The text is attached here. I am also including a couple articles written about Zoe Leonard's poem displayed as a billboard in New York City during the time of the U.S. Presidential election in 2016. Included is also a video of performance artist Mykki Blanco reading Leonard's poem, which provides a different context for understanding the poem.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zoe-leonard-i-want-a-president-billboard_us_57f6402ce4b05f39c51e5024
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/exkv5n/this-radical-feminist-poem-is-now-a-giant-ass-art-installation
https://youtu.be/y6DgawQdSlQ
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy subject position affects my advantages in things such as gender, race, region and ability. I believe being a female has many cons in not only the U.S but the world due to the fact that men are considered superior. Men occasionally have the highest authority positions and get higher pay while women are pushed to the sidelines in most cases. Being a brown female I feel that my options in the workplace are limited and this class has made me realize the mentality of this “diversity in the workplace” is new but also meant for fulfilling a certain quota of people of color in the workplace. So, when I get a job or into a school some will say it’s because I am of color. I view race and gender equivalent to how it affects my advantages, being Asian/Indian there’s a certain stereotype of being “smart” and also being of color can impact my future. My advantages are having no disability and able to move and work with full effort, also coming from a diverse region where I could understand and learn about what a community is.
ReplyDeletethis is actually post 1 - AKF
DeleteReading the poem “I want a Dyke for President” it always came to mind that the author Zoe Leonard is tired seeing the ‘same’ type of individuals run for president or who have became president. It is true that when you see all the people who have been president in the past there is a pattern, typical wealthy white men. Although it has changed with Obama recently, we still see it with Trump, a rich entrepreneur who is white. It’s like there is a set expectation for people who are running for president and that is to be someone who hasn’t done anything wrong in the public eye. I feel like this is what Leonard wants to convey that no should be ashamed of who they are or feel like there are any different than others who typically run for president. People should not be judged by who they are, their past, or what they look like. I personally think that we should have a diversity of people who run for president and erase the stereotype of a president always being either white or male because this could be a reason why many women feel like they wouldn’t have a chance completing with someone who everyone typically goes for.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your point; however, including just being white or male I believe that the people running for president also are heterosexual and have a squeaky clean record.
DeleteHello Stefanie,
DeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree with you. There seem be to this unquestioned criteria that the president has to meet. I do think that it is more beneficial for the country to have presidents with diverse backgrounds because different people could bring different ideas to the table. I hope this social system changes.
The poem "I want a Dyke for President" by Zoe Leonard is basically saying that we need presidents who have experienced what the majority of people do. The president figures we have had all come from similar backgrounds and not many struggles that allow them to personally relate to the public. I think what Leonard is trying to convey is that if we have a president who has faced some of these challenges then they will be more motivated to actually make a difference. Unlike a privileged person who will be more close-minded in helping the minorities for example Trump. Leonard is pushing the typical presidential candidate boundaries by encouraging individuals that anyone can be president no matter their identity and hardships they have endured. Our current president is a perfect example of showing anyone can be president. If he was able to do it then anyone can.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I like that you discuss what you think the author's message of her poem was and gave examples for your explanation.
DeleteI really liked how you explained your interpretation of the poem. I do agree that the author is trying to convey that we need presidents who are different that the past ones, or presidents that are usually not your'typical.'
DeleteI also agree with what you say. I believe Zoe Leonard is trying to get across that we need more diversity in presidents because no minorities are able to relate. And every law that is passed affects minority than any other group.
DeleteThe history of our presidents shows a distinct pattern of all heterosexual, white males, excluding Barack Obama on race. However, the United States has rarely commented or shown light to this trend. In the poem “I Want a Dyke for a President” by Zoe Leonard, Leonard states all the qualities, subject positions, and experiences that she would want to see in a president. The qualities she states are all qualities that society views as misdeeds or indiscretions that people in politics would not want representing their country because their decisions could be skewed because of these different subject positions and experiences. Leonard published this poem back in 1992; however, it resurged in billboard form during the 2016 presidential because of the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. This election directly parallels the presidential election in the 1990’s when the poet Eileen Myles ran for president as an “openly female” independent candidate against George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot. However, in both elections the female candidate did not succeed in becoming the United States president. I feel that politics is a male-dominated field, just like the example in class about in the movie Legally Blonde, and it is difficult to alter the expectations that society already has put in place. Also all of the qualities that Leonard states she wants her president to have, most likely, many of the past presidents have experienced, yet they hide these facts because it would diminish their reputations. The past presidents could also not have known what for instance being gay entailed, but just accepted the norms of society. What society needs in a leader is not the “picture perfect” vision of a president, but one that has just as much diversity as the American population.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. The small box that the "perfect president" can fit in to is extremely limiting. No one can really achieve it. This is why there are so many lies and cover-ups that detract from actually helping people. I think Leonard is saying that a more diverse and genuine president would be best for the people.
DeleteI agree. We've had gay and ill presidents before, but they hid that part of their lives instead of embracing it. The position of the president is very specific and rigid, and I hope that changes. A real leader represents the population.
DeleteI totally agree, although I believe that the president doesn't have to have as much diversity as the American population because that would be pretty difficult to fit into one individual... I think the campaign should be filled with people of different subject positions who are all open-minded and truly dedicated to improving society, the environment, the economy etc.
DeleteThe poem ""I want a Dyke for President" by Zoe Leonard expresses frustration with our country's past leaders for being elitists who cannot relate to the actual problems of the people. The majority of rich, white, heterosexual presidents we have had represent very small portion of the population. Leonard is saying in her poem that they simply will never be able to help those with real struggles because they have never gone through them. They will never make a difference. She goes on to list many different attributes of a person she would rather have than a president. She lists struggles and attributes of a person who she believes would actually succeed in helping the people. The resurgence of this poem during the 2016 presidential election is not surprising in the least. The line that reads the "president is always a clown" resonated deeply with me, as well as i'm sure with any other reader. Donald Trump truly is a clown, making a mockery of the real struggles and efforts for change Leonard expresses earlier in the poem. This poem is relevant today because instead of giving real people who can make a real difference in politics to run, we now have these walking advertisements who's campaigns center around their own individual image or brand. No one cares about the real issues, or is going to do something to make a real change.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. We need someone who will represent a bigger chunk of the population not just wealthy white heterosexual males. We need a new diverse president that will help break this stereotypical image.
DeleteI agree with you! We have always been represented by someone who understands so little what it is like to be anything other than heavily priviliged. Because of this, they cannot relate to us and adequately lead us. They will never make a difference big enough to really change the systematic racism, sexism, and xenophobia (minus obama, of course shout out to him for pushing for marriage equality :))
DeleteI resonated so strongly with the "president is always a clown statement." The current president makes no efforts to facilitate change for improvement, and it is so frustrating to see the improvements made by the Obama administration be nullified. We've had white heterosexual rich men in the position of President so long, it is time for a new direction.
DeleteI completely understand why this poem resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election, considering it's basically listing everything that went wrong with the 2016 election. Americans value a president they can look up to, with political experience, someone who is white and old and has their own personal agenda. Every president in US history has been old, respected, wealthy, and "a good citizen." But Leonard is fighting for a president who's known loss, and who's experienced as much life as possible during such a short lifetime. I can relate to what she's saying because I would love to live to see a president who's been homeless, lost a limb during war, or lost someone they loved. If we can elect someone who has known what a struggle it is just to get by, then we'll have a true leader. We'll have someone who knows what actual issues need to be fixed, instead of trying to improve something that isn't broken. We need someone who will focus on education, healthcare, and homelessness, not someone who wants to max out the military budget.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the way you conceptualized this reading. I felt the same way and it is so interesting to me reading this poem again after the past months of having someone like Trump as president. It just dawned on me how life would be if our president was someone that had been homeless or queer.
DeleteIn Zoe Leonard’s post, “I Want A Dyke For President,” the author reveals how the system is oppressive via a list of all the desires she has for a president. From the poem, readers can assume that Leonard wants someone who has experience in a lot of the things that the government has control over, such as healthcare and economic support. Because we are seen as statistics instead of actual human beings, the government doesn’t feel any sympathy for the people. The resurgence of this poem during the 2016 presidential election is significant because it relates to the two front-running candidates in the sense that they were part of the elite group and didn’t satisfy most, if any, of Leonard’s wants for a president. A lot of Leonard’s wants, i.e. someone who has been gaybashed and laid off, depend on people’s subject position and what they are exposed to in their life. These descriptions are aimed at someone who has a lower economic standing and who has been discriminated against for an element of their identity. The two presidential candidates were white, cis-gendered, heterosexual elites who probably haven’t had to experience most of the things that Leonard describes. This poem is powerful to me because it’s a very liberal response to the government, especially with Trump in office now. Leonard wants everything that Trump goes against and it’s refreshing to see someone be stay strong in their feminist and queer activism in today’s political climate.
ReplyDeleteMy reason for liking this article is completely in line with yours. Leonard's poem is so powerful in the sense that violence is not necessary to get her messages across. Often we see people resort to violence or violent protests to be heard. This piece written by Leonard is very refreshing to read as it is honest, truthful, and powerful!
DeleteZoe Leonard from “I Want Dyke for President” expressed the characteristics she looks for in a president. The message I received upon reading her poem was she wanted the country to be run by a leader who has the ability to relate to the people of the country. She thought only someone who has experienced tremendous hardships, pain, injustice, war, deaths, or any dehumanizing acts human are capable of inflicting on each other will that person be qualified to lead the country for the people. I’m don’t study politics nor did I follow closely with 2016 president election. Yet, the first person to come to mind who this poem doesn’t describe at all would be Donald Trump. He is a rich power white male who ran who ran for 2016 presidential election and had a good chance of winning. The resurgence of the poem meant initiate a movement and is a form of political propaganda to stop the support Trump was getting from his supporters and those on the sideline of the election. The line “I want a president who has been unemployed and layed off and sexually harassed and gaybashed and deported” is specifically interesting because those are all the ideologies Trump don’t agree with. I understood the sentence as a jab on Trump for it is hinted in the poem that he’s lacking all those qualities.
ReplyDeleteI see this poem as an example of empowering act of feminism. Amidst political war, women’s roles are especially important. We should fight for our natural rights as embrace our identity. Which is why I agreed with the message Leonard is trying to convey. That is, US is run by democracy, a country run by the people and for the people. In order to follow this legacy founded by our Founding Fathers, it makes sense to appoint a person who possesses qualities of a leader to run a country but is equally important he/she is actually representing the people. That means someone relatable with characteristics described in the poem.
Leonard is talking about all the people that are left out of discourse in most institutions of power. Every time I read this poem, it has the same powerful impact upon me. It reminds me of how important our voice is and how powerful words can be. As a writer, I appreciate this piece. The way it reads is like a friend explaining to you their needs. This poem highlights the needs of the misrepresented and disenfranchised. It expresses the need for a leader and a voice that can truly understand the marginalized. This is why this poem resurfaced because over a decade later the politicians and presidential elections are still representing the elite, male, heterosexual, privileged individuals. This poem foreshadows how having an experienced individual who has had pain and suffering, has been part of the middle/lower class could be beneficial for political reform, new policies and legislations that give people back their rights.
ReplyDeleteYes! Words are powerful no matter who they come from. I think we tend to overlook this privilege we all have because sometimes we think we need some sort of platform to convey thoughts when in reality, if one person is listening, that's all it really takes.
DeleteIt is disheartening that this poem is still relevant today after being written 25 years ago, but change takes time and persistence and the fact that this piece has resurfaced multiple times shows its power.
Today was my first time reading the poem "I want Dyke for a president". When I saw the title, I did not know what to expect. After reading the poem and the article about it, I now understand why this piece is so influential. In the history of the U.S, I am sure there were different types of leaders. However, I don't believe the U.S ever had a president who had Aids, a president who grew up in very poor community and had no choice but to have leukaemia, or a president who is so poor that he/she did not have health care. Leaders of the country have never been a person who experienced and persevered poor living condition first hand. I believe this poem was relevant to 2016 election because the author is also arguing about sex segregation. The president of the U.S does not have to be an elite financially privileged male. The author emphasises "She" when referring to Clinton, and this conveys her strong support towards making changes to current social structure which ranks male over female.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this piece is so influential! There is rarely ever a struggle that presidents have to go through in their lifetime while most of the U.S. citizens struggle on a daily basis.
DeleteI thought this poem was so simple but powerful. Just in a couple of sentences you can see what Zoe Leonard's point is. She says that every single president is always the same. And because of that no one is able to relate to them, especially minority groups. And every time some law is passed, it is the minorities who suffer the most because all the people in power have not experienced what others have, so they do not know what it feels like to have a law that bans gay marriage or a law that targets immigrants because they are not a part of those groups. If we were to have a president that has suffered like us, everything would be different because at least they would understand what a real struggle is. For example, half my family are undocumented immigrants, if there was a president who had to suffer and go through what my brothers go through on a daily basis, then they would understand how difficult life is and how beneficial the DACA program, for example, is. There is no doubt in my mind that if there was a president who were gay, or undocumented, or poor, there would be major changes around here, but unfortunately because they are not given the opportunities as others it is extremely hard for them to even think about become president.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you because the country we live in is constantly changing along with the people. I believe you are right when you say that until we elect a president that has gone through any kind of struggle there would be changes made to benefit those who have struggled because they would understand.
DeleteIn the poem “I Want a Dyke for President,” by Zoe Leonard the message I believe she tried to get across is that our presidents have always fit an ideal image and she wants the kind of president that will break this image. The “ideal” president that I believe our society has created over time is one who is male, white, heterosexual, with elite status, religious, and has created a family of his own. This poem arose during the 2016 elections and I believe this is due to the candidates that were running for presidency at the time. This election seemed to me to have been the most controversial and Leonard’s poem fit perfectly because her poem asks for a president that will not fit into this ideal image that society has created. In her poem she is detailed about the type of president she would like to be elected and I believe what she was trying to get across is that we need difference in our presidents. I agree with Leonard and the message she is trying to get across. I do believe we have began to break from this ideal image when Obama was elected as president because he did not completely fit into this image. However, I do think we have a long way to go until we elect a president that will fit into the description that Zoe Leonard has displayed in her poem.
ReplyDeleteThere were three reactions I had to ''I Want a Dyke for President'' by Zoe Leonard. The first was when I read the first few lines of the poem and thought, ''oh no, where is this poem going with this?'' The second was after I read the poem and realized how powerful it was even with it being so simple in every aspect: structure, diction, meaning. The third was after I read the Vice article that provided background and context as to why the poem was first written.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction is a product of stereotyping. I thought ''why would anyone want a president with all these disadvantages to run the country'' because when I think of president, I think white male with a lot of money and then I realized that that was exactly the point that Leonard was trying to come across. (It hurts me to even write that because that was what I default to when I think of president, which is also part of the problem at hand.) The entire point premise of this poem is that Leonard wants a president who understands what it is like to be the majority of people-- to understand struggle and not only know privilege. If there is anything that WMS 50 thoroughly conveyed was that a person sees and moves through the world according to their intersectionality. So far, almost all of our country's presidents have had a privileged and advantageous life.
After reading the poem, I was surprised with how much it made me think. I found it incredibly interesting that this poem portrayed presidents as despicable people in a repetitive structure that in a huge paragraph, but still captivating enough to keep the reader interested throughout the whole piece. There were no filler lines, no explanations, just straight and to the point which made it all the more powerful.
Lastly, after reading the context to which this poem was written was mind boggling. It was written in 1992 during the election. Politics controls everything, but it has a way of specially targeting (negatively) those who need the most help. This was then, but it is very relevant now in the climate of Trump and it only shows how much these people in power are those entirely different and distinct from the majority.
Leonard's poem is a call for the inclusivity of people of all different kinds of identities in the White House, specifically in our President, the leader of a country which has no official language, religion, or race. She speaks for activists when she says she wants a president who is anything but the consistently heterosexual, cisgendered, white, middle-age, able-bodied male, so that the people nof our country can actually find comfort and security in their leader as they represent them and fight for their best interests. At a time that was extremely controversial, disappoitning, and disheartening as the 2016 Presidential Election, this poem was found to be more relevant than ever.
ReplyDeleteConsidering my subject position, myself, I would also want a female President. I'd want a LatÃnx President. I'd want a President that was a child of divorce, of drug abuse, of alcoholism, of lack of healthcare, of lowere-middle-class, of first generation Americans. I'd want a President who was the first student in their family, who knows the struggle of immigration, assimilation, discrimination, and language barriers.
However, I would mostly want a President who is human, who makes mistakes, who gets caught for their mistakes, who knows what it is like to love and to lose and to hurt, just as Leonard describes in her poem as she references the struggle of the AIDS epidemic, and the desensitization that our society imposes upon our governmental bodies and leaders who break their promises and break our trust.
I can empathize with Leonard and understand the terrifying significance and relevance that her work poses in today's world, as it was originally written in 1992.
This is a very powerful poem. It really opens your eyes to see how diverse people can be, but our presidents are all very similar to each other and not very similar to most people in the United States. Majority of them are white privileged males who don't really know what struggle is. "I Want a Dyke For President" by Zoe Leonard shows that the person who basically runs our country has never really had to struggle for anything in their lifetime, so how are they supposed to understand those struggles? Most of the time, they don't. This poem resurfaced during the 2016 presidential election for good reason. In the poem Leonard says "I want a candidate who isn't the lesser of two evils..." and that was the epitome of the 2016 presidential election. Choosing between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump wasn't really about choosing the one you liked most. It was about choosing the one hate the least, and somehow Donald Trump was the victor. To me, this poem is very relatable because the president somehow always fits this ideal person who has mostly had an ideal life, but most people in the United States do not live this way, so it is hard for us to relate to our president, but more importantly it is hard for our president to relate to us. They have so much power over the whole country but live in a completely different world compared to so many Americans. I don't know when this president ideology came to be, but I hope one day I can relate to a president as a person.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicollette,
DeleteI agree with your point a lot regarding choosing the lesser evil of the two when it comes to the presidential election. Trump and Hillary were both hated on and I personally felt like there wasn't really a "choice" for the people but to choose the individual that would do less harm to the country. I think you made a great point in talking about how most of our past presidents were very similar and were mostly white privileged males. Personally, just based on their demographics and racial profile, it is very hard for most people in the country to relate to them, let alone the qualities of them.
Thanks for sharing!
Yue Hui Li
Zoe Leonard’s poem, I Want a Dyke for President, spoke to me in several ways. I think that Leonard wants to tell the public that a president can only be a good president for the people if he/she had been through the struggles that individuals go through everyday. Leonard also focuses on the struggles of the individuals who suffer from AIDS as well as their loved ones, which I think is due to the negative stereotype that AIDS has. I can personally connect to a few lines of Leonard’s poem, for example “I want a candidate who isn’t the lesser of two evils” reminded me of how I felt and most people felt during the election between Trump and Hillary. For me personally, I think both of them have their flaws, but Trump’s flaws are just way worse. It is not that I have anything against Hillary, but I would prefer to feel divided between two candidates that are both excellent rather than trying to choose the one with less flaws. Another line that I think speaks for many of us is “I want a president with no air conditioning, a president who has stood on line at the clinic, at the DMV, at the welfare office and has been unemployed and layed off…” I think it’s important for a president or an authority figure to go through what common people have been/are going through everyday in order for him/her to have empathy and pay attention to changing regulations that will actually benefit the disadvantaged. I have personally gone through the everyday struggles and know people who had been unemployed or laid off, who cannot keep food on their dinner tables. “I want someone who has been in love, been hurt, who respects sex, who has made mistakes and learned from them” this line also speaks to me because a president should be someone that the citizens can look up to as a role model, not materialistically but an individual who has and practices good morals. Personally, I felt most connected to this line because if our “president” (right now) had these qualities, he wouldn’t look like a damn fool/clown just as Zoe Leonard mentioned at the end of the poem. Lastly answering Leonard’s question of why it’s not possible for us to have an understanding president who has been through things is because the system is f**ked up.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think it's scary and disappointing that after 25 years, this poem is still relevant and nothing much has changed since 1992. In the poem, Leonard says that she wants a candidate who understands how the "bottom" of society feels; someone who has experienced life as a less privileged, discriminated and disadvantaged individual because then maybe true change can happen. Leonard implies that every candidate and president so far (up to 1992) has lived extremely privileged lives. They don't see the struggle of the less privileged and therefore focus less on developing institutions to help them. "I want a candidate who isn't the lesser of two evils", "Always a boss and never a worker", "Always a liar, and a thief but never caught"; These quotes conjure images of President Trump and Hillary Clinton. Even though I don't particularly support Clinton, I saw her as the lesser of two evils and was sure that she would be elected over President Trump. When President Trump was elected, I was flabbergasted to say the least. I couldn't understand how someone filled with so much hate and prejudice could be elected as the president of a country that boasts freedom. President Trump has probably never lived a day as an unprivileged individual, having been born into a white upper-class family and most likely cannot sympathize with anyone below his class. He is a president for the top 1% but America is much more than that.
ReplyDeleteJust 2 days ago I received an email from the SISS in UC Davis because I'm an international student, the email was about President Trumps new travel ban being approved by the supreme court pending legal challenges. This is so sad to me as an international student, even though I'm not from those countries because America is just not what it used to be in my Father's time, it is no longer the same America that he wanted me to experience.
I definitely agree! After noticing how relevant this poem still in our current political climate, I was also very disappointed. With so many tragic events that have happened through out the years, it's really absurd how we can still choose people like President Trump, who is the epitome of what wealth, to lead our country.
DeleteI was just thinking that this poem is still so relevant in today's society even though it was written years ago. This just goes to show how much, or how little, society has changed over the years. On the day of the election, I was also caught by surprise that America would elect someone like Trump. Despite what people might have said about Clinton, she was still the better option or "the lesser of two evils".
DeleteThis poem truly does resonate with the circumstances of today. I honestly had to do a double take when I read "lesser of two evils" in Leonard's poem. That phrase was thrown around so much in the conversations I had with friends and family that I thought it was coincidental or a joke making its way around. Maybe it had some very real roots in this poem. Also I'm so sorry to hear how the politics of this country is affecting you. There honestly couldn't be an individual who could shy away from more of the founding principles of this nation. The United States truly isn't the country it used to be or perhaps simply was trying to be.
DeleteThe poem “I Want A Dyke For President” by Zoe Leonard conveys our dissatisfaction with the current political climate where the leaders representing us are mostly elitists that do not understand the struggles of the people. Most of our leaders in office are white, educated, heterosexual males with agendas that mostly benefit the small group of people similar to them rather than caring about issues that affected the general population. Through the vivid descriptions in the poem, Leonard wants to question why we do not have an outsider in office that rise from the bottom of society and understood what changes society needed, and why we keep electing people who we do not trust to lead us into higher positions. She emphasizes that people to rethink about the candidates that we are voting to represent us in office and to implement change to this broken system of democracy. I think that the resurgence of this poem was relevant during the 2016 presidential election because the two final candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are both elites that do not represent the majority, but people had no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils. I think that this poem was very simple yet powerful. It made me think about the politicians we have now, and how non-diverse our political system really is. The imagery and diction that she used to describe the president she wants to see in office is very straightforward and rough, yet it clearly conveys her frustration and desire for change.
ReplyDeleteHi Vi,
DeleteI completely agree with what you are saying and arguing. I especially like it when you pointed out that we should rethink who we are electing as candidate and into office, since this, like you said, has created a broken system of democracy where those elected are only benefitting others like themselves.
I agree with you that our democracy system is broken ahihi. I like how you pointed out how non-diverse our political system is.
Delete"I Want a Dyke for President" by Zoe Leonard, in essence, captures the idea that the leaders we elect simply cannot relate to us or understand our circumstances. It's hard to ignore just how obvious of a bias the political structure of our nation has when determining who is allowed into its ranks. Most are men, white, heterosexual, and in a majority of cases are economically well off as well. Even with Barack Obama serving two terms, the United States seems to have backpedaled with the election of Donald Trump. Again, a man, white, heterosexual, and who in particular had submersed himself in wealth his whole life. Someone who would have no understanding of the struggles of the lower class or the less fortunate: "Always a boss and never a worker". This is what gave Zoe Leonard's poem renewed significance in the 2016 election and, until the politics of this country changes, will continue to have relevance into the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteTo me personally, this poem highlights the fact that nothing has changed in the politics of our country. Rich, white men are still the majority. For some reason, it was decided in our nation's past that the leaders of this country had to be white, had to be straight, had to be rich, and, for too long, had to be men. Reading this poem led to a flood of memories from 2016 to come crashing back into my mind. The phrase "lesser of two evils" in particular was thrown around a lot in 2016. During the 2016 presidential election, I will admit I was extremely upset when Bernie was knocked out of the running for Democratic Nominee. I simply appreciated the man's honesty and still believe he wasn't given a fair chance. Did that persuade me to throw my vote away? Not in the slightest. Even though California is a well known blue state, that didn't stop me from voting for Hillary in a heartbeat. Hillary, and especially the millions of women in the United States, had waited far too long for their chance. Having the first woman elected as the President of the United States would have sent shock waves throughout our political system. There's no telling how many women, young girls, and future generations could have been empowered knowing a woman had become the President of the United States. Regardless of any residual frustration, it would have been a sight to see. So had I thrown my vote away out of spite, I'd be spitting in that great man's face. Someone who can so quickly move past his own personal loss and look at the bigger picture deserves nothing short of admiration. Respect is what earned Bernie my vote. It wasn't until July of 2016 that I had to pick someone with a "lesser of two evils" mindset. Zoe Leonard was right. The stakes were far too high last year, and now we all have to live with the consequences for another 3 years.
I completely agree with you on how we don't get to pick our leaders based on their comparison to us and how electing Hilary would've empowered woman everywhere. I commend you for still voting after Bernie was knocked off even though he was your choice instead of wasting your vote and letting Trump win. When the youth doesn't vote is when the bad guys win. Thanks man.
DeleteLeonard is asking for a President who understands what different Americans, maybe even the average American, goes through. This poem has a lot of relevance during the 2016 presidential election because both of the contenders were citizens who don’t first handedly understand what average Americans go through. They don’t have to handle the load most Americans go through, therefore they cannot to relate to the citizens or understand their needs and what needs to happen in the government to better people’s lives. Instead, it’s a battle of who is the better debater, and the people running are successful. Donald Trump, for example, is a business man who is now our President, he has never had to struggle financially in his life and therefore does not understand the needs the lower income citizens need. He does not represent the majority of our nation.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this poem is a call for a President who relates better to the citizens of America better than those in office currently. The point made in the poem is clear. Leonard wants our President to be someone who suffered financially, got an abortion, isn’t straight, etc. and who isn’t the people in office right now who have never had to suffer. And I agree, we need someone who understand that this position just isn’t about politics and winning debates, but rather it is about people’s lives and how the government can help change them for the better. Of course, it wouldn’t be as simple as just having a different kind of president, but it is a start and a shift on the view point of the nation and will open the doors to other great changes down the line.
When reading Zoe Leonard's poem "I want a Dyke for President", I was having flashbacks of the 2016 presidential election. That election was the first election that I had actually followed and discussed extensively. Although Hillary Clinton may not have been many people's first choice for president, to me, it was amazing to see someone in the running who was different from all the other presidents in one major way: their gender. I'm actually really glad that this poem came back in billboard form because the issues that Leonard talks about are still so relevant. So many Americans are still waiting for a president who can represent them and their communities. Although I have many privileges as a cis heterosexual female who grew up in a middle class family, I still understand the need and want for a president who isn't just a old white man. I want a president who has experienced the worst that life has to offer so that they can actually work to improve America in a way that is actually beneficial for everyone. It's been very encouraging this past year to see people from groups that aren't represented in politics run for offices, locally and on a national level. That's the kind of representation that we need in politics and that diversity really should be reflected in our president.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentence, "Although I have many priveleges..."! I never undrstood why it is so radical for any other type of person to be in office.
DeleteIn "I Want a Dyke for President" written by Zoe Leonard, I believe she means to ask us and make us question why all our leaders, presidents, vice presidents, etc. have been one type of person or in a certain category where they come from privileged backgrounds, not facing any issue a regular middle classed/poor person deals with and has not struggled or faced anything but a minor inconvenience to their life. During the 2016 presidential election, Trump and Hillary lacked credibility leaving us with two celebrity candidates that would hurt America either way the poll went. Zoe’s poem resurfaced during the election because we had two unfit candidates to run this country and the other worse one, won.
ReplyDeleteHer poem means to me that why isn’t any ordinary person who has suffered through the tragedies and experienced what many others have gone through became our future leader. Why don’t we have diversity in the aspect of people’s misfortunes and not those who haven’t felt what the world has truly felt in disaster and despair. I relate to what she is saying because we all want to feel represented when it comes to the idea of people above us making the decisions that affect us as we live our daily lives. A example of this is : why should men be able to decide and take away our healthcare and planned parenthood when they have no clue what goes on with our bodies, our communities and what we have to do to keep ourselves healthy.
It is a common thing that presidents, from all countries, always appear to have a perfect, clear background. More precisely, a typical president of a country is always portraited as a wealthy, heterosexual, old or middle-aged man. Presidents always appears to be a person who everyone looks up to because they are the ones who represent their countries. However, how can a person lead a country if he/she never experiences difficulties and disadvantages that others do? The poem “I Want a President” by Zoe Leonard, a simple yet powerful poem, pushes these typical presidential candidate boundaries by pointing out that anyone, regardless of their identity and background, can be president if they have talent.
ReplyDeleteLeonard’s poem is beautiful in that she calls for leader of this nation to be everything unconventional, and particularly scandalous for the time period it belongs to. Leonard wrote her poem when the “dykes”, gays, “fags”, and AIDS were dirty words, associated with people on the wrong side of history and used those associations to link the highest position in the nation. She wanted the disenfranchised as her president. People who are not traditionally in positions of power, need to be empowered. A person with no health insurance, because a person with no health insurance would know exactly what kind of government aid is needed to give people insurance, to give people medical access. A 16 old who had an abortion, because that woman would know how important bodily autonomy is. Her whole point is that the person leading the nation should not come from the elite, but rather from the people, from those who need a representative. Who better to craft and approve legislation then those who know what it is like to have no legislation protecting them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I picture the President of United States of America, I picture an old, wealthy, white, heterosexual, cisgender man with thinning hair and straight teeth. The fact is Barack Obama was the only break from the traditional form of the president, and while he was a great leader, one black president cannot undo two centuries of white ones. The right winged reaction to Obama’s leadership was Trump. A man who condemns homosexuals and the entire LBGTQIA+ community, who thinks the welfare is a crutch instead of a social safety net, who values the economic wealth of the billionaires over the middle and lower class. This poem was poignant during the election because it holds true. We have a “clown” for a president.
The election of 2016 was called an election of “lesser evils.” But I ask how hard was teh choice for eligible voters? Trump and his racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, or Hillary and her emails. Such a hard choice, America.
I want a women for president. I want a brown person for president. I want a brown woman for president. I want to know that my president has faced similar treatments I have and understands what it is like to be on the outskirts of politics. I want a child of an immigrant as the president. I want a president who has needed government aid and understands the burden of student loans. I want to see myself in the likeness of my president.
It is messages like these that remind society to think about how much is going on in our world that is being overlooked. The first topic that I recognized was relatability. Zoe Leonard is voicing that for over the 200 years that the United States has had a president, they came from lives not reflective of the people they are leading. I understand that this comes from the complex that the wealthier and educated, the more fit to lead, however, it is interesting that one can lead without experiences similar to who they are leading.
ReplyDeleteThis poem demonstrates the popular desire to reject social standards. The first line and title of the poem says “I want a dyke for president”. The word dyke is a contemptuous term used to refer to a lesbian. Her choice of words were not to offend, but rather make the reader feel just as strongly about her statement and what it truly means. This poem means that there is no explanation that has been given that justifies not electing a lesbian, someone who lost their partner to AIDS, a rape survivor, an imperfect person, etc. Personally, this end of the poem was most empowering. “And I want to know why this isn’t possible…..always a thief and never caught” (Leonard). I know that I’ve always wondered why a women in office is still such a radical idea. Our society has shifted so much yet politically we are still bounded by the words written by the founding fathers. Society is, and has been for years, dealing with combinations of controversy and tragedy because of social standards, and even our own governing system doesn’t display the acceptance that people are yearning for. The demographic of past presidents has set the tone for what is expected for everyone in the country, but different elements of subject positions provides for the diversity we see instead.