn’t know her. Nor do I have anything against abortion.
But I’ll keep my opinion to myself

Marty
Marty
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

But bake that cake, right? Something tells me you wouldn’t be okay with a leftist POV being shut down or a leftist being told to go to another business. But you’re super okay with doing it to others.

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Marty

False equivalence, Marty: CL is not running a business open to the public. This is an opinion-based website, with zero federal oversight – she’s free to shut down any commenter, for any reason. There are other places to have certain conversations, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Also, people like me (LGBTQ+) who are turned away from purchasing cakes or whatever are not rejected merely because of our stated views; every establishment gets to generate rules of appropriate conduct that are fairly applied to everyone (“No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service”). We LGBTQ+ people are rejected because of who we ARE. In other words, the message of celebrating a wedding on a cake is no different whether it’s a same-sex or opposite-sex couple. What is different is the sex/gender of the celebrants – who we ARE as a question of fundamental identity, not what words we are using.

In my case, my 5-year-old daughter started piano lessons with a small-town Indiana teacher who abruptly ended them when she learned that my daughter had two moms, sending our first check back *through the mail* even though we lived across the street from her, then avoiding any contact with us thereafter. We were faced with the shit sandwich of trying to explain to a 5-year-old why she needed to switch teachers so soon. (No, we didn’t tell her the unvarnished truth until she was older.)

So, here’s my empathy-building question for you, Marty: have you ever had to deal with living across the street from someone who wants to deny – not just your views, but your right to exist as you are? And who will use their public business as a mouthpiece to communicate that view to you, with your innocent 5-year-old child as a pawn?

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

Thanks, CL. It is true that we ended up finding a really lovely young (fresh out of college) teacher for our daughter, and it worked out okay. But, it was still painful to discuss it with my daughter some years later, when she was old enough to work out the truth. And we did not end up living long in that town, though we were able to afford a really beautiful Victorian house there…

Now we’re in a community that isn’t so small-minded, but is more of what we used to call “country-club Republican” when I was growing up. Not so much with the active bigotry, but just a lot of confusion, like when I was trying to consult local attorneys about my same-sex divorce, and they got really hung up on how many years we had been *legally* married (even though my STBX is at least willing to stipulate that we have been married since 1998). Smh…

chumpnomore6
chumpnomore6
3 years ago
Reply to  LezChump

I disagree with you there. Just as this is Tracy’s site and she is not therefore obligated to provide anyone with a platform, the music teacher is not obligated to provide music lessons to anyone she doesn’t wish to, and a privately owned bakery is not obligated to provide cakes to anyone they don’t wish to. Freedom of choice goes both ways.

chumpnomore6
chumpnomore6
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

Beth, in the UK there is a Common Law right to refuse entry or service to whomever one chooses.

The person being refused entry or service has the right to sue the business, but it’s very long drawn out and complicated.

WeAreTheChumpions
WeAreTheChumpions
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

This comment is for Lez Chump because there is nowhere to reply to her last comment on this thread.:

He didn’t say he’s for businesses not making cakes for gay people. That’ss putting words in his mouth. So too, Chumperella that Marty is some kind of white suopremist. I am a conservative and I would make flower arrangements and cakes for gay weddings, even though I have a shirttail relative whose business got sued for not doing something along those lines. Some of us right leaning people take very much to heart the whole “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” thing which embraces the idea of equality for all. If we can can get married then so can you, and all that goes with it. However, these people being sued are Christians, yet are sued for not creating something on commission for a ceremony that goes agsinst their religion and personal beliefs. Has anyone sued a Muslim for doing the same? Highly unlikely, due to *political correctness.* I say this as someone who is most definitely not Christian; I am actually pagan.

Yes, I am a white woman and I have had neighbors shun me because of who I am. Because when I was young I looked like a hippie. Because I lived with a man back when people were just starting to do that in lieu of getting married. Because I was living in a foriegn country where they disliked Americans. Because I traveled in North Africa where white women who don’t wear burkas are sluts (traveled, not a tourist). Because I was beautiful when young and that was threatening to some women so was sometimes treated like I was stupid (typical trope) to grasp at some sort of “edge” on the situation. Because I was a white person living on the most populated Hawaiian island for 10 years, hence a “dirty haole” (Look it up.) Things like being the first in line and the last waited on at an establishment, or being ignored until I had to leave. Being hired by a company large enough to take up an entire floor of a downtown office bulding by someone in personnel that considered my education and work ethic worthwhile, only to be shunned and mistreated by coworkers to the point where I had to quit in a few weeks. No wonder I was (temporarily) the only white person there. Where on the last week of public schools haole (dirty white) parents pull their kids out because it’s Kill Haole Week,” an endearing island tradition of beating up white classmates. My female sibling in a male-dominated field in the 70s treated horribly by professors and classmates and then later in in her profession. It happens, and the stuff that happens is unkind, unfair, and shouldn’t, especially where children are involved, It can feel like you’re trying to walk through landmines, at times. Guess what? Life is unfair, and there will always be stupid, ignorant people around who mete that out for whatever reason. You two don’t know Marty and how he feels about gay preople. He might even be gay, himself.

Beth
Beth
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

That is incorrect. No government or business has the right to refuse service on the basis of protected classes, ie, on the basis of race, creed, color or sexual orientation. Otherwise, as LezChump stated, the privately owned businesses would be able to refuse service to customers because of the color of their skin or their religious beliefs or because they are female. Surely that can not be what you are arguing for? That we go back to the days when Blacks or Jews could be refused service? When women could not obtain credit in their own name? Surely not.

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

Chumpnomore: Thanks for the expression of empathy. But you still seem to be suggesting that “privately owned” businesses of the modern Southern US could still legally discriminate against Black people according to the principle you articulate.

That’s just not true. Anti-discrimination laws apply to all businesses that cater to the public. A Black person told not to enter a business only on the basis that they are Black (as opposed to some other rule that applies equally to everyone, like not wearing shoes) would have an excellent case for discrimination in court. (Now, it’s true that many businesses get around this problem by creating rules that are far more likely to apply to people of color or others, than to the general population. But I digress.) Plenty of “privately owned” businesses in the US maintained discriminatory practices after the Jim Crow laws were struck down – which is why proactively anti-discrimination laws became necessary.

What’s unfair is when those clear and legal protections are not extended to LGBTQ+ and other people. And unfair application of existing law is one of the reasons why the composition of the US Supreme Court remains so important.

chumpnomore6
chumpnomore6
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

Absolutely not. But it isn’t the same thing.

I was referring to *privately owned* businesses, not the Jim Crow laws of the segregated South.

A *privately owned* business has the right to refuse service to anyone it pleases, whether I, or anyone else, thinks they’re arsehole for doing so.

Lez chump, I *do* have empathy for you, your daughter, and any gay couples who have experienced anything similar.

But the fact I think they’re arseholes doesn’t negate the fact that a privately owned business has the right to refuse service to anyone it chooses, with the emphasis on *privately owned*.

Chumperella
Chumperella
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

So the blacks only restrooms and water fountains along with whites only hotels and restaurants, not to mention segregated amusement parks, white only towns- you get the picture- of our not so distant past are okay with you chumpmomore6?

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  chumpnomore6

Businesses catering to the public have a right to have rules that apply to all customers. “Don’t be LGBTQ+” is inherently a discriminatory “rule.”

And you didn’t answer my question, Chumpnomore: Have you ever had a neighbor make it clear that they want to have nothing whatsoever to do with you or your child, merely because of who you are? Let alone a business owner.

I made myself vulnerable in relating that story, and would appreciate some empathy.

GuideDog
GuideDog
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

Maybe my comment wasn’t at the right place or time. But neither was it nasty. I now understand she was a well known public figure in your country and I will respect that she is mourned.
I will leave logic for what it is now and respect you’re boundaries.
I’m sorry for your loss

chumpnomore6
chumpnomore6
3 years ago
Reply to  GuideDog

This is *Tracy’s * site, she has no obligation to provide a platform for anyone.

As a UK chump, I know nothing about Judge Ginsberg, apart from what I ‘ve read online. Sympathies to all here who are saddened by her death.

GuideDog
GuideDog
3 years ago
Reply to  Tracy Schorn

I’m not familiar with that name but now you’re using a false analogy because I did not say that abortion should be forbidden. I do not oppose abortion.
This is getting us nowhere. Again: I’m sorry for your loss.
She meant something to you personally so I will respect that

SeenTooMuch
SeenTooMuch
3 years ago

Beautifully written! I had so hoped she would hold on until after the election but I know she did her best. She always did her best.
I watched a show about her the other day and rejoiced that she had such a wonderful husband and marriage. If only there were more men like him.

madkatie63
madkatie63
3 years ago

She was a feminist icon and it is a great loss, but one thing that has bothered me in the reaction is this fear of a dystopian future I’m hearing from people. She was part of a movement, one of many courageous women who fought for what we have today. It wasn’t a weak movement that is going to be toppled at her passing. It’s not something that is totally altered by the party that is in the White House or the party balance of the SCOTUS. Our rights as individuals are threatened when we give politicians of either party too much power, but the work of someone like RBG was not about party affiliation, left or right, liberal or conservative. Her contributions to the world are not really being threatened. So I hope the focus can be on honoring her life’s work and the media can stop using her passing as a political talking point.

Dude-ette
Dude-ette
3 years ago

Because this is the LACGAL website . . .

In January 2017, masochistically watching the inauguration dance of the President and First Lady, I made a note that should I be fortunate to meet someone, I will be dancing like Barack and Michelle Obama. Not going to settle for a man whose personal accomplishments are raw dogging a porn star and having five children with three women.

“Marty was an extraordinary person. Of all the boys I had dated, he was the only one who really cared that I had a brain.”

Marriage goals.

Still I Rise
Still I Rise
3 years ago
Reply to  Dude-ette

Marriage/relationship goals for sure! I read several articles over the weekend that referenced a letter Marty Ginsburg penned to Ruth while in the hospital shortly prior to his death. He stated, “My dearest Ruth, you are the only person I have loved in my life. Setting aside a bit parents and kids, and their kids. And I have admired and loved you almost since the day we met at Cornell some 56 years ago.”

I was sobbing uncontrollably while reading that, firstly because of the pure romantic aspect of his words yet also due to the realization that I’m far too old to ever be that “Only Love” for someone. I do feel like I once had the potential of that as my ex and I met we were teens and were each other’s firsts for so many experiences. (He is still the only person I have ever loved).

A quarter century later, he discarded me and immediately replaced me with a much younger “Forever Love”.

My heart tremendously aches to feel undeserving of the love that Ruth and Marty shared, but their story also gives me a sense of joy knowing there are others who have that in their lives.

NotAnymore
NotAnymore
3 years ago

She worked so hard, for all of us, to her last, through what must have been intense pain. She deserves the highest of honors, and true rest. Her memory is a blessing to us all.

MedusaInMeh
MedusaInMeh
3 years ago

She was a remarkable woman, and she opened the door for many women who came after her.

Hell of a Chump
Hell of a Chump
3 years ago

RGB took enormous political risks when she went against party and was one of only two who dissented a disastrous SCOTUS decision in 2011, one that affected my family and countless others on all sides of the political spectrum in profound ways and continues to. I felt personally moved by the stand she took and will never forget it even if the cause was lost.
I also felt vindicated by the written dissent for having to make some extreme choices that triggered chaos and controversy in my extended family following that decision. It was a case of the political becoming immediately personal and not in an abstract sense or on principle but direct cause and effect. If I had moments of doubt in the face of the fallout, I remembered that written dissent.
The issue at hand would have seemed obscure and terribly confusing to onlookers who weren’t personally initiated regarding the stakes. It was almost an IQ test and the moment when I began to understand that laws and policies are often based on cellular science in modern times so that democracy is not possible without scientific literacy. But RGB and another justice, though not personally affected, were able to rise to the complexities, see through the rhetoric, grasp the stakes and do the difficult but right thing. Those are awesome and intimidating shoes to fill. RIP RBG.

notameangirl
notameangirl
3 years ago

May her memory be for a revolution. Rest in power, Justice Ginsburg.

Susie Lee
Susie Lee
3 years ago

You are right; but as CL has stated this is her site and she can do what she wants.

I personally am going to not make any comments (aside from this one) unless it is related to the intention of the site, which I think normally CL does well, as do most of the commenters.

So to those who feel a personal loss, sorry for your loss. I also offer my condolences to RGs family, as I know it is a huge loss to them of course.

For the rest of us who have differing opnions and feel we can’t be heard, we can be heard in Nov; so let’s just speak then as loudly as we can. The other side will also speak, and let’s all try to be respectful of those who differ when the dust settles.

You have been respectful, so I don’t mean it as against you, or anyone else in particular.

WeAreTheChumpions
WeAreTheChumpions
3 years ago
Reply to  Susie Lee

Thank you for the graceful comment. I would like to mention, too, that some who lean left may entertain some right leaning views, and some who lean right may embrace some some left leaning views (like myself). Like any sort of personal belief, be it religious or political, for example, there is a spectrum where people fall. Lately, however, things seem so polarized, so black and white. I remember as a child people on Sundays would stop by my grandparent’s farm in the cold months when the crops were in. It was a common custom then put in the country. You’d offer food, something to drink. Around the wood stove conversation would sometimes turn to religion or politics. People listened to each other and agreed to disagree. Everyone knew each other well and helped each other out when necessary, bought livestock from each other, and so on. Those days are long gone. The polarization and ill-will towards others on both sides of the fence is utterly appaling. This is not the country I used to know.

Wiser Now
Wiser Now
3 years ago
Reply to  Susie Lee

Nice post, Susie Lee.????

Mama's Tired
Mama's Tired
3 years ago

The Klimt piece, the passing of RGB, this post….all bring to mind this beautiful piece:

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter/transcript?language=en

Tessie
Tessie
3 years ago

She was a remarkable woman, a beacon of courage, fortitude and an icon to the idea that we are all created equal. I thank her for hanging in there as long as she did, and I can only hope that there are others who will stand for individual freedom the way she did.

jimthzz
jimthzz
3 years ago

A lion of grace and strength. Her ethical stance is soon to be replaced by a severely throwback to the old days hack.

She was a backstop for us all.

Very much missed.

Peregrine
Peregrine
3 years ago

Thank you for this, Tracy. I cried when I read the news about Justice Ginsberg’s death. Funny to me that the tears are becasue I know I will need to step up to the plate more now that she is gone, the matriarch is no longer – now the women left behind will need to pick up where she left off. I thought about Ruth Ginsberg all last week during my workouts. I thought aobut how strong she is physically and intellectually and her strength of integrity. No, I don’t usually focus on Ruth Ginsberg during my workouts, so it is interesting to me that she passed last Friday. Ruth Ginsberg was a fitness enthusiast and had the same personal trainer since 1999 and she was and continues to be an inspiration to me to be fit and healthy in body, spirit, and mind. It is as if the Universe was telling me it is time, it is time to take action, it is time to stand up for the rights of women and the oppressed, the stigmatized and the marginalized, it is time to step up to the plate and get into the game, because the major league player is going to retire.
It is fitting to me that you write about Ruth Ginsberg today, thank you for acknowledging her, I live in a TV free world of my own in a rural paradise and I did not want my thoughts of her to be tarnished by anyone who does not truly understand what a gift she is to this planet. Chump Lady and Chump Nation, you are part of this action Ruth Ginsberg is a part of, to stand up for the oppressed and the underserved – we are all pointing out the injustice of what has happened to us and we are not playing a part in the lies anymore. Finding our voice, speaking and even writing about the abuse we have endured is a catalyst for change. This will allow others to identify abuse when they see it happen to others and to speak out about it when it happens to them personally. We, in Chump Nation, are helping ourselves and others to find our voice and stop hiding in fear and pain so true healing of ourselves and mankind can happen.
Whatever part we play in standing up for integrity and justice, big or small, is important. I am grateful for you, Tracy, and for all of Chump Nation – you inspire me to be better and, in turn, I will inspire others to be better. Ruth Ginsberg’s memory is a blessing, she reminds me that I am Fierce Girl and my experience with adversity, abuse, stigma, shame, and marginalization allow me to be mighty.
Much love and kindness, Peregrine.

Velvet Hammer ????????❤️
Velvet Hammer ????????❤️
3 years ago

The truth is my light.

-Latin proverb

Bodies die. Truth does not.

LovedaJackass
LovedaJackass
3 years ago

I had Joy Reid’s show on the TV. I was only half paying attention to it when she stopped her conversation with a guest to read something. I will never forget maybe 5 seconds of silence and the look on Reid’s face. I knew it was terrible news.

Losing RBG feels like losing a family member or a dear mentor who changed my life. I can’t beat the talking heads speculation about filling her seat or going on social media to see someone thinking of her death as “owing the libs.” If someone I know would do that, I would never forgive it. I’m not a grudge holder, but celebrating the death of this magnificent woman–that’s a lifetime deal breaker for me. And it should be.

Thanks for this lovely post. It’s not politics to feel grief and loss at the passing of someone who blazed a trail for people to come behind her. It’s human. I’m not a Republican but I was deeply saddened by the passing of John McCain and watched his memorial service from front to back. He was a genuine hero and patriot, regardless of his political views. RBG is, has been, and will be the woman in the world I most admire. May she take her well-earned rest in peace, with the love and gratitude of millions for her life so very well lived.

Beth
Beth
3 years ago
Reply to  LovedaJackass

Thank you LAJ. You always get straight to the heart of the matter. I’ve been thinking about John McCain’s death too since we lost RBG. I admired them both tremendously and will feel their losses for the rest of my life, I think.

Sucker Punched by a Saffa
Sucker Punched by a Saffa
3 years ago
Reply to  Beth

John McCain cheated on his first wife Carol Shepp to be with Cindy Hensley.

John was tortured as a prisoner of war and Carol was seriously injured in accident,which required 23 surgeries.

“After he came home,he walked with a limp,she walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona (Cindy Hensley) and the rest is history” said billionaire Ross Perot. He loathed cheaters.

Downtoearth
Downtoearth
3 years ago

Thank you for recognizing a really mighty woman who overcame inequalities and then went on to fight tirelessly for others. Rest in Power RBG.

I leave you all who are arguing that this is too political with 17 of RBG’s amazing quotes. She wanted equality for all and had both the ability to see interesting perspectives and write persuasive decisions that showed that equality is a human right and admirable to aspire to find in all our personal and public lives. We are a better world to have had RBG have the ability to decide fairly in our Supreme Court for so long.

1. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

2. “So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”

3. “Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”

4. “When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out.”

5. “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

6. “You can’t have it all, all at once.”

7. “I’m a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.”

8. “In the course of a marriage, one accommodates the other”

9. “In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.”

10. “A gender line…helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”

11. “If you want to be a true professional, do something outside yourself.”

12. “Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.”

13. “Don’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time.”

14. “You can disagree without being disagreeable.”

15. “If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me.”

16. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”

17. “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”

Source for quotes: https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/17-powerfully-inspiring-quotes-from-ruth-bader-ginsburg.html

Beth
Beth
3 years ago
Reply to  Downtoearth

Lovely. Thank you for posting.

LezChump
LezChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Downtoearth

Thanks for posting these, Downtoearth. Some of this advice is tough for me to read, though, as a chump with a very covert narc spouse. RBG is definitely assuming here that both partners in a marriage are acting in good faith, and are not disordered. Sadly, as we chumps know, that’s not always the case – and moreover, it’s sometimes very difficult to see the truth.

I *thought* I was accommodating my STBX, and supporting her career. (We are both women.) I *thought* I was being emotionally mature by not litigating every slight, and being “a little deaf” sometimes. Unfortunately, my STBX was NOT emotionally mature, and craved more ego kibbles than I was giving her. Unbeknownst to me, she was resenting all the “distance” she perceived in our relationship because of my independence and diplomacy.

So, RGB’s advice works best when you’re dealing with emotionally healthy people who would not disrespect you fundamentally, or deny your humanity. In the latter cases…as we chumps know, sometimes it’s healthier to stop giving people the benefit of the doubt, and walk away. (That’s easier to do personally than politically/legally, I realize.) I think RBG would be the first to say that there’s a corollary to #15: if you’re feeling DISrespected by your partner and treated UNequally, there’s a problem that will not likely be solved by selective deafness.

OHFFS
OHFFS
3 years ago
Reply to  LezChump

She specified selective deafness was for *good* marriages. So I’m sure she did not have in mind the crap marriages to assholes that we all had when she spoke of marriage. It seems she had a great marriage to somebody who respected her.

I get where you’re coming from. I was accommodating with my cheater and didn’t hold grudges, but it didn’t make a bit of difference. I might just as well have been a horrid, selfish, cheating bitch all those years because that’s the kind of person he chose over me.
Cheaters don’t respect kindness and goodness. They see us as weak for those qualities and just use and abuse us.

Mitz
Mitz
3 years ago
Reply to  LezChump

Yes, when we try to apply normal tolerance to an abnormal relationship……

thingsthatmakemegrumpy
thingsthatmakemegrumpy
3 years ago
Reply to  Downtoearth

There’s no doubt that she did many good things on the Supreme Court and advanced women’s rights, even if some of her work is subject to reasonable disagreement.

MightyLady
MightyLady
3 years ago

I watched an interview (with Nina Tottenberg, I think) where RBG was asked if she had any regrets.

She replied that she had come to see the discrimination and professional challenges she faced as blessings – being rejected by law firms allowed her to develop as scholar and teacher and gave her the opportunity to become deeply involved in advocacy for women’s rights, being appointed to the DC Court rather than the Second Circuit put her in a position to hear cases central to those causes she believed most important, etc

She ended by telling an anecdote saying that she and Justice O’Connor used to joke that if their paths had been easy, they would both have been retired partners from premiere law firms rather than justices on the Supreme Court.

May her memory be blessing and inspiration to us.

Got Played
Got Played
3 years ago

This past weekend, I watched the film RBG and I was impressed how much she valued marriage and family. She spoke so lovingly about her husband and really seemed to know how to balance her stellar career with her marriage. I couldn’t help but contrast that with my own marriage to a frivolous woman of poor character, who was RBG’s polar opposite.

Lara
Lara
3 years ago
Reply to  Got Played

Women with RBG level quality are extremely rare in the 21st century.

NotANiceChump
NotANiceChump
3 years ago
Reply to  Got Played

Yes, her character and the character of her husband really resonate with me. Both in juxtaposition to what I had originally chosen and in inspiration toward life goals.