Why does the internet care?
RantWoman is really glad a third woman is being nominated to the Supreme Court. RantWoman is not glad that the nomination of Elen Kagan would put three alumni of her alma mater on the Supreme Court at the same time or that this nomination would mean that everyone on the Supreme Court graduated from one of two law schools.
The first word that comes to mind is parochialism.
What? This is the nation's first African American president. This is the most diverse administration in history. There are centuries of pale males to catch up with and RantWoman is talking about parochialism? Yeah.
RantWoman's time in college overlapped with the future Supreme Court nominee. Even though RantWoman and Ms. Kagan were in college at the same time, RantWoman is almost devoid of qualifications to discuss Ms. Kagan's legal or scholarly credentials.
RantWoman believes but has not verified that Ms. Kagan got her name in the campus paper a lot in connection with things like student government. RantWoman spent a lot of college campaigning for nuclear disarmament and against thinks like apartheid and funding human rights violations in Central America with US tax dollars. In other words, RantWoman and the future Supreme Court nominee did not really swim in the same social circles.
More to the point, RantWoman must point out that some of her college experience consisted in putting her brain around the vast swaths of human endeavor even very intelligent classmates were utterly ignorant of. For instance, RantWoman spent a great deal of her attempts at social presence answering questions like "Montana? is that by Iowa?"
Considering Ms. Kagan's east coast upbringing, RantWoman thinks it's a bonus that she has at least lived west of the Appalachians, though the Chicago area hardly counts: in RantWoman's experience people from the east coast are at least likely to know where it is. RantWoman always thinks in a country as large as ours, more geographic diversity is a very good idea. Unfortunately, the vast swaths of ignorance issue is only one reason RantWoman would not even think an alumna such as herself who has lived west of the Mississippi for most of her life, necessarily adds as much diversity as someone with a different educational background.
RantWoman realizes this is a tricky point: RantWoman is quite clear she WAS diversity at her alma mater. However, there is just a big difference between being one of a very few in a bigger crowd and being woven into the fabric and vocabulary and funky ways of a locale. Of course those who are so rooted do not necessarily schmooze in the right circles to get named to the Supreme Court and could understandably hesitate about picking up and moving.
Well, okay, RantWoman is just saying the latter. RantWoman has heard tell that WA Gov. Christine "There will be no highway project cost overruns" Gregoire is now getting mentioned for Solicitor General and then Supreme Court. RantWoman does not want to stand in the way of anyone's advancement but does appreciate a good governor.
But back to alumni relations. RantWoman meant to craft a post in honor of Justice Sonya Sotomayor but that has not happened. RantWoman doubts heresy about the diversity of Supreme Court nominees is going to deter Annual Giving from its episodic solicitations. Nor is RantWoman going to be disinvited to any more parties than she already fails to attend. Nor will such posts besmirch RantWoman's reputation for telling too much of the truth!
As an aside, this week marks RantWoman's 25th college reunion. RantWoman graduated with a child star whom she never met, and a future First Lady, with whom, RantWoman imagines based on a few different indications she probably attended an event or two.
RantWoman also admits, to any of her classmates who have read this far, being the theme of the annual joke issue editorial page of the campus newspaper was a great honor and made RantWoman laugh really hard. Thanks. RantWoman laughed even harder when one of the other campus activists wrote a letter to the editor afterward saying "making fun of political activists is NOT funny." No?
RantWoman will now return to her current digital inclusion and accessible computing causes!
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