Banter Bites

Celebrate Today. Change Tomorrow.

Sounds like a vicious circle – how do you get more women into decision-making and leadership positions if they're not already in decision-making and leadership positions?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Don't get us wrong, it's great that there's an International Women's Day, and we love this year's theme of "Women in Leadership."

But think about it. Is there an International Men's Day? And a theme of "Men in Leadership" would be redundant as most people in leadership and decision-making roles are already men. Although, it might make for an interesting Saturday Night Live skit.

But, when you look back over the last year, in our war against COVID-19, you'll see example after example of women in critical roles at the front lines but not as many women in leadership or policy-making roles as you'd hope and expect. So, we both think the International Women's Day 2021 theme – "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world"seems appropriate, although we wish it weren't necessary (for an assortment of obvious reasons). As Black explained to Red,

Going back decades, to my days in the male-dominated oil and gas industry, I have seen first-hand the social and systemic barriers to women in leadership roles, policy-making positions, and even in the decision-making process. But fast-forward to today. We should be past that. Especially when you realize the magnitude of the contributions made by women to help fight – and recover from – the pandemic.

Red couldn't agree more, but then reminded her sister that at the same time women have been contributing so much, they've also been facing more than their fair share of burdens … made worse (sometimes to the extent of being life-threatening) because of COVID-19. Not only (unpaid) caretaking, unemployment, and poverty, but also increased domestic violence and mental health issues.

In writing this post, we both realized …

International Women's Day belongs to us all. And what could be a better way to make a positive difference and honor the theme of "Women In Leadership" than a personal pledge by every woman, of all ages, to be a leader in their daily lives and help other women? Whether in the workplace or at home. Whether our daughters (and nieces), our mothers, our sisters, our friends, our co-workers, or even strangers in our community?

Today’s turbulent times for Jews may overshadow the celebration of the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yet, ironically, we feel it should strengthen its significance, as the holiday is a time for reflection on the past and hope for the future.

If you think today’s politics are ugly … let’s talk about a man who named himself “dictator for life” of the Roman empire, and is then assassinated by a group of senators, including his best friend. (However, there’s a “pretty” part – Cleopatra was his mistress.) Food trivia and leadership lessons aside, the fact July is named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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We don’t know about you, but we hate bathing suit shopping. So, we can’t imagine what it must be like if you’re looking for a gender-fluid one. And why would anyone get their panties in a knot (as Black would say) if Target sells them? Or Pride-themed merchandise? But clearly, people did. Which makes us ask … why should Target have such a difficult time supporting their LGBTQ+ (there are variations of this acronym) customers? And, more importantly, why can’t we let people celebrate who they are without facing a backlash of prejudice and violence?!

Rainbows are beautiful and suggest something magical. But during Pride Month, they also become a symbol of love, support, and understanding for the LGBTQ community.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Until yesterday, when Black explained it to her, Red, like many people, didn't realize that Pride Month evolved from a tragic event, the Stonewall Uprising, into both a tribute and a memorial before it became a worldwide celebration of the LGBTQ community.

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