Susan B. Scarecrow and the Little Pink Box

No, this isn't my yearly tour of the straw folks in my home town. I do plan to give that tour later in the week, but this morning, I'm just going to give you one little peek.

Then, I'm going to yak about it. 

You see, the tour is a little different this year. Usually, the scarecrows represent the individual businesses or their owners. This year, however, they represent their personal heroes.

This one sits outside the bakery of a friend of mine. 

Can you tell what it is? 

It's Susan B. Scarecrow, 

the female voter. 

I thought it was a clever idea, especially coming from a small business owner who just happens to be female herself.

Just in case you haven't noticed, we're in the homestretch of another election cycle here in America. In a little over a week, those of us who haven't done so already (and maybe some who have) will head to the polls to choose the next leader of the free world. Daunting task, when you think about it.

And just in case you haven't noticed, there's one voting block that  is more coveted than any other one this year.  It's the woman's vote. It's true, ladies. They want us. They really, really want us.  We are woman. Hear us roar.

I'd love to take that as a compliment, but I can share just a bit of my heart with you?

I wish they wouldn't. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they both want my vote. I'm glad they think it's valuable.  I just wish they wouldn't consider me to be part of a block. 

You see, when  I look at that picture  up there, I can't help but wonder if that's exactly what the political world sees when they look at me -- a brainless prop all schtuffed with fluff -- a female, with no individual thoughts or personal passions outside that little pink box.  

Maybe I'm the cheese who stands alone here, but I just don't find that flattering.  I don't think it's empowering either.  

It probably wouldn't bother me so much if that little pink box weren't so, well... little. It seems to hold about three issues, and there isn't  even room for those issues to stretch out a bit.  As I said, it's a very small box.

I'm not saying that I don't care about those issues. I do. I actually have an opinion about all of them.  No big surprise there... I have an opinion about everything. It's just that I don't care about them to the exclusion of others.

Unless there's a mouse in the house, I consider myself to be a pretty strong woman.  I was raised by a strong woman, and I worked hard to raise two strong women as well. We pay attention to what's going on around us. We watch the news and read the editorials.  We have opinions about things like energy and the environment; education and national defense. We know what's going on in the Middle East.

We also pay the bills.  We care about the economy and the national debt.

If those things don't fit inside the little pink box, maybe we need a bigger box.

Or maybe... just maybe... we don't need the little pink box at all.

And speaking of boxes. Time to step down off of this soapy one and get back to cleaning toilets.

I am woman. Hear me roar.

*****

So what about you? Are the traditional women's issues the most important ones to you? Or do you like to expand the little pink box.?