Noticed how Hillary's been looking so, well, angry?
During his recent State of the Union address, president Bush made a
light-hearted remark about Bill Clinton. The camera turned to Hillary
for a cameo shot, and all she had to do was smile politely. But no, she
shot back her trademark "isn't-this-guy-an-idiot" expression.
Hillary, I'm afraid you were set up -- right in front of a national
television audience.
Somehow, Hillary's ire is emblematic of everything that has gone wrong
with the feminist movement since Betty Friedan released her celebrated
book, The Feminine Mystique, in 1963.
I'm admittedly mystified that so many persons are unaware of Friedan's
Communist
past. And
positively stupefied that even fewer understand what the "feminine
mystique" really means.
Here it is, in Friedan's own words, "The feminine mystique says that the
highest value and the only commitment for women is the fulfillment of
their own femininity ... this femininity is so mysterious and
intuitive and close to the creation and origin of life that man-made
science may never be able to understand it. But however special and
different, it is in no way inferior to the nature of man; it may even in
certain respects be superior."
Can you imagine some sweaty working stiff taking a smoke break, and
suddenly becoming inspired to enlighten his buddies with that kind of
narcissistic drivel? Someone would have thrown a tool belt at him and
ordered him to get back to work.
But coming from a woman ensconced in a well-appointed New York City
suburb, Friedan was hailed as the latest feminist savant.
Mrs. Friedan had considerable first-hand experience with the feminine
mystique. Her husband Carl, a successful advertising executive, employed
a full-time housekeeper, which allowed Betty to pursue her writing
career. Apparently Friedan didn't like the hired help, because she would
later denigrate housework as "particularly suited to the capabilities of
feeble-minded girls."
So 40-odd years later, is it time to pop open the champagne bottle and
exclaim, "You've come a long way, baby"? To find out, let's do a quick
tour around the country. First stop, your local college campus.
This month, The Vagina Monologues is being performed at 600 colleges
around the country. There smart, ambitious co-eds will look on as a
lesbian actress seduces a 16-year-old girl, only to be reassured, "If it
was a rape, it was a good rape." These women are then instructed to
reclaim their sexuality by chanting, "My vagina is huggable."
Wouldn't Betty be proud?
Now go visit the offices of your local Heart Association. There you will
learn about the AHA's high fashion campaign,
"Go Red for Women."
Of course it's men who are at far greater risk of dying from heart
disease, but the AHA only cares that women wear red dresses.
Somehow that chauvinistic phrase, "may even in certain respects be
superior," is ringing through my head.
Next stop: The Oxygen Network (women can't breathe in patriarchal
society, so they need oxygen - get it?).
There, we see the Network is airing
six
animated spots based on the
book, Chicks Dig Fries: A Guide for Clueless Men.
By any standard, the spots are
tasteless and misandrous. But in feminist la-la land, women are always
right and men just don't get it. No wonder men are dropping out of the
dating scene.
Once men stop dating, they also stop marrying. This is creating a panic
of sorts.
One of the more sorry movies I've seen, Bridget Jones' Diary, recounts
the escapades of a slightly neurotic thirty-something who, no matter how
hard she tries, can't seem to find Mister Right. The movie, based on the
international best-selling book, taps into the angst of millions of
single women who are chasing after a shrinking pool of willing
bachelors.
The last stop on today's tour is that part of America that never took a
fancy to the emancipation agenda of The Feminine Mystique. It's that
place in America where gentlemen still hold doors open for ladies, and
young women look forward to balancing careers with marriage and
motherhood.
It turns out this segment of America has a much larger following than
the mainstream media is willing to admit.
According
to a 1999 Gallup
poll, 74% of American women do not consider themselves to be feminist.
And one CBS poll reported that 22% of women said that being called a
feminist would be considered an "insult."
Like Britney, Madonna, and Oprah, The Feminine Mystique has left an
indelible stamp on our society. Thank goodness the majority of American
women have had the common sense to reject its Trojan horse prescription
for gender liberation.
