This is What Badass Looks Like
With all the horrors in the White House, a video of women marching pushed me over the edge.
By Robbin Warner
I just saw a video that shook me to my core. It’s of women with a swastika on a American flag painted on their bare chests. I never thought I’d see the day when a European nation used an American flag with a swastika to describe our country. Watch.
The women were participating in the International Women’s Day march in Paris. Rémy Buisine (@remybuisine), the French journalist who took this video, explained:
“On March 8, members of the famous activist group Femen participated in a bold demonstration to denounce ‘the rise of fascism in Europe and in the world’ at the International Women's Day March in Paris. The protest targeted multiple prominent figures in today's political landscape, specifically US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni. Because of the American prudist adversion to showing the female chest, I have blurred out the nipples in the opening image for the video. Click here to download the original video. Share it widely.”
I’ve lived abroad three times. Each time I was proud to be an American. I was honored that our nation was looked upon as the land of freedom, hope and opportunity. What broke my heart about this video was how it equated our nation with some of the world’s worst.
Right now we are facing new horrors coming daily out of White House. Everyday I hear of someone fuming or moved to despair by what is happening. Different horrors impact each one of us differently. This video got to me.
When my friend Lisa sent me this video, she prefaced it by saying, “I don’t like calling something badass because it is overused. But this is Badass.”
If my chest didn’t look like a war zone after all my breast cancer surgeries (don’t get me started about cuts to cancer research) I’d be out marching with them. On second thought, maybe I will.
What has gotten under your skin more than any other? What are you willing to do?
A group of us are heading to Lynchburg to ask why our Representative John McGuire refuses to hold a town hall or open a local office regardless of the fact he’s been given taxpayer $$ to do so. Why there’s only one phone number (DC) to reach staff and why they’ve been told to hold the line and refuse to schedule a town hall or constituent meetings. We hear he’s left his Lynchburg office for a new location - why is staff refusing to share the address? And after all this Mr McGuire has time to visit the border for a photo op? We’re exhausted but not giving in! Thanks Robbin.
Standing on the picket line at our local Tesla dealer on Saturday, with folks cheering, cars driving by honking and hundreds of people waving homemade signs of resistance; I was spontaneously moved to tears. It was the community of resistance I felt. The heartfelt growing of solidarity.