Mama-bear Syndrome terrifies the Trump-era GOP... and it should
A different look at Mother's Day
TAT readers,
In honor of this coming Sunday’s Mother’s Day, today I am writing to not only honor mothers, but women all together, as the mightiest of resources in the fight against the Republican Party’s toxic misogynism and plethora of other immoral, illegal and unconstitutional actions. Throughout American history, our nation’s women have pursued justice for centuries to become fully equal. They are not their yet and for Mother’s Day, I wish to applaud and revere their courage and tenacity.
All my life I’ve heard in a variety of forms an old saying; “I brought you into this world and I can take you out as well.” This was nearly always spoken in jest, but today’s essay about the role women have played throughout history as undaunted advocates against tyranny and oppression have clearly demonstrated that they are indefatigable “mama bears,” willing to stand in the breech to protect her children. They are often called mama bears. There is even a name for their ethical and tenacious pursuit of justice, the “mama bear effect.”
"Have you ever met a creature more fierce than a mother who is worried about her children? That’s surely where the moniker "mama bear" comes from. The peaceful black bears who used to wander into my backyard as a child were very nurturing to their cubs. But even as kids we knew not to go near their cubs; that mama bear would kill us in a heartbeat if she thought her cubs were threatened." - Motherhood Changes the Decision-Making Area of the Brain - Psychology Today - Reviewed by Gary Drevitch - July 20, 2020
Most of us have seen the mama bear effect in various times and places in our lives. These can include, the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her babies, as an advocate for combatting child abuse, bullying and especially, child sexual abuse, but also in a hundred different situations when our mothers or other women in our lives, will fiercely stand up to overwhelming opposition. Yes, there are papa bears as well and they can be just as fierce in defense of their families as women, but then again, it is the mother that carries and delivers life. Their unique connective bond with the children they carry, deliver and nurture, is far different from what a man experiences.
I saw this in my own mother. Though a quiet and polite woman to a fault, once her jaw was set defending the indefensible threats to my brother and I, it was wise to pay attention. I’ve seen it in family members and friends who’ve adopted, fostered or otherwise supported children without access to their own mother or similar support systems. If I were today’s GOP, drunk on toxic misogyny and abuse of all who are not male, white Christian Nationalists and extremely right-wing, I would be paying a great deal of attention to the power of all mothers and women in general. I believe women to be a greatly under-empowered strength, for fighting back against the blanket immorality and abuse by today’s Republicans, against all of America’s children.
As I have long indicated, I believe today’s DNC to be AWOL from the resistance in any meaningful way. If they are reading this, I hope they take the hint to prioritize women, as the collective Joan d’Arc of the resistance movement. There are no fiercer warriors than women operating as mama bears. There are countless historical examples of how a woman or a movement of like-minded women have made and changed history. Today, I wish to bring you some insightful history to the role women have played in advocating for and achieving justice for their children or the children of others, up to and including, entire nations. I like to think of the women of our once proud nation, as American Amazons, comparable to the once thought mythical women warriors of Greek mythology.
"Amazons, in mythology, are a group of female warriors prominently featured in ancient Greek narratives. These women formed a distinct society characterized by their rejection of traditional female roles, engaging in combat, hunting, and land cultivation. The myths describe them as fierce and skilled fighters, equal to men in battle. The Amazons were said to inhabit the land of Thermodon, with their capital in Themiscyra, ruled by a queen. In Greek mythology, they appear in notable stories, such as the tasks of Heracles and the Trojan War, striving to gain recognition as formidable opponents. Historically, the existence of Amazons was long regarded as fictional until archaeological findings in the 21st century suggested that warrior women resembling the Amazons did exist, particularly in regions of northern Turkey and Ukraine. These discoveries revealed that women of the Sauromatian culture were buried with weapons, indicating their role as warriors. The myth of the Amazons, influenced by observations of real-life female tribes and cultural exchanges, has continued to capture the imagination across various periods and has inspired numerous artistic representations throughout history." - Amazons (mythology) - EBSCO - Authored By: Caffrey, Cait
Onward
Today, I’ll tell you a couple of short stories that clearly show American women’s untiring and ferocious determination when they feel unseen and unheard. As far as women’s rights have come in my lifetime, there are still significant hurdles to being fully equal. Today’s GOP is actively reversing many of those gains and have charted a course for even fewer rights for women. As you will see in the following historical examples, these misogynist Republicans are in for a fight to the finish with women, and the men that respect and honor them, me included.
From the very beginning of our nation, there were women who rankled at being second class citizens without a vote, property rights and countless other restrictions from full citizenship. President and founder John Adam’s wife Abigail was one of these women outspoken against giving men “unlimited power” over the women in our nascent nation. Despite our founders being overwhelmingly progressive for their era or “woke,” there were notable vacancies in their wokeness, with women’s rights and slavery being a glaring examples.
"In the nation’s founding generation, Abigail Adams engaged directly with questions of law and representation, urging that the new republic avoid replicating old injustices. As the nation took shape, she wrote to her husband to “remember the ladies” when creating new laws and cautioned against granting husbands “unlimited power.” Her letters are among the earliest writings in our country calling for the expansion of women’s rights." - The Women Who Built Our Democracy Before It Included Them - The Bush Center - Alexis Yelvington - March 05, 2026
Ironically, I grew up in an America where a man was not considered manly, if he oppressed and abused women within his family, community or nation. Such behavior was generally considered shameful and this belief crossed all political, racial or religious barriers. Of course, such toxic behavior did occur at the time, and more often than anyone wishes to recall, but was never condoned, hence the secrecy such men impose on those they abuse and habitually disrespect.
"Project 2025 seeks to impose a hierarchal, gendered, patriarchal vision of society. It is particularly focused on enforcing a vision of the family that relies on fixed and narrowly defined gender roles and in undermining protections that enable women and LGBTQI+ people to thrive outside of a male-dominated, heterosexual family." - Project 2025: What It Means for Women, Families, and Gender Justice - National Women's Law Center
Today, the GOP indoctrinates men to behave abusively towards women and in fact, rewards them for it, therefore removing that previous social stigma. Project 2025 even codifies critical parts of their beliefs about women. The oft employed comparison of the GOP to The Handmaid’s Tale, is frighteningly accurate. Abusive Christian Nationalism wields theological guilt and punishment as weapons, to “keep women in their place.”
American women’s movements
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
The American Suffragette movement
The acquisition of the right to vote for women in America, took 132 years of hard fought battles with family, communities and yes, the US government. How tragic, that in a nation where we proclaimed in our founding documents that we were all “equal,” women and a wide spectrum of other Americans were not, and remain so under Trump-era Republican administrations. Slavery ended and former male slaves acquired voting rights, long before women would. Of course, these former male slaves experienced countless obstacles to voting, while that courageous women of all races toiled on for another 55 years after the Civil War, before they managed to have the legal right to vote.
Suffrage, was finally achieved when congress finally ratified the 19th amendment in 1920. The truth is, that it was actually born of the courageous and dogged determination of a long list of remarkable women, beginning in 1848 and 60 years after the ratification of our constitution. Those heroines in Seneca, NY in 1848 were the birth mothers and with little more than their own strong will, they began growing a powerful national coalition of women and notable men like Frederick Douglas to advance their cause. The 1848 Seneca convention was convened by a combination of activist abolitionists and suffragettes, seeking universal suffrage. There were famous names like Susan B. Anthony, a talented strategist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who initiated the first conference in NY, Dr. Alice Paul, a fiery activist who among others, led protests outside the White House from 1917-1919 despite beatings and harassment.
Then there is one of the most remarkable stories in the movement such as that of a former slave named Sojourner Truth who despite a lifetime of tragedy, still made an extraordinary difference in the movement. In an iconic speech in Akron, Ohio in 1851 she made one of the most powerful speeches in American history for slave and women’s rights, called, “Ain’t I a Woman.” Surprising to most Americans, Helen Keller was a self-described “militant suffragette” who wielded her significant public notoriety in support of a wide variety of civil rights causes including suffrage.
"A self-described “militant suffragette,” Keller used the considerable notoriety she gained in her adolescence to advocate for others for the rest of her life. In 1913, Keller participated in the large parade known as the “Woman Suffrage Procession” in Washington, DC. Her interest in women’s rights was rooted in her connections to contemporary labor movements. Keller was particularly interested in working people’s issues, including industrial safety standards, which led to membership in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Keller’s radical politics also included supporting the movement to increase access to birth control for women. When a biographical film called Deliverance, which featured Keller, premiered in New York City, she joined with striking actors instead of attending." - Helen Keller - National Park Service
These are just a handful of the extraordinary women who brought the vote to their sisters. As I was researching this essay, I found names I was familiar with and far more that I wasn’t. The list of heroines that willed the 19th amendment into our constitution, is very long indeed. These early advocates stretched to every corner of our nation and included warriors of every race, religion and ethnicity. Without them, who knows how long women would have been without a vote. As many readers know, I read a great deal of history. Reacquainting myself with the suffragette movement for this essay, has been nothing short of inspiring. Like Helen Keller, most of these warriors, supported many causes associated with what today we call civil rights.
The ERA, Equal Rights Amendment
In 1923, just three years after congress ratified the women’s right to vote, Dr. Alice Paul was relentless to continue her advocacy for national equality and managed to introduce the ERA to congress. Every year, hers and other’s advocacy persistently prodded congress to take up the ERA. It wouldn’t be until 1940 though that the ERA acquired enough bi-partisan support to get the amendment onto the floor of congress. Then, in 1955, Representative Martha Wright Griffiths (D-MI) was elected to congress and she would then champion the proposed amendment. It would take her until 1970 to acquire enough support to get the ERA out of the Judiciary Committee and onto the floor of congress. The House would pass the bill and the Senate would offer an amendment, but there would not be enough time left in the 1970 congressional session to get the bill passed. During the debate in the House of Representatives, she was famously quoted.
"Mr. Speaker, this is not a battle between the sexes—nor a battle between this body and women. This is a battle with the Supreme Court of the United States.” - Representative Martha Wright Griffiths
It wasn’t until 2020 that enough states had ratified the ERA for it to become law, but via a complicated set of legal issues surrounding expired time limits for enough states to ratify the amendment, it remains unpublished, a requirement for it to become law. The first Trump administration issued a memo opposing publication of the passed amendment in our constitution, therefore rendering it a dead amendment. In 2023, a DC appeals court would seal its fate for the time being with a ruling on upholding the original time limits for ratification. The advocates for equal rights for women and all Americans, won’t give up. They are still mama bears protecting everyone from discrimination. They’ve been diligently and actively pursuing this goal since 1848 and they’ve overcome far worse obstructions to their intentions.
Throughout US and world history, it has been women, often working without pay and recognition that have changed our world and its history. It is a mistake to underestimate their power and most especially when they are focused on protecting those disadvantaged by rights, wealth, disability or sex. In today’s America, we are learning how to deal with a variety of gender issues and yes, women are again on the front lines of fighting for equality. As a parent, I well understand that parents love their children, even though we may not like their behavior at times. Mama bear syndrome takes this to an entirely new level.
No matter how much the MAGA GOP threatens our guaranteed constitutional rights, there are two strikes against them. First, Americans don’t back down from bullies and secondly, anyone taking on legions of women warriors has extremely poor judgement. Throughout our history, women have made remarkable contributions to our nation and the world.
It’s no secret that the Trump administration does not respect women and is building a culture of toxic masculinity. The lifelong sexual predator and probable child sexual predator has a lifetime of well-documented abuse and disrespect for women. His Secretary of Defense and several other members of his cabinet are only slightly better, if at all. Project 2025 outlines limiting rights for women and all others that are not white Christian Nationalist males. No more women or officers of color, occupy top Pentagon positions since Hegseth’s purges. The only cabinet members purged from his cabinet are women and every single day there’s a new revelation regarding Trump’s close association with Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Even worse, Republicans are now considering a pardon, clemency or a commuted sentence for Maxwell, a convicted sex and child sex trafficker.
The Republicans in his administration and congress, are doing all possible, up and to include breaking the law, to protect Trump from his obvious involvement in the most outrageous and disgusting scandal in American history. I nor any other honest American can understand how any woman can vote for Trump, his cronies and his party considering his humiliating record with women and children. I have daughters and granddaughters that I fear for with this version of the Republican Party in charge of our nation. In America, not only do women now have lesser rights, but are apparently, legitimate prey, for the those in favor with the Republican Party.
As we head into the midterms, I see toxic masculinity, sexual predation and coverups as a primary narrative against the depravity of GOP rule. Women and others disenfranchised by one gender issue or another, must be empowered and supported robustly against the depravity of MAGA oppression on all causes, not just gender. As I watch congressional hearings, I see women representatives and Senators mincing Republican witnesses with intelligence, facts and perseverance. They are completely fearless against the cowardly bullying by Republican witnesses. It’s true that men in congress are doing the same, but then again, they are not risking as much personally as women and others regarding gender. I penned a powerful essay on this in July of 2024 during the run-up to the November presidential election.
If the DNC can’t be convinced to get in the game, we must do it for them. American women have long proved that they can succeed on their own, but why should they? If we fail to defend everyone’s rights, we would not be honoring the very constitution that we claim to love. This is the intent of our constitution and literally what it means to have liberty. Here in the US, we fought a civil war to set men free. Don’t you think we should commit ourselves equally in support of women? Throughout this last dozen years or so of Trump Republicanism, I have long wondered how Republican politicians can look their wives, daughters and granddaughters in the eye when they go home. They are severing the rights of all women, including the ones in their own families.
My final thoughts on this topic are relatively simple and pointedly straightforward. Women bear the children that become our future citizens. These mama-bears and the men who support them are our future. While most men have evolved towards total equality for all Americans, those running our republic have not. It incenses me watching Pete Hegseth’s drunken, toxic masculinity degrade the service of women in our military. My first wife was one of the best soldiers in our company. I’ve served with women within the US Special Operations Command in combat zones that were nothing short of extraordinary in every way.
Lastly, when I see my daughters and granddaughters I see our future. There is zero chance that I will not defend the equality of their citizenship. If everyone saw the women in their families, communities and our nation in a similar fashion, there would be no Trump or MAGA Republicans. Sure, they claim to love the women in their lives too, but not as full citizens with an equal stake in our future. That is not America my friends and until we realize this, there will always be a MAGA or MAGA-like threat to the founding principles of liberty, that our founders foresaw for our young nation.
Bravo and thank you to all mothers who are “mama-bears” for their own or other’s children. True patriots will always be honored stand next to you in your quest for equality and respect, me included. Not ahead of or behind you, but shoulder to shoulder. So long as you remain fierce defenders of our future, the words from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address will ring true; “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Happy Mother’s Day and thank you to all,
Paul