Happy Birthday Anne Bronte!

During Anne Bronte‘s time, the expectations of woman’s life was simple: marry upon reaching adulthood, bring children (boys preferably) into the world, support her husband and live a quiet, appropriately feminine life. But Anne Bronte was not just any woman and she did not come just any family.

With her elder sisters Charlotte and Emily, Anne has become one of a handful of 19th century women writers whose influence has lasted long after her brief time on Earth. Her two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, speak to a woman’s condition and what she must endure because she is a woman.

Agnes Grey is about a young woman who works as a governess for wealthy families. Her charges are spoiled and wild, their parents do nothing to curb their bad behavior. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is about spousal abuse, alcoholism and the choices that some women must make to remove themselves and their children from that environment.

The thing that I love about her books is that they are grounded in the real world, as a pose to the fantasy-ish world of her sister’s novels. An example of this is the romanticizing of Heathcliff in Emily’s Wuthering Heights. Upon the first read, Heathcliff is the romantic hero pining for Catherine Earnshaw. But Heathcliff reveals himself to be a brute and have serious anger issues.

In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne reveals the harsh truth of what it is to live with an abusive spouse. In her era, divorce was hard to come by and marriage was for life. Women were told to look the other way when their husbands acted less than honorably.

If there is one takeaway I have from both books, it is that the issues that she wrote about are still front and center today. Which is why Anne Bronte and her books are still being read today.

Wherever she is, I wish her a very happy birthday.

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These Boys are More Than Heroes, They are Our Light in the Darkness

If you are able, I want you to please imagine the following: you are a member of a minority group. It is a warm summer day and you are spending time with your friends at the beach. You see someone drowning, they wear a symbol that represents the destruction and murder of your people. Do you let them drown or try to save their life?

On May 17th in Massachusetts, four young men who are students at a Yeshiva (religious Jewish school) saw a man drowning. They called over a police officer who helped to save this man’s life. They were unaware of the man’s Swastika tattoo.

With the extreme rise in antisemitism, these boys could have easily let this man die. But they saved his life. I hope that he remembers the young Jewish boys who are responsible for keeping him on this earth.

Even in the darkest of moments, there are pockets of light. These boys are pockets of light. I hope that there are more like these boys in this world.

New Randy Rainbow Video-“JUST IMPEACH HIM – Randy Rainbow Song Parody”

Impeaching a President or any politician is serious business. It requires unassailable proof that the accused has committed a crime. The problem in the US these days is that the answer to the question of if we should impeach you know who depends on who asks the question.

This morning, Randy Rainbow released his new video, “JUST IMPEACH HIM – Randy Rainbow Song Parody“.

I have to admit that I cannot identify the original song or the artist. That being said, this is the first Randy Rainbow song that I do not unilaterally agree with. Though I laughed (as I do with his previous songs), I have to admit that this song made me think.

While I agree that the actions of you know who are morally and politically questionable, impeachment should only occur when the evidence cannot be questioned or denied. The problem from my perspective is that this evidence either does not exist or is only known to certain people who are keeping it from the voting public.

Either way, until this evidence is made public, I cannot and will stand behind impeaching you know who.