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Feminism

Return to Common Sense

December 5, 2010

Section: Culture – Feminism

“Sexual equality has been achieved, but feminists try to justify further actions based on dis-proven studies, which has its own unintended consequence of inability to achieve unrealistic expectations.”

“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.” Susan B. Anthony

 

Philosophy (Background, Issues, Objectives):

Feminism has achieved its goal of equal opportunity

o   Stage 1: destroyed the “feminine mystique” and opened up careers to women.

o   Stage 2: divergent visions of stay-at-home mothers vs. working mothers.

o   Stage 3: comfort balancing femininity and toghness.

·         There have been two major schools of thought within the women’s movement: egalitarian feminism and social feminism:

o   Egalitarian feminists were radicals that held that men and women, although socialized to different roles, are identical in their essential natures. By appealing to principles of social justice and universal rights, egalitarians sought to liberate women from the private sphere of the home—into the public spheres of politics, business, and work.

o   Social feminists were traditionalist, family-centered, embraced women’s roles as mothers or caregivers, and promoted women’s rights by redefining and strengthening those roles. Social feminists argued that an empowered femininity could be a force for good and made common cause with the egalitarians in promoting women’s education, suffrage, and participation in the culture and politics.

o   Today’s colleges are 57% female.

o   Women are now fully represented in law, medicine, and science.

o   When pay is normalized for experience and job conditions, women earn same or more than men.

o   Women are “off-ramping” to take time off for children, returning with minimal career damage.

o   ERA will be used to protect not only women, but homosexuals and transgendered.

o   In 2004 one in five women in their early 40s are childless, down from one in ten in 1976.

o   In 2004 67.2% of women were married, down from 88% in 1960.

Feminist movement has become out of touch: anti-male, anti-child, anti-family, and anti-feminine.

o   One faction is radical “gender feminists” who are anti-male and pro-socialist.

o   One faction is equity feminists who embrace equality and individual rights.

o   NOW is not focused on the problems of the mainstream woman and jobs and family.

o   NOW is mesmerized by lesbian rights, radical chic, and the politics of victimization.

o   Friedan, Smeal, Steinem etc. have made a living fanning the perception of feminism.

o   University of New Hampshire Dr. Murray Straus found in 1975 that wives are equally likely to abuse their spouses.

§  Follow- up surveys conducted over the next 20 years confirmed the gender-equal results in his original research.

§  When other researchers studied homosexual relationships, lesbians were found to have the highest rates of partner aggression.

o   University of Delaware Professor Suzanne Steinmetz published her survey on domestic violence, showing women are often as violent as their husbands.

o   University of British Columbia Dr. Donald Dutton debunked the feminist propaganda on partner abuse.

o   Erin Pizzey’s book “Prone to Violence” revealed women are often as physically aggressive as their mates.

o   Casual sex impairs the ability to establish a lasting emotional bond.

o   Casual sex leaves young people alone and lonely.

o   The so-called “sexual revolution” has produced dramatic increases in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

College Women’s Studies programs have degenerated into a victimology program.

o   Women’s Studies programs are unabashedly political and intermingled with the feminist movement.

o   Programs tend to be anti-marriage, anti-family, anti-male in content.

o   Equal pay statistics are quoted, despite the underlying life style choice variations.

o   Vagina Monologue is an ultra-feminist play that has stirred controversy wherever it is shown.

o   University of Arizona Mary Koss redefined sexual interactions to be reclassified as rape.

o   Rape victimization was computed to be 25%, which is refuted by study participants.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and initiated in 1981 after ratification by 20 member states.

·         CEDAW contains many points that mirror Amer­ica's efforts to promote equal opportunity for women.

o   It poses many problems for Amer­ica's federalist system of government and the rights established in the U.S. Constitution.

o   Many of the issues with which CEDAW concerns itself, such as access to health care and education, belong under the purview of state or local jurisdiction in the U.S. constitutional order.

·         CEDAW requires national governments to work toward eliminating gender-based discrimination in every area of life, using this expansive definition of discrimination against women:

o   Furthermore, countries that have ratified CEDAW are evaluated based on their compliance with CEDAW by the CEDAW Committee, which meets at the UN several times a year.

o   The committee consistently oversteps its mandate, acting as a quasi-judicial body issuing forceful instructions to countries that often do not share its radical social agenda, and committee meetings inev­itably serve as a forum for reinterpreting the terms agreed upon by the treaty members.

·         CEDAW is an ineffective and inappropriate instrument for advancing women's rights around the world.

o   In the case of American women, their freedom and personal dignity are best protected by the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law it establishes.

 

Principles:

Sexual equality has basically been achieved, and any exceptions are being prosecuted.

 

Recommendations:

Vigorously enforce existing equal rights laws with all resources at our disposal.

Eliminate feminist programs in colleges as an anachronism and a waste of academic rigor.

 

References:

“The Death of Right and Wrong” by Tammy Bruce published by Prima Publishing, 2003.

“Manliness” by Harvey C. Mansfield published by Yale University Press, 2006.

“The trouble with feminism” by John Leo dated February 10, 1992 published by U.S. News & World Report.

“Sic Transit Gloria Steinem (Attack of the Feminoids)” by Norman Liebmann dated April 2, 2002 published in http://firehat.com/newsbrowse.php?group_id=&letter_id=247&lettertype= .

“Why Feminism is AWOL on Islam” by Kay S. Hymowitz dated January 16, 2003 published by Front Page Magazine at http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5568 .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part I” by Mike S. Adams dated January 23, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/01/23/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part II” by Mike S. Adams dated January 25, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/01/25/why_i_dont_take_feminists_seriously,_part_ii .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part III” by Mike S. Adams dated January 26, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/01/26/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously,_part_iii .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part IV” by Mike S. Adams dated January 30, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/01/30/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously,_part_iv  .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part V” by Mike S. Adams dated January 31, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/01/31/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously,_part_v .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part VI” by Mike S. Adams dated February 7, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/02/07/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously,_part_vi .

“Why I don’t take feminists seriously, Part VII” by Mike S. Adams dated February 9, 2006 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2006/02/09/why_i_don’t_take_feminists_seriously,_part_vii .

“Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage”  by Patrick Fagan, Robert E. Rector, and Lauren R. Noyes dated June 16, 2003 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/bg1662.cfm .

“The Feminist Furor Has Finally Passed” by Nathan Tabor dated April 25, 2006 published by Renew America at http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/tabor/060424 .

“Where the Boys Aren’t” by Christina Hoff Sommers dated July 3, 2006 published by American Enterprise Institute at http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.24617/pub_detail.asp .

“What’s in a Word?” by Florence King dated July 14, 2006 published by The American Spectator at http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10090 .

“Academic Frauds” by Carrie Lukas dated August 28, 2006 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDY2ZjU1M2E0MjdlODBiY2ExZDc2MGI1OTU4YzhkMGU= .

“16 Days of Activism: Rutgers Sponsors Global Feminist Terrorism” by David R. Usher dated December 14, 2006 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/16783 .

“The Singles Without Bliss” by Suzanne Fields dated January 24, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SuzanneFields/2007/01/24/the_singles_without_bliss .

“Women Are Not Oppressed” by Bernard Chapin dated January 26, 2007 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/17430 .

“Forcing Girls to Cheer for Girls” by Dennis Prager dated January 30, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/DennisPrager/2007/01/30/forcing_girls_to_cheer_for_girls .

“Post Super Bowl Feminism” by Bernard Chapin dated February 8, 2007 published by American Spectator at http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10988 .

“Love and the Good Life” by Jennifer Roback Morse dated February 8, 2007 published by Claremont Institute at http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.696/pub_detail.asp .

“Senate Republicans should fend off U.N. feminist treaty” by Phyllis Schlafly dated February 13, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhyllisSchlafly/2007/02/13/senate_republicans_should_fend_off_un_feminist_treaty .

“Off-ramping: Women jumping off the career track” by Janice Shaw Crouse dated March 22, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JaniceShawCrouse/2007/03/22/off-ramping_women_jumping_off_the_career_track .

“Is Feminism Finished?” by Jennifer Roback Morse dated April 2, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JenniferRobackMorse/2007/04/02/is_feminism_finished .

“The Return of the Women’s Equality Amendment” by Ashley Herzog dated April 10, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AshleyHerzog/2007/04/10/the_return_of_the_womens_equality_amendment .

“Equal Pay Day Was in February” by Carrie Lukas dated April 24, 2007 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWFmYmFmMThhZjhhOGVjM2Y4MTE5ZGQxMWM0M2M0ZGI= .

“Stay-at-home Economics” by Megan Basham dated May 25, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MeganBasham/2007/05/25/stay-at-home_economics .

“Why Feminists Fear Fathers” by Kevin McCullough dated June 17, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/KevinMcCullough/2007/06/17/why_feminists_fear_fathers .

“Challenging Feminist Orthodoxy” by Colleen Carroll Campbell dated July 20, 2007 published by Ethics and Public Policy Center at http://www.eppc.org/printVersion/print_pub.asp?pubID=3041 .

“Rallying Boys to a ‘Dangerous’ Standard of Normalcy” by Ross Mackenzie dated November 8, 2007 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2007/11/08/rallying_boys_to_a_dangerous_standard_of_normalcy .

“Constitutional Amendment to Protect the Transgendered?” by Deborah Weiss dated November 28, 2007 published by Front Page Magazine at http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=A94B4C48-E623-4533-9BF9-D38F67868FDD .

“What campus rape crisis” by Heather MacDonald dated February 24, 2008 published by Los Angeles Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-mac_donald24feb24,0,4173776.story .

“Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?” by Christina Hoff Sommers dated March/April 2008 published by The American Magazine at http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/why-can2019t-a-woman-be-more-like-a-man .

“Why Are So Many Women Depressed? Part I” by Dennis Prager dated March 11, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/03/11/why_are_so_many_women_depressed_part_i .

“The Intellectual Perversion of the VAWA Mafia” by Carey Roberts dated March 23, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/21816 .

“The Left’s Gender Wage Lies” by Jessica Peck Curry dated April 18, 2008 published by Human Events Online at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26066 .

“Straight Talk About Casual Sex” by Janice Shaw Crouse dated April 20, 2008 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/straight_talk_about_casual_sex.html .

“The glass ceiling in women’s heads” by Camilla Cavendish dated May 8, 2008 published by Time Online at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article3889912.ece .

“A Face-Off for the Future” by Suzanne Fields dated September 19, 2008 published by Town Hall at http://townhall.com/columnists/SuzanneFields/2008/09/19/a_face-off_for_the_future .

“Drum Roll!  The Winner of the 2008 Award for Political Incorrectness is… “ by Carey Roberts dated December 31, 2008 published by American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/23782 .

“UN-Invited Influence” by Garace Melton dated January 12, 2009 published by Front Page Magazine at http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=487CDEF1-CCEB-470E-9194-BDD4F98AB370 .

“Take Back Feminism” by Christina Hoff Sommers dated March 9, 2010 published by Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute at http://www.aei.org/docLib/101SommersTakeBackFeminism.pdf .

“The Death of Modern Liberal Feminism (And its Return in the Conservative Movement)” by Robert Eugene Simmons Jr. dated December 5, 2010 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/12/the_death_of_modern_liberal_fe.html .

 

 

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