One of the Movies About Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Because I haven’t been to the movies for a while, it seemed fitting to see one of the movies about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, On the Basis of Sex. I was using the Regal app on my phone to check out the shows at a specific theater in Kona, and that movie was not on the list. On a hunch, I tried the Fandago app, and sure enough, the movie was playing at the Regal Theater. So I bought my ticket on Fandango instead of through Regal. That was a weird thing,

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always been my hero for as long as I can remember. She is a true crusader of women’s rights, and we need more people like her. The United States still has not managed to pass the ERA, giving everybody equal rights, you know. Our advances haven’t quite yet made up for the distance we still need to go.

In case you think we don’t need women’s rights, and I know there are some people who, for whatever reason, do not understand why we do, here is a good example. This weekend a carpenter came over to make some much needed repairs that the other contractors managed to mess up. As we chatted, he mentioned that he and his girlfriend live up the hill. He actually said, “I would have you over to see our house but my girlfriend is a terrible housekeeper.”

Do I keep quiet when people say things like that? Don’t see how I can. Keeping quiet is complacency at best and conveys a message that one agrees or at least tolerates, and I will do neither. I gave him a piece of mind by reminding that women were not put on the earth to clean house, and he should be equally as responsible for keeping his house tidy.

Also, in the movie, we see Ruth Bader Ginsburg as an overachiever, which she was, but also a bit of a nervous klutz. They make up stuff in movies for dramatic effect as I doubt RBG was nervous. She strikes me as a woman who would have been so well prepared and organized that there would be no room for anxiety, much less wearing anxiety on her sleeve.

Being a smart women, RBG won a landmark tax case (co-presented with her supportive tax lawyer husband) that would not allow a man to be considered a caregiver for tax purposes because he was not a woman and unmarried. It made perfect sense to show a man was discriminated against on the basis of his gender when you’re dealing with other men.

An unexpected part I thoroughly enjoyed was when the real Ruth Bader Ginsburg walked up the steps of the Supreme Court dressed in a blue suit, the same color blue she wore when attending Harvard Law as one of 9 women. Oh, and the closing song: Here Comes the Change, by Kesha. Loved it. Will probably be nominated for an Oscar.

Two thumbs up for the movie, On the Basis of Sex.