Feminism...where'd that go?

There is a big difference between being feminine and feminist. The cornerstone of one is made of dresses and lipstick, the cornerstone of the other is equality and the right to reproductive freedom.

As a woman, one of your basic freedoms is to do what you choose with your body, so it strikes me as odd that a woman who would deny an abortion to her own daughter if she had been raped by her father, is getting so much praise for what's between her legs instead of what's between her ears. Sarah Palin cut funding for a program in Alaska that would aid unwed teen mothers and, while Mayor of Wasilla, allowed her appointed Chief of Police to thwart attempts by Gov. Tony Knowles to prevent women from being charged for their rape kits -- the town was saving up sales tax to build a hockey rink and did want to waste funds on aiding rape victims (surely they can pay that themselves?); and generally represents the kind of "feminism" palatable to the Patriarchy.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, represented the true feminist ideals -- she fought hard to be where she is, she didn't rely on her former President husband to move her forward (although during her Senatorial campaign, Mr. Adultery wouldn't have been much help...), she stuck up for not just women's rights, but universal equality, including higher taxes for the rich to fund public spending that would aid the poor. Clinton raised the bar -- she put her 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling -- and, while she didn't make it all the way, she got far enough to make any feminist (or anyone, really) proud.

Then Palin stepped in -- a woman who defied no gender norms. She's a "hockey mom" whose star qualification seems to be that she didn't have an abortion. Yes, she is ambitious, but she exhibited a stunning lack of ambition towards lofty political office...like say, one shaped like an oval. She hides her ambition behind a veil of suburban-wife folksiness ("I never really set out to be in public affairs, much less to run for this office.") Instead, the Boys Club plucked her from obscurity to appeal to the independent, Middle America crowd and ride the wave that Clinton was tossed from -- they are using her. Her brand of femininity is comfortable for the average American: she was in beauty pageants! She's a mom! She's religious! She enjoys guy stuff like hunting! The only status quo she threatens is Roe v. Wade!

Palin represents the same faux progressive that Clarence Thomas (who was right of John fucking Birch) did. Sure he was black and his appointment (on paper) was a huge step, but really? He opposed affirmative action, was viciously anti-Marshall and a large number of African Americans opposed him because of his conservative record.

Hillary Clinton threatened to wield the kind of power men do in Washington. Palin is a smiling female archetype who won't intimidate less progressive voters the way Clinton may have because they can relate to her on a personal level.

Simone de Beauvoir argued that women have to escape their sociological cage of being cast as The Other (The Second Sex) -- unfortunately for the liberal feminists in this country, Palin is building a big fucking nest in that cage.

[Mirrored Ceiling]
[Zombie Feminists]
[Reasonable Women]