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this is just to say
Mar. 13th, 2008 10:03 amI am disappointed in the leaders of the feminist second wave. I've always supported them, defended them. For a third-waver perspective they can look pretty uncool, but I genuinely believe that some of their work remains intensely important. It's much more fun to be the sex-positive third wave girl who's unthreatening and sexy and "successful" at being everything that a woman ought to be even though she's a feminist, but the unpleasant realities exposed by second wave critiques of porn, prostitution, patriarchal constructions of sexuality, and the beauty myth haven't gone away. We need to address them. By all means, we should respond to critics of the second wave, we should try to do better at integrating issues of race and class, we should be good allies to queer and transgendered people. But I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater, and plenty of third wavers do just that.
However.
The behavior of the remaining second wave establishment in this election cycle has been beyond the goddamned pale. First Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, now Geraldine Ferraro. I want to scream at these women for their stupid, racist remarks, because as a young feminist I want desperately to be able to look up to them. I want to be able to be proud of the history of my movement. Ferraro was the first female vice president candidate on the ballot, and I want that to mean something, I want to be able to claim her for the side of the angels. But every time second wave women open their mouths of late, they're spewing right-wing talking points about affirmative action and uppity black people. I am ashamed of the feminist second wave. I am ashamed to be their philosophical descendant. It's going to be really hard for me to defend their feminist positions now, because my god, who says things like they've been saying in public?
They're supposed to be our allies. They were supposed to be our mentors. But damn, keep saying shit like that and I'm going to start seeing why my mama says she's not a feminist but.
However.
The behavior of the remaining second wave establishment in this election cycle has been beyond the goddamned pale. First Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, now Geraldine Ferraro. I want to scream at these women for their stupid, racist remarks, because as a young feminist I want desperately to be able to look up to them. I want to be able to be proud of the history of my movement. Ferraro was the first female vice president candidate on the ballot, and I want that to mean something, I want to be able to claim her for the side of the angels. But every time second wave women open their mouths of late, they're spewing right-wing talking points about affirmative action and uppity black people. I am ashamed of the feminist second wave. I am ashamed to be their philosophical descendant. It's going to be really hard for me to defend their feminist positions now, because my god, who says things like they've been saying in public?
They're supposed to be our allies. They were supposed to be our mentors. But damn, keep saying shit like that and I'm going to start seeing why my mama says she's not a feminist but.