Mother Nature??? Can We Stop Humanizing the Weather? Women's Suffrage Centennial
UPDATE. August. The 8th Month of the year. It is always a time of mixed emotions for me with some of the happiest times & some of the most heart-breaking times. My Grandma's Birthday is August 19th. My Mom died on August 12, 2012.
And of course August is the peak of Hurricane Season which is never fun to live through.
Below is something I wrote after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston/Galveston Metropolitan Area as we prepare for the approach of Hurricane Laura even as I write this.
On a good day, the Implicit Gender Bias in the way Broadcasters speak about the Weather is insulting.
Words Matter.
Numbers Matter.
Why do Meteorologists INSIST on blaming the "Wrath of Mother Nature" for Weather Events?
Historically as you will read below, the Greek Weather Gods were MEN - not that Weather Forecasters should blame PEOPLE OF ANY GENDER for Weather Events beyond our control.
Like Meteorologist Brooks Garner, formerly of Channel 11 once wrote, Stop Humanizing the Weather.
This August 2020 is also Women's Suffrage Centennial Month in remembrance of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted WOMEN the Right to Vote.
When we study the History of the past, it is to improve lives in the Present & Future.
Here in the Present, WOMEN are blamed for the Days on the Calendar, the Time on the Clock & the Words that we Speak.
This is the very Definition of MISOGYNY: Hate Speech against WOMEN.
Let's Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in honor of the Women's Suffrage Centennial - not just in recognition of past achievements, but for the Right Reasons: ending Hate Speech, ending BULLYING, ending MISOGYNY & improving lives for all of us.
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UPDATE: Local remembrances of 2017's Hurricane Harvey continue to pour in as many in our area are still trying to recover. Here is a gentle reminder of how we speak about weather-related events
On This Day: August 27, 2017. The outpouring of support near & far for Hurricane Harvey Survivors has been heart-warming to say the least. Our city has been so devastated, even for those of us who were lucky enough to still have a place to call home.
Harvey's effects will be felt in all of Southeast Texas for years.
Earlier this year, one of our local meteorologists wrote an Op/Ed piece in his blog about "Humanizing the Weather" & how this is wrong & people should stop it.
This really resonated with me & I thought "You're right."
What gets me is that storm names alternate between Male & Female, yet several local Meteorologists around here keeping referring to "Mother Nature" even though Harvey is a MALE name.
A lot of my beliefs & opinions were furthered & expanded in following the History Channels series, "Ancient Aliens," which explores the religious beliefs of ancient cultures from all corners of the globe: The Greeks, the Norse, Chinese, Hindu, Aztec, Indian - you name it.
Another particularly good History Channel series did a re-telling of Homer's "the Odyssey" chronicling the adventures (& misadventures) of the hero, Odysseus & his encounters with Zeus & Poseidon.
What occurs to me is that the majority of these "weather gods" like Thor - the Norse god of Thunder & Poseidon - the Greek god of the Sea are MEN.
So why the Misogynistic portrayal of "Mother Nature" in Modern American Culture during natural disasters?
I am a Mother. I had a Mother. I love my children & my Mother loved me.
And I bet you have a Mother too.
Can we watch our Language with RESPECT to how we refer to "Mother Nature?"
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