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Health & Fitness

Mr. Hewett's Blind Hypocrisy

Mr Hewett, we deplore your most recent remarks about women.

I remember once dreaming about becoming President of the United States in the first grade after reading about the Bush v. Gore 2000 race in the Scholastic books magazine. Fast-forward eight years; I was captivated by the fact that the two leading figures in the presidential sweepstakes of 2008 were both a female and an African-American. Four years since, I’ve realized that regardless of how far our nation has come in regards proving opportunities equally and fairly, our neighbors, friends, and (most evidently) our politicians will continue to make comments that alienate people who have the dream to work in a discipline that at one time, they wouldn’t have been allowed to be apart of. 

I say this because I’m completely disillusioned by the comments made by State Representative Ernest Hewett. This past week, he made a very chauvinistic comment towards a young girl testifying on additional funding for the CT Science Center. At the testimony, he made mysogynistic comments that were downright asinine, and his immaturity enveloped the entire Appropriations Committee hearing. 

Then, when I didn’t think it could get any worse, I read that Mr. Hewett refused to hire any female interns the last few year because he had he felt that “it was totally weird and didn't want another.” 

Mr. Hewett – Speaker Sharkey was right to take away your deputy speakership. 

I’m now reluctant to see Mr. Hewett in a positive light. His remarks about women validate comments made about all people that feel marginalized in our political system; sadly the system that Mr. Hewett once so proudly championed when advocating for Al Mayo. It can be difficult trying to navigate someone else’s paradigm and Mr. Hewett should especially know that. 

I think about the girl who’s just like me who lives in New London. Does it matter that she’s more qualified than every boy she’s competing with for that internship? In Mr. Hewett’s eye – she cannot be afforded that same opportunity because of the body she was born. What if this young girl was Al Mayo trying to keep his employment with the fire department? Rightfully, Mr. Hewett stood up for a cause that was greater than him, however that tenacity for equality does not apply towards women. I have never seen so much hypocrisy in politics like this, in a very long. 

Politics have provided me opportunities I would have never been able to relish had I not had the opportunity to intern. When I got my foray into politics, which is by and large a white affluent older male dominated field, I was surrounded by people who treated me equally and saw my diversity (as a young black and Latino man) not as a handicap but as an asset to bettering politics as a whole. Those people I now call my mentors, and they’ve played a significant role in my life. I had hoped that many of our public servants including Mr. Hewett, still shared the common belief that all people regardless of colors, age, gender or sexual orientation could proudly serve in the political system.

I had to share this sentiment not for political grandstanding, but because I genuinely find Mr. Hewett’s comments to be very disturbing. Again, the same belief Mr. Hewett shared about Al Mayo’s service in the fire department should be applied just as equally to cause of women in public service. Women are disproportionally represented in the makeup up of legislatures both statewide and nationally. Regardless of that, how could anyone in their right mind attempt to restrict young girls from being apart of the political process because they make you uncomfortable in your office? I’m shocked at the fact that this man has made it so far in public service.

So Mr. Hewett, if you truly believe in the many views you’ve shared with us this week, I welcome you to a debate on what it means to be respectful to women or for that matter, any issue you’d like to deliberate on. 

I wholeheartedly deplore your remarks.

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