Douglass, and Dorothy, and Leia, oh my!

After Downton Abbey last night (Maggie Smith was cracking me up, good lord I love that show!) I watched a bit of "The Abolitionists" that came on right after. It's basically a narrated reenactment of the life of Fredrick Douglass and the abolitionist movement pre-civil war. I didn't watch the whole thing, It's a compelling series, but I was getting sleepy, plus I pretty much already know how it ends...

This morning I watched this TED Talk:




and I was reminded of the Fredrick Douglass show last night (I love these little coincidental juxtapositions). I'm not sure if it's an actual quote, it's been awhile since I've read his narrative, probably more of a paraphrase, but this idea kept popping up in my head:

Slavery degrades not just the slave but also the slave owner.

Sexism, objectifying women, violence against women, and the culture that surrounds and perpetuates it, it harms not just the women, but the men too. If a man degrades a woman, he also degrades himself.

Tangled was in heavy rotation in my house for awhile, and now Miles' favorite movie is "Despicable Me", which has not ONE, but THREE, little girl characters, who basically save the day by turning the villain into a hero through love. He also likes Star Wars...but you know, it's a balance...

I may not have little girls to worry about, (at least not yet), but I can raise my sons to be men who will treat women (other people's little girls!) with respect and defend them against the "real bad guys". Girl power is great, but they shouldn't have to fight alone.

This one I know to be an actual quote:

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
-Frederick Douglass