The Newer Feminism
if we do, we certainly aren’t about to campaign more than a decade ear- organizations don’t work on behalf
start burning our bras in the board- lier in the ’90s, when Steinem called of women but rather exist to pro-
room to overcome it.” Hutchison a “female impersonator.” mote the liberal and left-wing policy
In the 2005 CBS poll, in fact, only And again, many of the voices agenda,” Easton says.
24 percent of women said they con- so vocal in the ’70s were perceived The confusion over what groups
sidered themselves to be feminists, as either joining in the attack or like NOW and women like Steinem,
and 70 percent said they did not. missing in action when Palin was despite their valuable contributions
Perhaps even more revealing, only 12 targeted in 2008. As Carrie Lukas to the feminist movement, have to
percent said calling someone a femi- says, “That’s one of the things that’s offer “today’s woman” hasn’t gone
nist is a compliment. frustrating about modern femi- away since the ouster of Clinton and
The dismissal of what many nism — they don’t seem to want Palin from the two highest offi ces in
women in this generation perceive to recognize their success, or that the land.
as militant feminism, espoused by women really do have equal oppor- In January of 2009, Steinem’s Ms.
so-called “feminazis” (a term that tunity today. Palin was very different magazine put President Obama on
those women largely reject), came from what the modern, traditional the cover, wearing a T-shirt that read,
into focus during the 2008 presiden- feminist movement espoused — as “This is what a feminist looks like.”
tial campaign when Hillary Clinton If that’s true, Obama was a con-
and Sarah Palin were the targets of
WOMEN, NOW
Clockwise from
troversial feminist during his fi rst
nasty gender invectives that prompt-
left: Kathleen
few months in offi ce, earning criti-
ed many to question whether mod- McFarland, cism from women’s groups who say
ern feminism
Linda Gordon,
he hasn’t done enough for women’s
had lost its way.
Martha Burk,
rights. After he announced a new
In Clinton’s
Katie Couric.
Council on Women and Girls, Martha
case, the attacks Burk, a former chairwoman
were perceived of the National Council of
as coming from Women’s Organizations,
her opponent, said, “I think it falls far
Barack Obama, short of what’s needed.”
while in Palin’s WWomen’s issues blogger
case, they came from self-proclaimed LLinda Lowen wondered
feminists themselves. wwhether the council was
Comedian Margaret Cho called merely “an empty (pant) suit.”
Palin “the worst thing to happen to Even scholars can’t agree
America since 9/11.” on what Obama means for
Actress Roseanne Barr called her feminism. Callahan, of the
“bad Mother Palin,” and liberal talk- University of Kentucky, says,
radio personality host Randi Rhodes exemplifi ed by groups like NOW “I would certainly not say President
joked that “she’s friends with all the — in that she doesn’t believe in big Obama represents modern femi-
teenage boys. You have to say no government and doesn’t see women nism. He doesn’t. But . . . he is com-
when your kids say, ‘Can we sleep as all victims.” mitted to equality in ways that prom-
over at the Palins’?’ No! NO!” And Michelle Easton of the Clare ise to attend seriously to the barriers
comic diva Sandra Bernhard warned Boothe Luce Policy Institute says to recognition of the rights and needs
that she’d be “gang raped in New the derailing of modern feminism of all citizens.”
York City.” occurred during the Clinton adminis- Hutchison now is running for
Bloggers and television personali- tration, when many of them defend- governor of Texas. Clinton and Palin
ties called her the b-word and worse ed Bill Clinton against accusations of surely could run for president or vice
for her conservative policies. marital infi delity. And a decade later, president again.
Clinton supporter Gloria Steinem many conservatives slammed today’s All of this means that debates over
said Palin was the “wrong kind of feminists for the vicious attacks on modern feminism will continue, and
woman,” who shared “nothing but a Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin as today’s young women will have to
chromosome with Hillary Clinton.” political hired guns who’d lost their decide where the women’s move-
This kind of rhetoric was reminis- message. “The sorry secret is that ment really belongs — in the past,
E
S
cent of Steinem’s attack on Kay most of today’s feminist women present, or future.
G
A
I
M
Bailey Hutchison during her Senate groups and women’s movement Continued on page 70
P
A
68
NEWSMAX / NOVEMBER 2009
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