I heard an interview on NPR of Phyllis Schlafly today. You can listen to it here.
This is a woman I have never heard of either through my ignorance, or her shear lack of importance, I'm not sure which. At this moment, she's the next on my list of women who make me cringe, right after Sarah Palin.
Her new book, co written with Niece Suzanne Venker, is called The Flipside of Feminism. I haven't read the book yet, having just heard about it, but based on the interview, it's a book that I would throw out in disgust. This woman all but stated that women should get back into the kitchen. I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth! She stated out right that the "Feminist Woman" was a man hater, that the entire idea of feminism was about hating men and putting them down, rather than what I know it to be: the idea that women should be held as equals in the eyes of men, the workplace, and in the judicial/political system.
Rebecca Hagelin seems to agree with this bunk. As I was googling the name of the book to find out more information, I came across her article which made me even more angry. This sounds like the same woman hating crap that comes out of Ms. Palin's mouth regularly. The idea that we should be at home raising families, cooking dinner and cleaning house and occasionally venturing out to get part time work only is incredibly antiquated. If these ladies had their way, women would have to go back to the dark ages of back alley abortions (which resulted in untold numbers of dead young ladies due to a lack of safe medical care) of being treated like cattle by men, and patted on the head and told to not "worry our pretty little head" about politics, money, national security...and on and on.
"Feminism" is nothing more than "the female left," driven to impose a liberal, radical agenda on families, businesses, and institutions.
Second, the feminist promise that women could be just like men and enjoy everything men typically do -- like casual sex, long hours at work, less family time -- proved empty. Heartache, broken relationships, failed marriages, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, and skyrocketing rates of emotionally wounded children have been the real legacy of feminism. It turns out -- no surprise -- that human nature cannot be repealed, overturned by judicial fiat, or reshaped by media messages. -
I asked my husband if he enjoyed either casual sex, long hours at work, or less family time and strangely enough, not one of these things are on his favorites list. So not only are they placing women in this old, rusty, uncomfortable mold, they would do the same thing to the men. Let's assume men aren't chauvinistic pigs who hate coming home, having sex with their wives, or spending time with their children. Let's say that the feminist movement helped change our gender roles positively, making way for men to love and nurture their children. ( Many these days are stay-at-home dads and love it.) Lets say that men actually love their wives and can't wait to get home to make love to them. Lets say that guys like my brother love to be in the kitchen making beautiful meals, and taking pride in the work they do at home. To not say these things is to do a disservice to the men in my life, none of whom are the Cro-Magnon men these ladies would like to think they are.
To the point, I do actually fit into the mold. I am a stay at home mom with two school age children. The majority of my time is taken up with housework, chaperoning children, paying bills, and taking care of the La Forest family. Ask me if this is fulfilling at all. I will tell you the absolute truth. NO. I love my kids. I do. They are not the center of the universe. I would love to go back to the Red Cross, or Operation Homefront. I loved it. I had something to show for the hours I spent during the day. All moms know that the only pay off you get is the one at the end of eighteen years when those kids go off to college and become successful. That's just not doing it for me right now. There are a few reasons that I am not working, the largest of which being the Army, and I have also chosen to stay at home so that my kids are mind-fu***d by strange people at daycare centers. Had I had a real choice earlier in life, I wouldn't be where I am now, and I imagine I would actually indeed be happy. It is possible that the grass is greener....however the point is that they have decided that the choices that I have made should make me, the numb headed little woman, happy. They are wrong.
I find it humerus that they blame women being more equal for things like abortion, broken marriages, and sexually transmitted disease. As if women got the vote, then promptly ran out and slept with every man they saw, got abortions for the resulting pregnancies, then went on to later HAVE children and proceed to emotionally damage and destroy these children that they didn't abort. REALLY? As if there aren't men out there cheating on their wives, spreading disease, getting divorces, abandoning their children, etc. MEN are perfectly innocent in the break down of our country, right? I'm irritated beyond words. It seems to me that this shouldn't even be an issue. If these ladies were following their own advice, they have their mouths shut, at home, doing the whole "woman's work" thing.
On that note, I'd like to point out that these two women are terribly busy being "anti-feminist warriors". Ms. Phyllis' bio is incredibly full.She's had six kids, but I'm confused....in reading the bio, it seems like she spent a lot of time out of the home herself. (She states that she spent time at home, and that politics was her "hobby") Her niece seems equally busy, also currently having two children AND working her butt off. So, let me get this straight. You go to work, get accomplished, write books, be well known, and supplement your husband's income...and we will all listen to you, drop the careers and run home to wash the dirty nappies. Okay! Got it!
