I have seen two movies in the past week that make me want to go to law school and switch careers. The first is The Judge, about Kholoud Al-Faqih, the first female judge in a court of Shari'a law in Palestine. The second is RBG, about the life and work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Both are my favorite kind of film. Documentaries, focused on one person's story, that paint a broader picture of an issue.
Both women are pioneers. Both are steadfast in their work. Both are humble about their accomplishments. Both have experienced and are experiencing severe setbacks and opposition. The traditional Shari'a interpreters say Kholoud has not place in the court. Many Palestinian laypeople share that opinion, as is clear from interviews in Al-Manara square in Ramallah (images of which brought tears of nostalgia to my eyes!)
Her work has been reduced by certain overseers to mere clerical work, rather than real litigation. She bears it all, clearly seeing herself as part of a long arch of history which moves towards greater justice for women in the formal courts of law.
RBG also is part of that long arch. The patience exhibited by these women is awe-inspiring.
One thing made me curious about RBG while watching it in a theater which, I realized upon exiting, was full of middle-aged women. There was a lot of sort of giddy laughter during the film. And not just at the moments when Gingsburg was being deliberately funny. When she walked, with her diminutive stature, and her large glasses, or her elderly woman mannerisms, there was a lot of laughter, if felt, at her. Or at least at her situation.
I'm not sure how to describe it. People seemed to simultaneously admire her longevity, and be uncomfortable with the idea that someone this old could still be operating at a level that commands dignity and respect, not titters of laughter as if she were acting a role written for a younger person. Yes, it felt like they were laughing at her as if she were assuming someone else's persona.
One of the best moments of the film was when she actually did do just that: put on an act. She played the speaking role in an opera, and her stage presence, her enunciation, her facial expressions, were those of a true thespian. It was brilliant to see this creative side of her.
But otherwise, when she was being herself, I didn't like that people were giggling or openly laughing at the way she moved across the screen. I don't think any of it was deliberately rude, I just think we are uncomfortable with the combination of capability and old age that she represents, and the way we react to discomfort is often to laugh. That's certainly true for me.
There are so many ways to change our society. Attempting to change it the laws seems like a long, hard slog, but my goodness, a worthwhile one. Tess changes society in the hospital, by helping individuals change their current and future state of health. I hope that I help change society by helping some of the newest members of our society read and write English better, and better understand the issues of our world. Mom changes society by teaching care, deliberate action, teamwork and responsibility to inmates who will soon rejoin the citizenry.
I don't think I'll end up going to law school. But the idea of spending a few years studying in a library sounds really good in the middle of a week of teaching!
Both are my favorite kind of film. Documentaries, focused on one person's story, that paint a broader picture of an issue.
Both women are pioneers. Both are steadfast in their work. Both are humble about their accomplishments. Both have experienced and are experiencing severe setbacks and opposition. The traditional Shari'a interpreters say Kholoud has not place in the court. Many Palestinian laypeople share that opinion, as is clear from interviews in Al-Manara square in Ramallah (images of which brought tears of nostalgia to my eyes!) Her work has been reduced by certain overseers to mere clerical work, rather than real litigation. She bears it all, clearly seeing herself as part of a long arch of history which moves towards greater justice for women in the formal courts of law.
RBG also is part of that long arch. The patience exhibited by these women is awe-inspiring.
One thing made me curious about RBG while watching it in a theater which, I realized upon exiting, was full of middle-aged women. There was a lot of sort of giddy laughter during the film. And not just at the moments when Gingsburg was being deliberately funny. When she walked, with her diminutive stature, and her large glasses, or her elderly woman mannerisms, there was a lot of laughter, if felt, at her. Or at least at her situation.
I'm not sure how to describe it. People seemed to simultaneously admire her longevity, and be uncomfortable with the idea that someone this old could still be operating at a level that commands dignity and respect, not titters of laughter as if she were acting a role written for a younger person. Yes, it felt like they were laughing at her as if she were assuming someone else's persona. One of the best moments of the film was when she actually did do just that: put on an act. She played the speaking role in an opera, and her stage presence, her enunciation, her facial expressions, were those of a true thespian. It was brilliant to see this creative side of her.
But otherwise, when she was being herself, I didn't like that people were giggling or openly laughing at the way she moved across the screen. I don't think any of it was deliberately rude, I just think we are uncomfortable with the combination of capability and old age that she represents, and the way we react to discomfort is often to laugh. That's certainly true for me.
There are so many ways to change our society. Attempting to change it the laws seems like a long, hard slog, but my goodness, a worthwhile one. Tess changes society in the hospital, by helping individuals change their current and future state of health. I hope that I help change society by helping some of the newest members of our society read and write English better, and better understand the issues of our world. Mom changes society by teaching care, deliberate action, teamwork and responsibility to inmates who will soon rejoin the citizenry.
I don't think I'll end up going to law school. But the idea of spending a few years studying in a library sounds really good in the middle of a week of teaching!
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