Robert Redford thinks women and young people might be the solution to ineffective and less-than-unified government (ahem, shutdown). The actor, now seventy-seven, tells CNN that we should “give [women] the reins […] they can do better than we have.” I don’t take his words as a reiteration of the controversial ideas of feminists who believe that women are inherently more nurturing and therefore can build a more cooperative government. Instead, it sounds more like the simple acknowledgement that silencing women and shutting them out of public service disrupts and damages government functioning.
He explains, “It’s so divided now with the people that are so narrow and so limited that they would take us back into the past.” Many of those in power fear change and are uncomfortable with women and minorities making decisions. He feels that close-minded government officials are behaving “stupidly” and “crippling our whole country.” Amen to that.
Redford sees shadows of racism behind the shutdown, attributing the acts of some Republican leaders to personal malice towards President Obama; “I think what sits underneath it, unfortunately, is there’s probably some racism involved, which is really awful,” he explains.
The legendary actor gives props to Republican senator Susan Collins, who is in the process of collecting a group of bipartisan women. He sees glimmers of hope in the work of women in government. “I think it’s time to give more women a chance,” he eloquently concludes.
What do you think about women in office? Could more women prevent another incident like the recent government shutdown? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks to CNN
Image via E!
