I often chuckle when I read about people wanting more women in power. Many feel there should be 50% women in all areas of life, especially politics. Why? Is having a woman in power going to make things better? In what way?
From what I’ve seen in my lifetime, women can be just as cruel, power hungry and corrupt as any man. I can just point out a few examples of recent history that proves my point.
* Katie Hill - the California representative resigned because she was inappropriately taking advantage of a staffer.
* Nashville Mayor Megan Barry resigned after pleading guilty to felony theft related to a two year extramarital affair with her former bodyguard.
* Lori Lightfoot hasn’t been caught doing anything illegal, corrupt or unethical yet - other than getting a haircut during the pandemic when no one else could. That’s not out of the ordinary, it’s Chicago politics. She still has to deal with the same violent city she inherited and recently had to wrestle with the fallout from the recent teachers strike.
* Ilhan Omar, one of “The Squad” had an extramarital affair that led to the demise of her marriage.
Just because a human being is born with a vagina doesn’t make her pure or any less susceptible to corruption and temptation. Everyday human problems will arise and women have to deal with the same things men have to.
The last mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh? She no different than any other mayor of Baltimore. I feel her story’s could be the start of Season 6 of The Wire. That show was really a documentary in my opinion. It was so realistic. It’s also why I loved it so much. Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing the former mayor of using her series of self-published children's books to commit fraud, evade federal taxes and illegally boost her own political campaigns.
Politics is a dirty, sick and incredibly corrupt business to be in. You can’t get involved on a deep level without compromising your integrity at some point along the way.
So...the next time we read about electing a women, which one? A brown skinned woman? How about a white one? Lesbian? Muslim? Which kind of woman is the perfect, incorruptible woman?
Both men and women can be corrupted. We all know of the long list of horrible, no-good men getting run out of office. Good. Kick them out!
Maybe the list is being compiled right now.
Lady Bird
A really good movie and a conversation starter. I talked with my kids after we all watched it together.
Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business and is a 25 year veteran of the fast paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in a number of hit broadway and off-broadway musicals including “Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill. In addition, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.