Elderblogs, A Bigger Footprint?

The other day Rosie the Riveter, this iconic World War II poster, turned into a very  engaging tee-shirt looked at me frm the window of the one and only neighborhood store that sells clothes, Liberty House.

How many of us as little girls puzzled over Rosie's image back in the 1940s?  Ronni Bennett could only have been a toddler then but something had started in late 19th century America--women taking snapshots with their own cameras, riding bicycles--to offer smart, creative women an alternative to domestic gooddesshood.  For Ronni, there was the rebellious, hard working, somewhat quirky for her time Aunt Edith.

Ronni showed us once again her place in that lineage  in an interview with New York City's leading public radio host, Brian Lehrer.  Except this was television.  Brian, public intellectual/social justice guru, also has a weekly show on CUNY-TV .  Yesterday ElderBlogging was a generous segment in his program on "Social Networking."  

Picture on left is not Ronni's response to intro, "Grandma's not nodding off, she's logging on."  Shame on Brian, so politically aware--just like my pet peeve, not your grandmother's knitting."

Undiverted from this opportunity to spread the gospel, Ronni smiled.  She spoke about words she favors to describe us, "the neutral word is 'old'...not 'elderly' which implies frail."  Most favored, of course is "elder."

The fearless leader of the notion, she clarified that elderblogs are personal, "not a one-way street." The value of blogs is a chance to show what aging really looks like," her tag line at Time Goes By,  We talk to one another about what engages us as elders.  She covered a lot of territory; listen for yourself HERE.   New York City lost when there was no job for her in the ageist marketplace here.

Portland, Maine, was the winner when Ronni moved there two years ago. We elders know how to land on our feet, thank you.  She ended the interview with a nod to the influence of boomers, those folks a little younger and often unsettled by aging, "They are going to change things a lot, " she said and noted there's a place on her site for "Honorary Elderbloggers, those not yet 50 years old."

Using that model, a new group forming at NYC NOW (National Organization for Women) decided to expand our boundaries with the name "Boomer and Senior Women's Network."  Like Ronni, I'm not fond of the "s-word" but that was in place before we began.  More important is what we're working on--ways to become better advocates for ourselves and other older women around health issues, particularly in how we relate to doctors.

We meet at 2:30 p.m., second and fourth Thursday of the month, in the NOW office in Manhattan.  Join us, add your ideas.  Contact me through the address on my About page for more information.  Once again, Rosie and Ronni remind us, We Can Do It!

 

Comments

[Ronni Bennett]

I just got home from New York City and one of the first things I found was this report from you of the Brian Lehrer Show. Thanks so much, Naomi.

I hadn't done live telvision (from the production or on-air end) in decades. It's always fun because anything can happen. Read: go wrong.

Nothing went wrong with Brian and we covered a lot of what I wanted to thanks to him and his terrific staff. It was also fun to meet a guy I'd been listening to on the radio (Brian has a show five days a week) for many years.

I'm convinced the conversation, the two-wayness (is that a word?) is what helps make elderblogs so rich in thought and interest. I read a lot of political blog filled with good posts that then degenerate into name-calling and invective, effectively stopping the exchange.

But I've never seen that happen on elderblogs. Among ours, there is such a richness of knowledge and experience we share.

Thanks for the reference to my terrific Aunt Edith and also for reporting on the show.

[Darlene]

Ronni has become my first contact with the morning. I sip my coffee while reading her blog and I have learned so much from her and her loyal admirers. When Time Goes By jump starts my day and I can't imagine how I survived the morning without my 'fix.'

[sahara]

Wow Naomi, I gotta see this! I like the word "elder" too, although when I was a child, I thought this was the word used for folks in authority in the church, as in "church elders."

I think Ronnie is the bomb, and I have led several middle-agers to her blog, as they face issues with their parents. But the term "honorary elderblogger" makes me think. I remember when the term "senior citizen" came out. My age group (50) were called "junior citizens." This sounds so bizare, though. What am I? If y'all aren't using senior, preferring elder, am I an elder-in-training? That's the term I'm hearing now. Enlighten me, as I don't want to be left out, especially now that I'm enjoying my elder status to the young folk.

[Kay Dennison]

Great post Naomi!!! My mom was a Rosie during WWII and worked in a defense plant. The guys came back and she lost her job and went back to
"women's work" until she got married, moved to Ohio, and had me.

[francine hardaway]

My friend Michelle has started an entire website around women's empowherment in healthcare. She had a hysterectomy and realized how poorly she was educated and treated by her doctors, so she became an activist for women's health at www.empowher.com. Sounds like your NYC Now chapter should blog and share your stories on her site. I've already recommended Ronnie to her!

[marianne]

Love, love, love these thoughts: knowing that I am part of an up and thriving community! If EVER I am in Manhattan on the second and fourth Thursday, I will be! Much love, marianne

[joared]

Great post, Naomi! Guess we just have to keep plugging away at letting these people know about the false assumptions and language used to describe we older folk. Just watched part of the video interview with Ronni, and she represented herself and us well, as usual.

[MotherPie]

I'm so glad you caught this, Naomi! Thanks.

[sarcozona]

Glad your hand seems to be doing better! Thank you so much sending me a link to Little Bear. I can't wait to try some of those wonderful recipes.

Boomer and Senior Women's Network sounds like a wonderful idea. Can't wait to hear more about it.