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Hundreds show up in SLO for “Day Without a Woman”

March 9, 2017

At least a couple hundred demonstrators gathered in downtown San Luis Obispo Wednesday to participate in “A Day Without a Woman.”

Participants marched from Meadow Park to Mission Plaza, where they held a rally and a moment of silence. The event coincided with the United Nations-sponsored International Women’s Day, and demonstrations took place worldwide on Wednesday.

The “Day Without A Woman” also came less than one month following the “Day Without Immigrants,” a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump. As was the case with the “Day Without Immigrants,” many people skipped work on Wednesday.

Women were also encouraged to avoid shopping, with the possible exception of in female-owned businesses. At Big Sky Cafe in downtown SLO, male workers wore red shirts saying “a day without a woman.” Big Sky Cafe closed its doors last month for the day without immigrants.

Leaders of the day without women event said demonstrators were recognizing the enormous value that women add to the socio-economic system. Likewise, demonstrators were bringing awareness to female workers’ vulnerability to lower wages, discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity.

San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, a feminist and longtime community organizer, released a statement in support of the day without women event.

“Today we take a moment to honor the women who surround our lives and celebrate their value in our society. We celebrate women as laborers, entrepreneurs, leaders and as mothers. This movement transcends politics and it goes way beyond this moment and this day,” Harmon wrote. “To be truly inclusive, the feminist movement needs to fight for both economic and social equality for women. It is not enough just to resist misogyny, we must also resist the deeper social problems that have normalized it. Looking to our daughters and their daughters as our next generations of leaders, we must all — men and women — stand against inequality and for the just future that all our people deserve.”


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Well that was a lot of bs press for nothing once again.


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The challenge for any “women’s movement” is to represent all women, and that’s the problem with today’s “A Day Without Women.” Not only does it ignore women who don’t support abortion, but it glosses over the experience of millions of women in the developing world who can’t afford to postpone their responsibilities.There has to be a better way of recognizing, appreciating, acknowledging, and equalizing women throughout the world.


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Pelican 1, may I suggest the “better way” is simply to seize each moment to use our words and actions to express and show our appreciation and love to the women *and* men who are special to us. My grandmother, a woman who I admired above all other women, used to say, “You don’t have to do anything special for me on Mother’s Day…just show me you love me every day.” She had it right!


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Well stated.


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According to the most recent estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau (2015) the population of San Luis Obispo County was 281,401, with 49.2% being female:


https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/06079


Usually, females make up slightly more than 50% in any given U.S. population area, but for the sake of discussion let’s assume that the Census Bureau estimates are accurate.


Using those figures, that would mean that approximately 138,449 females live in SLO County. Now, according to the article, “At least a couple hundred demonstrators gathered in downtown San Luis Obispo Wednesday to participate in “A Day Without a Woman.”


By stating “at least”, the article implies that more than “a couple hundred” attended. Let’s also assume that “a couple hundred” meant at least two hundred. Apparently some so-called “males” were included in that estimate, so, again just for the sake of discussion, let’s guesstimate that about 200 women attended, with the rest identified as “males.”


So, using these estimates and assumptions, that means that approximately 138,249 San Luis Obispo County females did NOT attend the event, while approximately 200 did.


Now, math was always my worst subject in school, so somebody please help me here: which number is larger- 138,249, or 200?


So, wouldn’t the headline of this, and any other article reporting on this event, logically better have read something like “Thousands do not show up in SLO for “Day Without a Woman”?


Or doesn’t the media use logic in reporting public discourse any more?


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Yeah, we were actually working and being awesome- just like every other day.


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Im not a fan of NPR, however they hit the nail on the head this am with their comment on this event. It belongs to rich white independently employed women. The majority of professional women who had no interest in attending stayed at their jobs. Those nurses, those women in important places,those professionals who chose to work and serve in their positions out of graciousness. For those who think women still have their “place” your ignorant. For the women who dont like where they are, or how their being treated, leave and move on to a new job,husband or whatever. Your like the fast food workers who expect $20 and hour for a low skills job.Educate yourself,work hard, nobody’s gonna do it for you, and those who hold you back could care less if you march, scream, paint yourself red or whatever.


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It is not enough just to resist MISANDRY, we must also resist the deeper social problems that are so desperately trying to “normalize” it today. How does that paraphrase feel?


The cavalier and erogenous overuse of the label “misogyny” is very common, deeply offensive and horribly divisive in this day and age.


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Erogenous?


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Great idea! Can you imagine how much the working man saved during this march when these women were not out abusing their husbands credit cards while shopping. In fact, because of this these guys might be able to take a little time off from overtime and second jobs.

My hat goes off to the real women who boycotted this and didn’t demonstrate while staying at work.


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I hope you have not pro-created. Don’t need anymore of that in a world that has science and spiritual faith of non cult ideals.


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Say what?


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Many women actually outearn their husbands, so we are actually spending our own money. Thanks for trying though. It was adorable!


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Exactly, CentralcoastRN! That original comment was absurd.


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Mayor Harmon, men and women are created distinctively different. Each sex has their own role, their unique way of communicating, and are unmistakable. Time-honored and widely-recognized roles. This is not to say that men are better than women or vice versa – just different. We are all humans.


“…Looking to our daughters and their daughters as our next generations of leaders, we must all — men and women — stand against inequality and for the just future that all our people deserve.”


What about the “just future” for ALL our future [citizens]? The greatest equality we see today is that both female and male citizens alike are being murdered here at an equal rate at abortion clinics. The greatest INequality is that the people who have been born into this life are declaring war on those who are helpless, have no voice, and are still in utero. At the swirl of the abortionist’s wrist, there is no distinction between male and female. This is equality at its worst! We miss our brothers and we must miss our sisters equally. We will miss our daughters and granddaughters. We will miss our sons and grandsons. They have been removed from our society FOREVER, through no choice of their own!


We should choose to promote life – not encourage death!


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Wouldn’t this march have been better if they’d hold it on a Saturday (a traditional “day off”)? Heck no, then they’d have actual skin in the game by doing it for free instead of burning sick time that the boss pays for.


Nobody I’ve spoken to (friends and employees) were for this red get together and I STRONGLY believe in equality for all…….just not at the expense of the working folks. Each woman who stayed home caused someone else to pick up their slack.


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Big Sky is going to politicize themselves right out of business. Then they will blame the Trump economy for their demise.


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