Re: Sarah Palin and the Feminists: What went Wrong
I want to say, though, I know just as many conservativewomen or non-feminist women who are just as adamant that everyone should live their way, on theirterms as I do feminists who think the same way. When you’ve got women who picket abortion clinics and hurl insults at women who enter (not all, but some do this), or you’ve got mothers who glare at, talk badly about, or even chastise other mothers who hold jobs, or when you’ve got women like Sarah Palin who would get up on a stage to argue that anyone who disagrees with her isn’t a “real” American…is it really safe to argue that only feminists are the ones who are angry or demand that the world see it their way? Within any population or group, there are always people who think and act like this. Why do we freak out so much when some feminists do it?
Beyond that, I absolutely agree with what you believe the objective for feminism should be, and I think for many women it is. At least, I know that’s a lot of what I’m about.
Of course. Of course there are members of every ideological group that become so consumed by their own personal opinion that they will border on hypocrisy. However, I feel that anyone who uses feminism as a way of defining their character or person has a greater responsibility to defend any woman who needs it.
I don’t believe that the defense to Sarah Palin should have come as voting for her or agreeing with what she said, I didn’t vote for her and I agreed with almost every intellectual and policy critique against her. However, as women, should we not have been outraged at the production of a shirt calling her a “C—-“? Something that didn’t spawn from intellect, policy or politics? Just something base and disgusting? Why wasn’t there public outcry at that shirt? If a T was produced calling a male candidate the masculine counter part in such crude terms was produced, I say ”if” because I doubt it would ever be made, can you even imagine it would have the same popularity? I was vastly disappointed by my feminist friends (one who claims to be starting an army) who did not so much as flinch at this degrading word. Why? Because Sarah Palin believes in abstinence? How does that make something so vulgar OK?
I think most importantly what has to be noted here is that the “defense” from feminists did not have to come in the form of a vote or campaign support, but how about showing a little disgust when naughty words are thrown around. Do you know what I find disgusting? If you google image search Hillary Clinton, a photoshopped image of her in a pseudo taudry beauty ad comes up. What about Condoleeza Rice? A photoshopped image search of her in a bathtub. And Sarah Palin? The ever infamous bikini with a machine gun pic. Shouldn’t feminists be up in arms about all these? Of course, you cannot stifle political satire but this is pure objectification. Never mind that all three are educated and strong women.
I’m saying that politics should be overlooked until this kind of treatment of women stops. A potential Presidential candidate, a Secretary of State and a VP candidate should be criticized and satorialized for their work, not their bodies. Don’t you think their above that?
Now, once again, I agree that there are always people who need to have things their way. All I am saying is that if I could have things my way there would be greater care and awareness among those “feminists” who set different standards of what kind of objectification is OK for women of different political, religious and moral beliefs.
