Augusta National, home to The Masters golf tournament, admitted its first to female members in the 80 year history of the club, earlier this week. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore will be the first women to don the trademark Augusta green jackets. What a glorious day for gender equality!!!
I am glad Augusta allowed women into their ranks, but this is at least 20 years overdue. The time to give an exclusive institution "credit" for broadening its horizons in demographic categories like sex and ethnicity was from approximately 1970 until about 1990, give or take several years here or there. Once the years began with a "2" instead of a "1", such an institution was overdue in its mainstream inclusiveness. Regardless of your politics, love him or hate him, once Barack Obama, a black man, became President of the United States of America in 2009, the ultimate "Good Ole Boys Club", any institution claiming to be in line with mainstream American values became delinquent by excluding people, across the board, because of accidents of birth.
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| Guess who's coming for tee time! 1 |
OTHER BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS
Perhaps I am being cynical in assessment of Augusta National's removal of its gender barrier. Let's look at the timing of some other gender breakthroughs and contrast them to the 2012 admissions of a former Presidential Cabinet member of the highest rank and a successful businesswoman.
Source: Scholastic.com
1849 - America's first licensed female physician.
1916 - The first woman is elected to Congress.
1920 - The 19th amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, granting women's suffrage.
1948 - The first woman breaks the sound barrier.
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| Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin - note that this was before color photography was ubiquitous. 2 |
Notice a pattern here? Most of you weren't even born, in fact, many of your parents weren't even born by this point. But hey, this was just the tip of the iceberg, we haven't even touched the Women's Lib movement yet.
1960 - The first birth control pill goes on the market.
1963 - The Equal Pay Act passes.
1964 - Gender discrimination is effectively outlawed in employment, public accommodations, and other areas of commerce following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
1968 - The first black woman is elected to the House of Representatives.
1973 - Roe vs Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court
1993 - The United States has its first female Attorney General appointed.
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| The term "lady" may be relative, but "woman" is not. 3 |
Perhaps I sound like some pinko, commie, tree-hugging liberal, but if we have women making and enforcing the laws of the land, I wouldn't think that allowing membership at a golf club is pushing the envelope much. I believe in every private club's right to associate, and not associate, with whomever they want. I also think that the notion of closing off membership on the basis or race, gender, religion or other demographics, in this day and age, is archaic. I have no problem with Augusta National's admission of women members. I have a problem with the perception some may have that Augusta deserves applause for a groundbreaking decision.
It is overdue. Much like when an overdue library book is returned, it is appreciated. It also should have happened sooner.
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1) Image from www.cbsnews.com
2) Image from the Library of Congress via http://womenincongress.house.gov
3) Image from www.spokeo.com
