I am sorry that I have been so absent from my passion in the last few months. Last year was a dozy and included: many surgeries, a near death experience (of which I caught a glimpse of Heaven), the opening of my new office to assist women in crisis, from unplanned pregnancies to dealing with the abuse they have suffered in their lives and now affects their parenting. To the biggest commitment, which is my husband running for State political office in Colorado. All of these, I will touch on in the near future.
I wanted to start my first comeback article on the current state of affairs and the involvement of women in society: particularly the recent attacks on feminism and women who stand for what they believe.
There has been a lot of flack, with good reason, accompanied by anger towards the recent statements of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. While I do not condone his comments and understand the fury surrounding it, I am also faced with many questions and inaccuracies within the Liberal and Conservative agendas, because this is not the first time this situation has occurred. It simply has become a matter of how accepted it is and the fact that we turn a blind eye in lieu of our own personal religious or political beliefs.
I want to start with a definition of feminism: Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. In addition, feminism seeks to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. (Websters, 2011). Basically it is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Since the 19th and 20thcenturies, this definition has been expanded , as there have been factions and groups that that have used the semantics of Feminism to promote their own social and political agendas. Pope John Paul II, used the term New Feminism to explore the teachings of the bible, the impact women play within the church and explain the Catholic doctrine in Evangelium Vitae (1995). In contrast, organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL have used the term Feminism to explain and justify the advancement of sexual reproductive rights and ideology. The term feminism has been used, tweaked and added to the suffrage movement that took place over 100 years ago. Again, this use of semantics is one that women in America have either aligned with or accepted because of their own political views. Either way, the common theme is that Feminism, in its truest form is to promote the equality of women and give them equal opportunity to advance; the additions have been used and bastardized by groups promoting their own agendas and egotistical ideology.
With recent media stories about men attacking women and their views of feminism, I question if the term Feminism is what we are defending, or is it our personal belief system and ideologies? While I am not in agreement with the words Rush Limbaugh used to describe Sandra Fluke, I am questioning the authenticity of the anger surrounding this situation and the overall promotion of the definition of Feminism. Why is it that we as women, are willing to compromise, jump on a band wagon or turn a blind eye to the overall attack on women in society? We are angry about the idiotic rhetoric of a talk show host, whose job is to stir anger and cause controversy for a political purpose. Yet, when a man like Bill Maher, who has a television show and recently gave 1 million dollars to the Superpac to re-elect President Obama, we turn a blind eye to the rhetoric and hate he has spewed against women over the years. Our own political alignments stronger than our feminist sisterhood? Maher has been quoted as calling women like Sarah Palin, “a twat” and a “stupid c*nt”. Something that the feminist movement abhors and has said that the “C” word towards women is just as derogatory as the “N” word when used to identify with African Americans today, but most frequently during the Civil Right Movement. Maher has called Michelle Bachmann a “Boob, idiot and disgrace to women”. Where is the outrage in that? Instead, it was previewed on the Rachel Maddow Show and John Stewart’s Daily Show as hilarious and funny.
When David Axelrod, a chief adviser to Obama came out and stated that he was not satisfied with the apology of Rush Limbaugh, because what he said about Fluke "was not only vile and degrading to her, but to women across the country." Why did he not condone the rhetoric of Liberal hosts as well, does this mean that Axelrod also does not believe what Maher said about Sarah Palin that "were not only vile and degrading to her, but to women across the country?"
My question is where is the overall outrage of American Women towards both of these men? Regardless of political and personal agendas, of ego or the notion that your political party is on the right track for women. Why is it that we turn a blind eye to someone we align with, yet express extreme anger towards a belief system that we hate? I am not saying that I agree with Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann’s views, either, but what will it take for women to unite under the true definition of Feminism and say enough is enough?
We have allowed the term Feminism, one that women of the suffrage movement fought for in this country and some died for, to be hijacked and used by political ideologies in this country. Was Sandra Fluke brave to stand up for her beliefs, yes, does it mean that every single woman in this country needs to support her belief system, No. It does mean that we need to be respectful and thoughtful in the way we discuss our views. Was the attack on Ms. Fluke was brought on because she was used as a pawn to address women’s rights that ultimately deflected from the attack on religious freedom in this country? Where is the connection for us as women to that? Women have fought for fundamental rights in this country, including access to health care and religious freedom, yet we are trivializing religious freedom and equating birth control to a fundamental right, not a personal choice or privilege. It is not a health issue like cancer or a disease in which every human being has a right to medical attention. There are places that have free and low cost birth control available, but they should not have influence or a political agenda in mind, private money is raised and should be used. Birth control is aligned with personal responsibility and the choices we make, not with any religion or government. Tax dollars should be used for people whose lives are in danger, not for freedom of choice to do what they want. (Of course, this is completely not related to rape or incest and most women do not take birth control in anticipation of being assaulted in their lives.) The fact is that sexual intercourse is a personal choice that needs to be made consciously and that all of the consequences should be considered before each man or woman partakes in it. It is hypocritical of politicians to use this issue to further support from giant organizations, this issue is not a guaranteed right, and it is of choice and should be left to people to make that choice. Isn't that what women really suffered and fought for anyway?
While the overall, issue at large with the HHS debate is based on religious freedom, not birth control, we have again allowed our personal beliefs to see what we want to see and not the truth of what is going on. We can agree to disagree, but ultimately it is why our government is in trouble, due to mandating personal issues and not the welfare of a nation or the conscious rights in our Constitution.
The major downfall to the feminist movement, is not that it gives equal rights in the workplace, home or to vote, but that is pits women against women, who have allowed the semantics and their personal views to justify why we do not stand in unified support of each other, regardless of political ideology. That has been the goal or every major organization that has used the term “Feminism” to progress their own agenda, to use the emotional and anger rhetoric to raise money or bash other organizations. I have attached an article from Rebecca Walker, daughter of the Color Purple Author and Feminist Writer, Alice Walker. While Alice is revered as a trailblazer for the feminist movement, her own personal agenda, anger and ego have shattered her family life. Both mother and daughter have fought for their views of what it means to be a woman in the feminist movement, yet is it so sad that they do not even have a relationship for each other because Alice’s daughter did not share the same belief system.
While there is a valid and unreasonable attack on women in this country, by some very liberal and conservative men in power, the real tragedy is the attack on women themselves, by women. Why is it that we accept that it is ok to berate or attack each other just because we share differing political views? We were made to be better and we were made to show love and compassion for other human beings. The feminist movement and agenda has been skewed from its original purpose. While my own mother and I may not see eye to eye all the time; you can bet that no matter what, we will have a civil and respectful conversation because we value the divine that is within each other. I encourage you to join me on a New Feminist Movement, after all, we are all made in His image and we are called to step past the egotistical belief system we hold. Our time on this earth is so that we can learn what it is to live in His image and ascend to a better place of love and non-judgement.
While we are entitled to our rights, belief system and political ideologies, we DO NOT ever get the right to treat each other as "less than" or to degrade them for what they stand for. We are called to teach by our action and walk our faith...no matter what that may be. Your belief system does not make you a better person, your actions do.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021293/How-mothers-fanatical-feminist-views-tore-apart-daughter-The-Color-Purple-author.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73675.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-maher-rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke-apology-defend-297280
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/will-obama-super-pac-return-misogynist-bill-mahers-million-dollar-donation_633200.html
I wanted to start my first comeback article on the current state of affairs and the involvement of women in society: particularly the recent attacks on feminism and women who stand for what they believe.
There has been a lot of flack, with good reason, accompanied by anger towards the recent statements of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. While I do not condone his comments and understand the fury surrounding it, I am also faced with many questions and inaccuracies within the Liberal and Conservative agendas, because this is not the first time this situation has occurred. It simply has become a matter of how accepted it is and the fact that we turn a blind eye in lieu of our own personal religious or political beliefs.
I want to start with a definition of feminism: Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. In addition, feminism seeks to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. (Websters, 2011). Basically it is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Since the 19th and 20thcenturies, this definition has been expanded , as there have been factions and groups that that have used the semantics of Feminism to promote their own social and political agendas. Pope John Paul II, used the term New Feminism to explore the teachings of the bible, the impact women play within the church and explain the Catholic doctrine in Evangelium Vitae (1995). In contrast, organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL have used the term Feminism to explain and justify the advancement of sexual reproductive rights and ideology. The term feminism has been used, tweaked and added to the suffrage movement that took place over 100 years ago. Again, this use of semantics is one that women in America have either aligned with or accepted because of their own political views. Either way, the common theme is that Feminism, in its truest form is to promote the equality of women and give them equal opportunity to advance; the additions have been used and bastardized by groups promoting their own agendas and egotistical ideology.
With recent media stories about men attacking women and their views of feminism, I question if the term Feminism is what we are defending, or is it our personal belief system and ideologies? While I am not in agreement with the words Rush Limbaugh used to describe Sandra Fluke, I am questioning the authenticity of the anger surrounding this situation and the overall promotion of the definition of Feminism. Why is it that we as women, are willing to compromise, jump on a band wagon or turn a blind eye to the overall attack on women in society? We are angry about the idiotic rhetoric of a talk show host, whose job is to stir anger and cause controversy for a political purpose. Yet, when a man like Bill Maher, who has a television show and recently gave 1 million dollars to the Superpac to re-elect President Obama, we turn a blind eye to the rhetoric and hate he has spewed against women over the years. Our own political alignments stronger than our feminist sisterhood? Maher has been quoted as calling women like Sarah Palin, “a twat” and a “stupid c*nt”. Something that the feminist movement abhors and has said that the “C” word towards women is just as derogatory as the “N” word when used to identify with African Americans today, but most frequently during the Civil Right Movement. Maher has called Michelle Bachmann a “Boob, idiot and disgrace to women”. Where is the outrage in that? Instead, it was previewed on the Rachel Maddow Show and John Stewart’s Daily Show as hilarious and funny.
When David Axelrod, a chief adviser to Obama came out and stated that he was not satisfied with the apology of Rush Limbaugh, because what he said about Fluke "was not only vile and degrading to her, but to women across the country." Why did he not condone the rhetoric of Liberal hosts as well, does this mean that Axelrod also does not believe what Maher said about Sarah Palin that "were not only vile and degrading to her, but to women across the country?"
My question is where is the overall outrage of American Women towards both of these men? Regardless of political and personal agendas, of ego or the notion that your political party is on the right track for women. Why is it that we turn a blind eye to someone we align with, yet express extreme anger towards a belief system that we hate? I am not saying that I agree with Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann’s views, either, but what will it take for women to unite under the true definition of Feminism and say enough is enough?
We have allowed the term Feminism, one that women of the suffrage movement fought for in this country and some died for, to be hijacked and used by political ideologies in this country. Was Sandra Fluke brave to stand up for her beliefs, yes, does it mean that every single woman in this country needs to support her belief system, No. It does mean that we need to be respectful and thoughtful in the way we discuss our views. Was the attack on Ms. Fluke was brought on because she was used as a pawn to address women’s rights that ultimately deflected from the attack on religious freedom in this country? Where is the connection for us as women to that? Women have fought for fundamental rights in this country, including access to health care and religious freedom, yet we are trivializing religious freedom and equating birth control to a fundamental right, not a personal choice or privilege. It is not a health issue like cancer or a disease in which every human being has a right to medical attention. There are places that have free and low cost birth control available, but they should not have influence or a political agenda in mind, private money is raised and should be used. Birth control is aligned with personal responsibility and the choices we make, not with any religion or government. Tax dollars should be used for people whose lives are in danger, not for freedom of choice to do what they want. (Of course, this is completely not related to rape or incest and most women do not take birth control in anticipation of being assaulted in their lives.) The fact is that sexual intercourse is a personal choice that needs to be made consciously and that all of the consequences should be considered before each man or woman partakes in it. It is hypocritical of politicians to use this issue to further support from giant organizations, this issue is not a guaranteed right, and it is of choice and should be left to people to make that choice. Isn't that what women really suffered and fought for anyway?
While the overall, issue at large with the HHS debate is based on religious freedom, not birth control, we have again allowed our personal beliefs to see what we want to see and not the truth of what is going on. We can agree to disagree, but ultimately it is why our government is in trouble, due to mandating personal issues and not the welfare of a nation or the conscious rights in our Constitution.
The major downfall to the feminist movement, is not that it gives equal rights in the workplace, home or to vote, but that is pits women against women, who have allowed the semantics and their personal views to justify why we do not stand in unified support of each other, regardless of political ideology. That has been the goal or every major organization that has used the term “Feminism” to progress their own agenda, to use the emotional and anger rhetoric to raise money or bash other organizations. I have attached an article from Rebecca Walker, daughter of the Color Purple Author and Feminist Writer, Alice Walker. While Alice is revered as a trailblazer for the feminist movement, her own personal agenda, anger and ego have shattered her family life. Both mother and daughter have fought for their views of what it means to be a woman in the feminist movement, yet is it so sad that they do not even have a relationship for each other because Alice’s daughter did not share the same belief system.
While there is a valid and unreasonable attack on women in this country, by some very liberal and conservative men in power, the real tragedy is the attack on women themselves, by women. Why is it that we accept that it is ok to berate or attack each other just because we share differing political views? We were made to be better and we were made to show love and compassion for other human beings. The feminist movement and agenda has been skewed from its original purpose. While my own mother and I may not see eye to eye all the time; you can bet that no matter what, we will have a civil and respectful conversation because we value the divine that is within each other. I encourage you to join me on a New Feminist Movement, after all, we are all made in His image and we are called to step past the egotistical belief system we hold. Our time on this earth is so that we can learn what it is to live in His image and ascend to a better place of love and non-judgement.
While we are entitled to our rights, belief system and political ideologies, we DO NOT ever get the right to treat each other as "less than" or to degrade them for what they stand for. We are called to teach by our action and walk our faith...no matter what that may be. Your belief system does not make you a better person, your actions do.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021293/How-mothers-fanatical-feminist-views-tore-apart-daughter-The-Color-Purple-author.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73675.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-maher-rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke-apology-defend-297280
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/will-obama-super-pac-return-misogynist-bill-mahers-million-dollar-donation_633200.html
