Trumpeted as The Notorious RBG, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has defied the stereotype that women stop being relevant after 30 and has become a cultural icon for her ideals, her passion, and her courage.
Over the course of her long career, she’s altered the language of laws that upheld views that women were second-class citizens. She's triumphed over insurmountable obstacles for U. S. women to have careers, that had been inaccessible based on their gender, directly through her own in a field that did not accept women in the higher courts.In doing so, she's created a legal landscape where women have a fighting chance for equal rights. The documentary, RBG, chronicles Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life and monumental achievements in U.S. law. Hitting theatres this month, it's quickly become a box office hit and earned a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 94 percent. Audiences are walking away with a general overview of Ginsburg's legacy, and perhaps some life lessons. |
Here are seven takeaways from the documentary about her life and legacy.
1. Read up on the Constitution
Know your rights so that you can protect yourself and others if and when you encounter any injustice. Though there are different interpretations of the text, the text itself remains the same. If you ever need to defend your rights, you'll need to base your arguments on the Constitution. Start a book club if you're feeling inspired. Ginsburg says herself the one amendment to lock in on is the 14th, which affirms equal protection of the law for U.S. citizens.
Know your rights so that you can protect yourself and others if and when you encounter any injustice. Though there are different interpretations of the text, the text itself remains the same. If you ever need to defend your rights, you'll need to base your arguments on the Constitution. Start a book club if you're feeling inspired. Ginsburg says herself the one amendment to lock in on is the 14th, which affirms equal protection of the law for U.S. citizens.
2. Don’t despair – act
The Red Scare inspired Ruth to pursue her career as a conduit for positive change. These may be dark political times around the world, but don't let that defeat you; let that be the impetus to take action: be more informed and more active in communities. Challenge everything. Don’t take assumptions for granted… and assume everything is an assumption.
The Red Scare inspired Ruth to pursue her career as a conduit for positive change. These may be dark political times around the world, but don't let that defeat you; let that be the impetus to take action: be more informed and more active in communities. Challenge everything. Don’t take assumptions for granted… and assume everything is an assumption.
3. Befriend your opponents
Despite their polar-opposite political views and perceptions of the law, and almost always voting in opposition in the court, Justices Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia managed to maintain a close friendship through humor. The collegial mentality amongst the justices on the court, as Ginsburg says, makes their jobs bearable. People are complicated and three-dimensional. Be willing to see all sides of a person, but don't mistake that for pandering to their views. |
4. Never act in anger
When you react on a strong emotion like anger, as Ginsburg says, you risk defeating yourself in the process. If you're shouting or losing control, you become a spectacle. Instead, take a step back to understand your anger, respect it, and then use it towards a goal— ideally a common goal.
When you react on a strong emotion like anger, as Ginsburg says, you risk defeating yourself in the process. If you're shouting or losing control, you become a spectacle. Instead, take a step back to understand your anger, respect it, and then use it towards a goal— ideally a common goal.
5. Find your fighting style
Justice Ginsburg's life purpose has been in challenging laws that enabled gender discrimination. She didn't approach it in protests and demonstrations, though historically peaceful protests have a 53 percent success rate. While not everyone has the ability to participate in demonstrations, there are other ways to be part of a positive change. Ginsburg took up the task as a lawyer with the ACLU in the 1970s, and won five out of six appeals in major civil rights cases. |
6. Social change takes time, but more-so action
In the 1970s, employers could fire a woman for being pregnant, banks required that a woman’s husband cosign on her credit application, and there was no prosecution fo men who raped their wives. It's not an exhaustive list but it gives an idea of how the social justice landscape has changed for women. Though equity has yet to be reached and progress is hardly a straight-shot. Bear in mind the strides made in civil liberties when confronting today's social and political landscape.
In the 1970s, employers could fire a woman for being pregnant, banks required that a woman’s husband cosign on her credit application, and there was no prosecution fo men who raped their wives. It's not an exhaustive list but it gives an idea of how the social justice landscape has changed for women. Though equity has yet to be reached and progress is hardly a straight-shot. Bear in mind the strides made in civil liberties when confronting today's social and political landscape.
7. Voice your dissent
In recent years, Justice Ginsburg's statements of dissent have been celebrated on social media as something of an event. Perhaps most notably in 2000, she caused a stir by diverting from the usual closing: "I respectfully dissent" and wrote instead: "I dissent" when countering a decision that determined the presidential election in Bush v. Gore. Voicing a disagreement on the Supreme Court level holds power for later cases. She's made dissent so fashionable that she even wears a special collar when announcing them.
As David Cole of the Washington Post puts it: "...dissents are appeals to our better judgment. The majority prevails, but the dissenter’s role is by far the more romantic; it is the work of the individual who, on principle, stands against the crowd." While daily life may not always involve a high court hearing, voicing your disagreement can do more good than staying silent..
In recent years, Justice Ginsburg's statements of dissent have been celebrated on social media as something of an event. Perhaps most notably in 2000, she caused a stir by diverting from the usual closing: "I respectfully dissent" and wrote instead: "I dissent" when countering a decision that determined the presidential election in Bush v. Gore. Voicing a disagreement on the Supreme Court level holds power for later cases. She's made dissent so fashionable that she even wears a special collar when announcing them.
As David Cole of the Washington Post puts it: "...dissents are appeals to our better judgment. The majority prevails, but the dissenter’s role is by far the more romantic; it is the work of the individual who, on principle, stands against the crowd." While daily life may not always involve a high court hearing, voicing your disagreement can do more good than staying silent..