Rosie's Heart
I've heard people either love her or hate her. How can that be? To hate Rosie is to hate the best part of ourselves. The part that is real.
I just finished Rosie O'Donnell's book celebrity detox Like the poet ee cummings, Rosie writes in lower case and speaks the unvarnished truth. She is incapable of being phony. Like the poet ee cummings, she is ridiculed for being unique. In a nation at war, afraid and hated around the world, we hide in groups of conformity. But, not Rosie. ee cummings wrote:
"...here is the deepest secret that nobody knows. Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky of a tree called life which grows higher than the soul can hope or the mind can hide."
The root--the bud--the sky--the soul--and the mind. The essence of the girl who turned into a woman on her own following her mother's death. How could anyone NOT like Rosie? As long as there are Rosies in America, women will never wear Burkas. If someone tries to make them, at least the offender's DNA will be under her fingernails. She fights back. In a man, this is called courage. In a woman, this is labeled "self destructive."
The Rosie's of this world do not let the world define them, they define the world, and they teach our daughters that being objectified is not the same as being loved. They show our daughters that interesting women come in all sizes and they teach our daughters to think for themselves by displaying intelligence and humor.
She is the kind of woman insecure men both hate and fear. Hers is a voice that will not be silenced by the absurdities of government and corporate ordained lies of our times. In return the worst-kind-of-men vilify her. This is why the best kind of women and men must stand up for her.
Last week I turned on my computer and there on the Comcast home page was another picture of Rosie. My eyes widened, my brows buckled together, yikes it was scary. It was the sort of manipulated picture of Rosie that frightened-little-men like to photoshop into a caricature. Her face was snarled and contorted like a Halloween mask. She was probably caught acting silly, but the video was manipulated and frozen into a still frame that would have scared trick or treaters. She won't conform, so she is defiled.
Comcast, of course, America's largest purveyors of pornography, were the culprits. Objectifying women is one way Comcast makes its billions. What do they do with a woman who refuses to be objectified? They make her ugly. How predictable. Take a "Velveteen" heart and paint on an ugly face. Do we really expect Comcast and the likes of Donald Trump to see Rosie? You have to be real to recognize it in another. Thank God they don't like her. What a relief.
When my niece was a little girl, her father heard the kids outside complaining, "You always get to be the leader," they said accusingly. My niece, eight years old at the time, turned to the kids and said with exhausted impatience, "Okay," pointing at the other kids in the yard, "You're a leader, you're a leader, and you're a leader,-- now all the leaders follow me!" That's Rosie.
Last night my daughter walked in while I was finishing Rosie's book. She said, "Oh Mom, can I read it when you are done?" "Sure," I said. She walked into the other room and yelled, "Rosie is such a beautiful woman with a vision, I love her. How could they put her on a show called The View and then demand she not have one?"
Bingo.
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Rosie rocks. She is one of the most generous and compasionate of the celebrity crowd. All the proceeds from her book go to charity. When she had the Rosie O'Donnell TV show she signed off fifty million to charity. She's an amazing person and yes I agree she is also a national treasure.
It's always been obvious to me that Rosie is a sensitive and generous person, especially where children and the elderly are concerned. I agree she is feared by many men because of her superficial nonconformity. In reality she shares many thoughts and opinions with women who are more widely tolerated for their liberal leanings, women like Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Kathy Griffin and Sally Field to name a few. The difference is that these women are conventionally sexy. No man ever wanted to hear what Bella Abzug had to say either.
Thanks for the great article. It is about time she is given the credit she deserves. I don't agree with everything she says but I love
her passion. She is for real, take it or leave it.
I was with you until you hit upon a subject you're obviously only superficially familiar with - the burka. "As long as there are Rosies in America, women will never wear Burkas." I personally know many women from the Middle East who personally wear the traditional outfit as a way of holding on to an identity they feel is under attack by misguided and ignorant forces that seek to destroy all. They see the propanda (like the idea about the burka being a subservient symbol when those who wear it consider it as empowering) by those imposing their vision of the world with one large delibitating footprint squashing all hopes of peace. Rosie surprisingly has the ability to see beyond her small world view and appreciates the fact that there are other ways of being out there which are equally valid - as long as it doesn't involve impinging on the rights and well-being of others.
I WISH ROSIE WOULD NOT FALL FOR THOSE GIRL ARGUEMENTS THEY SUCKER HER INTO.
Great article about an American Treasure.F
I not only get Rosie, but I love her too. Because there are some of us intelligent women that use our natural passions for the advocacy of intelligent thought and discussion and the questioning of the status quo, and not tying up our energies in narcissistic pursuits of the perfect make-up and outfit to seduce a man. Some of us know that looks are fleeting, but a large heart and passion for selflessness will give us a life with meaning. Some of us want to be the best women we can be, and I personally am so grateful to have Rosie as a role model for courage, intelligence, and a heart. I too, live with depression and anxiety like Rosie does, and for us with these diseases, our symptoms include very quick thought processing and passionate replies that are always misunderstood and misinterpreted because of our society's collective ignorance about what mental illness looks like. We need to stop holding individuals' accountable for their symptoms. Its time we create a world that includes all people, not to judge, criticize, and condemn those that are not like everyone else.
i agree that rosie speaks her mind but what's on her mind is kinda nuts so maybe that's not a good thing. a 2 year old will speak their mind but no one mistakes that for courage.
Leslie is exactly right: Rosie is the kind of woman insecure men hate and fear. So Donald Trump is insecure.
She speaks her mind and is called a bitch. He does the same and it's chuckled at, cast aside and forgotten.
Great post Leslie.
Rosie is a real person. Not perfect in some fake mass media sense, but honest emotional and courageous.
How predictable to see some Bush lovers here, attack Rosie on the 911 issue. How lame.
It is nice to see a favorable article on Rosie here at huffpo because usually they are guilty of the Comcast style hit pieces with bad photos, short negative headlines and other pettiness.
America needs more Rosie's to stand up and be real.
Peace.
Well put. I plan on saving this and sending to people that try to knock her down. I know she is an easy target, but when people like Donald Trump attack her for the way she looks, it reveals more about them. I don't agree with everything she says, but I love that she is not afraid to say them.
This is a woman who believes we attacked ourselves on 9-11, and thinks anyone who has views different from hers is delusional and a mouthpiece for her opposition.
Yet, she won't answer reporter's questions about her views of 9-11....
And you make her out to be some sort of courageous figure for her views?
Where's the courage in hiding from serious questions?
You want some cookies with the Kool-Aid?
No. I really don't like her. Yeah, I get her.
Bingo, Bango, Bongo, I don't wanna leave the Congo, oh no no no! Old lyrics are great, as was the original Rosie doing the Stand-up routines and all. I loved 'er then, I don't no more.
I cant stand the Lesbian penchant for anger and Rosie was typical. She hid her sexuality very well and for some time, then she went public and exploited that for all its worth.
Gay egotism is beyond normal limits. Rosie acts out expert-like on any implulse, and then explodes angrily when questioned.
Too bad. I wish 'er well though!
I've always found Rosie funny and engaging, and will probably remain a fan of hers forever. What you say about her heart is true. But she needs to learn to keep her mouth shut about stuff she knows nothing about. What she says about 9-11 being an "inside job" and a "scam" (because of what she's read about metallurgy!) is downright embarrassing. If she weren't a celebrity, no one would pay attention. Don't abuse the privilege, Rosie.
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