THE NOTORIOUS RBG: The weight of a lifetime

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: ANDREW LASSETTER DRIBBBLE.COM/ALASSETTER

THE RBG WORKOUT

WARM-UP Five minutes

FRONT PLANKS Two sets/30 seconds

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SIDE PLANKS One set/15 to 30 seconds on each side

WALL SQUATS WITH EXERCISE BALL Three sets/10 to 12 repetitions

PUSHUPS WITH WEIGHTED BALL One set/10 to 12 repetitions on each side

KNEE LIFTS One set/10 to 12 repetitions on each leg

SIT-TO-STAND WITH WEIGHTED BALL Three sets/eight to 10 repetitions

COOL-DOWN Stretching neck, back, arms and legs

Now, follow this routine two times a week, eat healthy, and combine with over two decades of excellence as a justice of the Supreme Court of the US, and more than a decade as a judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Couple with being a brilliant university teacher, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, mother of two (without mentioning being an octogenarian!), then maybe you will have a taste of the heavy weight Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to carry.

And she did so with immense grace, elegance and strength.

The RBG Workout, a book by her longtime personal trainer Bryant Johnson, gave the public a glimpse of Justice Ginsburg’s private life. She died a few weeks ago, on Sept. 18, 2020, at 87 years of age.

One can argue against American colonialism or how annoyingly familiar non-Americans like myself are with the American zeitgeist. But this proximity also has its advantages. Because of it, the whole world has access to a pantheon of wonderful and inspiring figures, and Justice Ginsburg is undeniably one of the highlights of this group.

During the entirety of her career, she advocated in favour of women’s rights and gender equality, paving the way for many women to come.

In the case United States v. Virginia (1996), the majority opinion was written by Ginsburg, in which it was decided that the Virginia Military Institute (at the time, a male-only institute) should start to accept women. The case was a breakthrough for women’s rights and admission policies in universities.

In Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), the Supreme Court decided in favour of two women with mental disabilities who were previously ordered to remain living in a psychiatric institution, even after a number of medical professionals attested that they could live healthy lives in community-based programs. In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) many same-sex couples sued the states they lived in over policies banning same-sex marriages. Ginsburg’s vote, along with her fellow Justices, ended up revoking the bans and legalizing same-sex marriage all over U.S. And these are just the tip of the iceberg of Ginsburg’s career.

In 2013, already in her eighties, Ginsburg experienced an ascension to pop icon. Inspired by her recent dissent defending voting rights, law student Shana Knizhnik dubbed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg the Notorious RBG by creating a Tumblr account with the same name in her homage.

The title is a take on the famous rapper The Notorious BIG, and they had more in common than just their names. As Ginsburg herself later said, they were both “born and bred in Brooklyn, New York.” She never disliked the comparison. She embraced it with pride.

After the success of Knizhnik’s Tumblr, the internet did its job and many images started to appear, often depicting Ginsburg with BIG’s iconic crown. The powerful image is much more than just an obvious visual association, it ironically mixes two symbols of two district branches of power: the executive (the crown) and the judicial (justice Ginsburg herself).

This separation and independence of the three powers (legislative, executive and judicial) are fundamental to democracy, but for this reflection, we can benefit from an exception.

Justice Ginsburg was tolerant but unapologetic. Respectful but firm. She not only accepted changes, but she fought for them in her tireless search for equality and justice. These character traits found in justice Ginsburg are the least we should expect from someone holding the executive power. They are the least we should expect from a president or prime minister.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for many to come, when she subverted the oppressive structures around her and flourished in a world filled with unfair obstacles. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg elevated our standards. Standards that we should keep high. She won’t be easily replaced. She won’t (and shouldn’t!) be quickly replaced.

She will remain in our memories as a champion of human rights, a champion of women’s rights, a champion of LGBTQ+’s rights. Long live the Notorious RBG!

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