Obama Opening BlogHer12
Obama Live Streamed into the Grand Ballroom to open BlogHer12. And in under a couple of hours I will join a group of women to discuss Blogging Into MidLife: The Tension between the Online Spotlight and Offline Invisibility. It brings back a memory that has never faded dating back to when I turned 50. I was walking down Park Avenue in the 40s. There was a BMW office with large windows and I saw this woman in the window and wondered who she was. On a second look I realized it was a reflection of “self” that brought me to tears. That woman did not square with my image of me. Simultaneously I realized construction workers no longer murmured rude compliments under their breath. And on other fronts I felt I had reached a point where no one seemed to really cared if I was at the party or not.
Seriously, other than motherhood when I felt that my identity had been submerged to the status of being my child’s mother, age 50 became my first acknowledged crisis with invisibility that had less to do with being a black woman and more to do with age. And as I have aged young, I find that my dance with invisibility rears its head much more frequently.
So it is an honor to have the opportunity to engage in productive conversation about the marginalization that hinders the blogosphere’s ability to deal forthrightly with what really is. More later my reader/friends on the response of the audience and the day’s learnings.
Hello. I am Patricia Patton and I am committed to creativity, owning my time and living an entrepreneurial lifestyle. It wasn't always that way. But I have learned to recognize opportunities in problems and I can help you do the same. If you are looking for creative insights and practical solutions to jump start your Next Chapter, you have come to the right place.
Well said. Invisibility comes in many forms, but I’ve found that the invisibility of age is the most intense.
Karen
I agree invisibility is intense but I am finding that now that I recognize it, it has much less power. Thank you for weighing in. Tell me what do you do when you find this is taking place?
Patricia
Always my friend.
Note:The male boomer is still uncovered territory. We have no He-Oprah to sing us praise, no magazines to boost our aging egos, no belly fat remedies, in other words no Patrick Patton with words of wisdom.
And,if he can manage to exchange the “fifty” for “two twenties”, he actually still have to perform. He cannot get away by laying on his back and making exotic noises.
An old dude is just an old dude. Pity!
Your friend,
roycrosse
You make me think. I never thought of the male boomer as uncovered territory BUT I see your point well. And I wonder whether talking about male deficits culturally makes this difficult. If men are predisposed to “fixing” rather than talking through problems or issues, even though a need for a He-Oprah may be recognized, there is no practice for this. Am I off course? The He-Oprahs that come to my mind are like Tony Robbins and Chopra maybe. But everyone else who is tuned into a purpose-driven life that is not say religion-based fall into the spiritual realm like Wayne Dwyer and Eckert Tolle.
What do you think other readers? How do men meet their needs other than confiding in their wives?
My Dear Patricia,
Don’t be afraid. I am still looking at you. But, are we talking only about women. Because you know, the the male boomer, if he has the pockets simply goes into the showroom and buys fucking BMW except this time its flaming red, then he goes home and dumps his fifty year old wife for two twenties – then every body is looking.
Thought it might bring a smile to your plush lips.
Cheers.
(the other boomer)
roycrosse
Dear Roy–Thank you sooo much for that reply from the other boomer. We women forget that males experience this phenomena as well and perhaps in different ways. I am walking through this fear. And it helps to know that someone has my back. Without a doubt this brings a smile to my face each time I read it.
This is a note to RoyCrosse. Let’s look for him. Let’s talk with him. Someone must be sharing about that and allowing us to follow on the journey. But, as you both said, that sharing – by a male – with age – may not be the natural state. But, the exception is the rule. Yoohoo – where are you! male boomer journeyman?
Chris
Your antenna is working and you are on the edge of something that is rarely discussed. What is your idea? I happen to know this reader. He is a thinking artist/reader and he always brings something new to the stove with which to stir the pot. I will make sure Roy sees your note. Maybe we can raise him again to share on this specific topic.