This sums up my feelings in terms of the way politcians are looking in 2010. On all levels.
But, as a Democrat since the Reagan era in America — who is currently in exile from wherever my party seems to have gone, and as a Hillary Clinton supporter — I feel I have to speak my piece at this point. For women. Heterosexual women that is. Since my feminism relates to us.
“Danger, Will Robinson.”
“One is not born a woman, but becomes one.”
Simone de Beauvoir
Isn’t that the truth? Women who came of age during my generation post Roe v Wade sure did find that out. We came of age at the end of the whole sexual revolution that happened in the 1960’s. For us, that was the 1980’s. We had birth control at our disposal, and plenty of male partners to choose from. And they had us, so recently liberated, as it were.
Did they ever.
My generation used the term “patriarchy” a lot. Because, in the 80’s, armed with our degrees, we went to work and faced down what patriarchy means. I don’t know any women that haven’t had an abortion, because the man of their dreams didn’t want the baby. That happened to every girlfriend of mine. And it happened to me.
Those of us feminists who watched Hillary Clinton struggle during the Lewinsky scandal? Can you imagine our empathy for her as she stood proudly on the national stage in 2008?
That’s feminism for you. Her career is hers. This is a battle the second wave fought, for women.
Well, Bill Clinton had done something to her that is something the patriarchy thinks it can do. When it pleases.
Democratic feminists understand a woman’s plight. And struggle. How many women do you know that have been in bed with a man who said “I just don’t want to wear this condom. I can’t feel anything with it on.”
And then he proceeded to tear it off.
It’s an old chestnut to be even talking about these things, isn’t it?
No, not really.
This new crop of feminists calling themselves “grizzlies” are not feminists in terms of what has always been perceived as a vast sisterhood. The original sisterhood that women like Hillary Clinton worked for and understands was set up to care about exactly that. Sisters.
Feminists care what happens to women who are economically disadvantaged and cannot afford to bear children. Feminists would not ever say that it was okay to bear a child in the case of rape and incest. Feminists would want to ensure that birth control for women existed, and that women had access to family planning and education. It’s part of the code. Of what has been a sisterhood.
Now, as women we should all know that Roe v Wade gave a very convenient out to men. It really did. Because in my generation of men? Hardly any became fathers. They did not want to. They did not want the responsibility of that. This is on both the Republican and Democratic side of the story. Even the ones who became fathers? Didn’t stick around. For the most part.
They really didn’t.
All my women friends raised their children as single parents or were forced into second marriages. For economic reasons, when their husbands left.
So let’s look at facts.
Palin’s little wink and peep toe red shoes made the patriarchy drool for a time. But women see right through it. We really do. I can see now in retrospect what a very cagey little move McCain pulled by picking her to appeal to his male base. He tried to fool Democratic women, too. And I suppose we were fooled for a time, given all our disappointment over Hillary. And all the misogyny. And all the rest of it. Not to mention what Obama himself did when he gave her the finger and all the other things we saw.
In order to understand how the patriarchy operates? Look no further than Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer and so forth.
The patriarchy operates by entitlement, because they are men.
Actual feminists know that.
Pseudo-feminists aligned with this big co-opt deal post Hillary Clinton? Well?
You are not speaking to women’s issues in America.
Women are going to know that.
Especially women who have lived lives under patriarchy. Or women who have had multiple relationships with men, like most women I know. We live in an era where there is no nuclear family, anymore. A woman’s right to choose for herself her own destiny came from the early suffragettes and their ideas. The feminist movement was crystallized in the 60’s, lived out for real during the 80’s, and now we have now.
Given the statistics on poverty in the country at present? The lack of jobs for men and women? How do you suppose that trying to take away women’s rights any further than you have is going to help any woman in 2010?
What would be nice is if there could be some truthiness to the collapsed concept of a sisterhood. I expect the women in the Baby Boom proper are collectively rattled and pissed in the moment. It would be nice to see people like Oprah and Whoopi take this on.
In the meantime, a pertinent read…
Taylor Marsh (who I learned of back in 2008, from Riverdaughter’s blog at The Confluence). She wrote this piece for The Huffington Post.
But no one should be able to take a woman’s freedom away from her, which is what Sarah Palin and her feministic followers want to do. Anyone who tries to strip women of our individual freedoms is not for women’s rights, but also against women’s freedoms, and they most certainly aren’t a feminist in any real, true or important manifestation of the word.
Freedom is not just for men.
Human rights are women’s rights, which include individual freedom, which no one has the right to abridge.
Yesterday I posted a series of videos of Republican women and their views on incest and rape and abortion.
It’s a good idea to watch those snippets. In 2010.
If you are an American woman, and you are heterosexual, you had best concern yourself with what is calling itself feminism circa 2010.
Because you see, the patriarchy will be having its way with you as well, one of these days.
Actually? Given what we saw happen to Hillary Clinton during the last election?
I really wouldn’t want to be in your generation right now. Mine was difficult enough to have to live through.
VALENTINE BONNAIRE - WRITER 
I haven’t been commenting lately. Found a job. Finally.
I don’t think you understand that without a matriarchy which is composed of traditional culture carriers the patriarchy cannot perpetuate. Feminists are wasting their time questioning Sarah Palin’s feminist roots because she isn’t a feminist. She is a traditional young matriarch and the name of her movement-Mama Grizzlies represents a matriarchsl agenda of family values. Back in the day? Some Feminists attacked these values by degrading the traditional role of the mother. Of course that meme never affected some women for the most part. This is why women like Palin don’t care what some Feminists think–they were never feminists in the first place. Pretty simple really.
Both groups spend an inordinate amount of time arguiing about zygotes. Obviously Angle has the inability to empathize with real or in Vivo horror which doesn’t surprise me. While she defends the right of zygotes she wouldn’t hesitate to send Jonny to war to maintain the culture.
LikeLike
I had no idea what their agenda was? I do now.
Good news about you, how great. Missed ya. One thing about being a Matriarch going into politics? That’s a whole lot of women you have to be responsible for. I see the coat hanger redux, but I’m a feminist. Most feminists don’t let their kids get knocked up, either. Part of the feminist plan is that girls go to school — you can look at Hillary’s daughter to contrast. She was raised by a feminist mother. I was raised by a feminist mother, too. Feminists are thinking of “little sisters” — globally. Usually. What is sad is that this is my gen of women and as a feminist I’d like to be able to vote for them — but no. Not with their values. I support Hillary’s stances pro-choice/pro-life no late term. Zygote is not how to think of it. Also, I support women who would not bear Down’s syndrome kids. There is testing for that.
Assuming people have insurance. An abortion is a very sad thing.
LikeLike
ps: I forgot to ask you what you were doing and whether you like it? talk soon, maybe on the weekend…
LikeLike
Well you are harsh in your judgment of those who aren’t feminists. You say things that reveal this. Mothers–feminist or not sometimes end up with pregnant daughters. There is no broad stroke by which to categorize women. That is an impersonal judgment. You are old fashioned yourself in some ways even after all your worldly adventures.
Personally I don’t always agree with your assessments but who am I to disagree with your life and choices?
LikeLike
Think what you want. You can read my new post and see what the feminist heterosexual argument was. Our lives were very different Song, as women.
LikeLike
By the way Song. You might want to read this piece on what happens to women all the time, why I am a feminist, and what Sisterhood is about?
My feminism is not lesbian feminism coming out of the 70’s. We were heterosexual women who had relationships with men, and some of them were like this.
My feminism was to not see women in positions like this.
http://www.lifenews.com/state5473.html
You have read and commented on one story in my memoir, already. It made you cry, and you did not like the response a man named Old Mac left? That was some time ago as I recall.
The first two relationships I had with males? You will be hearing what happened. Women in my generation had to learn very hard lessons about the patriarchy. How it acts, what it does. Any women in politics who acts like Palin, O’Donnell and Angle?
Get some education about women and patriarchy.
It’s fine to be pro-life by me. It’s fine to be pro-choice as well.
My feminism was all about women and up from suffrage. Until you have seen the things and heard the things I saw as a therapist, you cannot know.
The three above know nothing about what the Women’s Movement was about, at all.
Not at all.
LikeLike
I think after I am presented with information. What I want to think is irrelevant.
LikeLike
I really like you a lot. I’m glad that you did not have to suffer what so many women have suffered? Nor did you ever have to make a choice. Right now, as a feminist, I am really concerned for young girls who are going to go through the same things I and my “Sisters” did. Feminism for us, as white women, was a solo thing as we came of age. There were no women to go to.
We are all just products of our times, and experiences. Heterosexual feminism coming from the lived experience in the late Second Wave has not been written yet.
I am! And I am writing Teenie Alexander, for that purpose. Feminists like me? Care about women. Women who will be involved with men. Because we know! Because we have been there.
That is not the case with the politicians who are trying to co-opt Feminism as if it were a brand for political gain. They have an agenda. But, they provide no remedy for the lone women in the stories below. They could care less, actually. They have a very limited and small town world view — which is fine, but not when you think you are actually going to help women. The three below want to overturn Roe. They also believe that rape and incest are not reasons to allow a woman an abortion. Disgusting. Inhuman and Unethical. All for a political agenda.
LikeLike