Looking Backward,
Facing Foward

Too Young?

Too Young?

There are a lot of things I have been called in my life, and too young is one of the most irritating. It can be used as a dismissal, a write-off and as a down-right demeaning connotation, with all the best interests in mind of course. For someone trying to make a difference, or at least learn how they can work towards making a difference, being shut out because of age is frustrating. Yet, I see it happen all the time to those around me as well as to myself. So, it's ok to fight for equality and justice for all, ok to have a voice, but there has to be some seasoning in your stew? A little "been there, done that"?

Feminism, equality, justice...all these concepts were not based on the "only for you...you...and, oh, you!" system, even though that is the true reflection in most societies. To speak in purely ideological terms, it was supposed to be, and is supposed to be for everyone. Otherwise I for one wouldn't believe in it. However, taken in reality, it's most often molasses versus honey used as the bait to catch the bear. The clique forming, the split in beliefs, the fundamental differences are barriers versus strengths. The lesson we fail again and again to see is "THIS IS DIVERSITY, FACE US!".

Don't believe me? Ask yourself this: when was the last time you heard someone say feminist, an outside party mind you, in a positive light? Or this: does feminism equate to lesbianism? How about this one: do you feel like you are part of something, or grasping out, trying to catch onto a goal and have others support it? These are some of our heritages of stereotypes and problems, and they are just one of the things stopping us from attainment. They lock our knees, silence our voices and drive us into frustration. That is the legacy of the too young.

It is not that different from the silencing of our mothers' voices, from the division they faced, from the path they chose. Yet, they walked the beginning of their path. I want them to make room for us to begin. If they truly believe they are making a future for us, they won't mind us working it out besides them. We may not all be carrying placards, may not all have t-shirts and attend meetings...that doesn't make us ignorant. We are not ignoring the past or the lessons you have learned. We are doing what all children do (to their parents' regret). We are making our own mistakes. We are going forward. We are beginning.

So am I too young? As I reach my first quarter of a century next year I will probably leave the too young to be counted on the "older and wiser" team. I don't plan on putting up age barriers on cognitive processes when I do cross that threshold. Listen to your 16 year old sometime, and realize that they are living what you fought for. Incomplete, yes, but a start.

Enigma
08/15/01

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