Just which woman will wind up gracing the sawbuck will be decided later this year, after officials take input from citizens online and at local discussions.
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew hailed the move.
“America’s currency is a way for our nation to make a statement about who we are and what we stand for,” he said.
Some might say that Lew has already accomplished that goal, merely by announcing that the next picture will be chosen on the basis of gender. But it will still be interesting to see who is eventually picked.
Harriet Tubman has been mentioned as a possibility. Susan B. Anthony may be another. Perhaps they'll consider Amelia Earhart, or Sally Ride.
My guess is they'll go with Tubman, since she's a twofer.
But since it hasn't been decided yet who the woman will be, I'd like to propose a few candidates, with an eye to Lew's statement about "who we are and what we stand for."
My first candidate is Kim Kardashian. Is there anybody who represents modern American culture better than her? She is rich, successful, and -- in some people's opinion -- beautiful.
My second candidate is Jackie Coakley, the woman behind the University of Virginia rape hoax. Is there a better example of political correctness run amok, the current atmosphere on campus, the power of the media, and crowd psychology? She, too, is a perfect symbol of who we have become and what we stand for.
My final -- and strongest -- candidate is a woman who started with none of the natural advantages that the other women did: Caitlyn Jenner. She is a groundbreaker in a way that none of the other women ever even dreamed of, having had to work for her femininity.
Think about her accomplishment this way: how many women do you know who could put a shot 15.35 meters, run 400 meters in 47.51 seconds, high jump 6' 8", pole vault 15' 8", throw a discus 169' 7" -- and then, 39 years later, look this glamorous?
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6 comments:
I'm not ready to jump the gun in the Charleston, SC, mass shooting. If the gunman turns out to be a paranoid schizophrenic, then it couldn't be a hate crime because it wouldn't be a crime. Instead he'd be not guilty by reason of insanity.
Mark --
Good point. But my guess is, judging from the fact that he was playing video games with a friend just a few days before and his statements at the church, that he won't be judged a schizo. Sure hope he is, though.
Tubman was heroic but not very photogenic. Susan B Anthony has the face for it. Jane Austen has been announced as the new face on the £10 note so you could go with the literary theme and have Louisa May Alcott or Harper Lee or even Margaret Mitchell who helped with the war effort in WW2.
Steven --
They can always do a flattering drawing of Tubman. Susan B. Anthony already had her likeness on a dollar coin, so they probably won't go with her. Sacagawea has also been on a coin, so she's out. Yes, the literary theme is a possibility, but I still think they want the twofer. That would actually make Rosa Parks another possibility. I've heard the names Eleanor Roosevelt and Wilma Mankiller mentioned too, but I think they want a black person, since there's never been a black person on either a coin or bill before.
How about Ellen Pao?
Anon --
Good suggestion.
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