I saw this piece and I couldn’t pass it up. At the beginning of the Democratic primary season, I was a firm Hillary Clinton supporter; I didn’t think anyone else had what it took to wrestle the country from the hands of neoconservative failure on all levels. At the same time, I didn’t completely love Hillary Clinton; there are a few things I don’t like about her political stance – but that being said, it wasn’t until the Democratic debate really took shape did I firm up an allegiance away from her.

Even so, I’m both distressed at the loss of a female candidate for the White House as I am thrilled that she’s made significant inroads for women in politics. Women in American governance don’t need to feel that they have to listen to their conservative colleagues when they tell them to sit down, shut up, and go home. No one can tell America’s young women that they have any “place” that’s not every place they choose to be, and Hillary Clinton’s campaign has brought more women who are eager to be leaders to the fore.

When Amy Sewell and Susan Toffler set out to make a documentary about the next generation of female political leaders, they ran across seven women in their early 20s. This group became the focus of the film designed to promote young women’s participation in the electoral process.

The directors took the title of their movie – “What’s Your Point, Honey?” – from a cartoon that has two characters: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is pointing to a globe showing all the countries where women are heads of state and a man is asking, “What’s your point, honey?” The title provided an ironic touch, but the message of the film, which debuted in New York on May 29, extends beyond the 2008 race.

“It’s about the day that we see seven up there that we can choose from and not have it become polarizing,” said Sewell, who is also creator of the 2005 documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom,” about a dance program in New York City public schools. “It’s about seeing seven women candidates the same way that we see seven men.”

I’m longing for that day as much as the next person, I think. The film brings out a number of issues, including a persistent belief among women that they’re somehow not as qualified than their male counterparts (a belief that’s nowhere remotely factual and is entirely socialized into young women: that running things is still a “man’s job”) and that women are less likely to receive support from political organizations and activist groups. (hopefully this is changing – at least on the left.)

Additionally, the film sits down with the leaders of a couple of activist groups looking to encourage women to get involved in leadership positions and politics on both the local, national, state, and federal levels. The project aims to – and I’m hoping to – return to the young women featured in the documentary in several years, when the youngest are eligable for a run at the Presidency, and find a number of them engaged in politics.

[ Tweens and Twenties See Future Led by Women ]
Source: Women’s eNews (courtesy of Truthout)