I recognize most in the New Earth community no longer watch conventional (aka fake) news for the sheer lack of truthful reporting--but it was hard to miss the headlines last week revealing yet another sexist gaffe by CNN anchor Don Lemon, proving his falling star is falling even farther and that "news" these days is undeniably in the gutter too.
The backlash from this latest in a series of bungles having to do with sexism or alleged sexual misconduct by Lemon has caused many to speculate he may be in his final days at the network. In case you missed it, here is what transpired last week:
During CNN This Morning's coverage of Nicki Haley's presidential bid on February 16, Lemon remarked from the anchor desk, “This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime ... A woman is considered to be in their prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
Co-host Poppy Harlow quickly responded,
“What are you talking about, wait … Prime for what?"
Lemon scrambled unsuccessfully to defend his comments by saying his co-hosts and audience should "Google it" and "Don't shoot the messenger".
The fact is, no one needs to Google anything--it's common knowledge that the age bracket Lemon is reffering to is specifically the range when women are biologically most fertile and thus considered the prime child-bearing years.
Don Lemon's ignorance, compounded by his arrogance in defending the delivery of sexist opinion as fact, is embarassing for CNN, demeaning to actual journalism and insulting to his co-hosts and women everywhere. In addition, despite CNN labeling the situation "serious" and amidst reports that female employees were joining in solidarity to walk out if Lemon was let back on set, to date all the network has reportedly required of the disgraced anchor is that he agree to "formal training"--whatever that means. In response, we can join in the ongoing backlash and be upset about it all, but doing so feels like a waste of energy.
From the New Earth perspective, what if this interaction has less to do with the spotlight on Lemon, and more to do with what's arising in its shadow? By this, I am referring to Harlow's question, "Prime for what?"
Her words are an unexpected provocation for owning and honoring what comes after a woman's conventional child-bearing years, which has been called the Crone stage of a woman's lifecycle. With the Baby Boom generation well into retirement age, and the Dalai Lama famously quoted as saying that the world will be saved by women, what if this moment (captured on television with Don Lemon's career as a metaphorical sacrifical lamb) is the world event serving as the first bookend to the reclaiming and rise of the Crone--the wisened woman synthesizing her knowledge, intuition and life experience into undeniable power?
We vote for the world we wish to live in by where we place our time and attention. Here are some suggestions to redirect the energy of this event and take the power back today:
- Turn off CNN for good. If you need more reasons to do so, read about CNN's culture/pattern of sexual misconduct here, here, here and here.
- "Unfollow" Don Lemon on social media.
- Instead, seek out Crones and follow them!
- Turn #primeforwhat into a hashtag and show the world what being in your prime means to you.
- If you aren't on social media, journal about it or share with a friend.
