Posted on 11/12/2007 10:32:00 AM PST by ConservativeColumns
My mother is a feminist. A die-hard, take no prisoners, true-blue feminist. Armed with a hard-won PhD., she has made her life's work the counseling of the transgendered, the gay and the sexually confused. Honest work in which she is passionately invested. The only fly in the ointment is me, her conservative daughter.
I am as passionate a conservative as my mother is a feminist. It's hard to imagine two more diametrically opposing viewpoints. I view the current state of feminism as doing more harm than good. As undermining the traditional and family values that I consider the backbone of our country. On the other hand, my mother considers conservative values as outdated, invalid and having absolutely no intrinsic value.
I understand how mom came to be such an ardent feminist. Though I thoroughly disagree with her views, I respect and admire the courage and sacrifices she made in attaining them.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
At my liberal mom-in-laws we talk about the pretty garden she grows and that’s about it.
Well Nancy, feel lucky that you were not aborted.
A few have done a turn-around after experiencing some grandchildren but most are the types who think that having a woman for President would be "the best thing for America."
I mention that were a Maggie Thatcher or Golda Meier running, I just might be tempted but it has more to do with actual qualifications, NOT gender that moves me.
These women (some of whom discuss such programs as "Oprah" and "The View" as though I would ever be caught watching them.) They are pro-choice, now that they have had all of the children they want.
The greatest news of all -- their daughters are NOT femminists, most have children (3 or more) and many are stay-at-home moms, as their moms were always working.
Lastly, I get along quite well with the conservative daughters, just not their moms!
I was in grade school and middle school in the late 60’s/early 70’s. We girls were told that feminism would free us from the slavery of taking care of homes and children, put us on equal footing with men, and guarantee us fulfilling, high-paying jobs.
At that time, my mom was a stay-at home housekeeper. She took care of her family, was personally involved in our education, and shaped our morals and values. Yes, she also cooked, cleaned, combed snarly hair, wiped runny noses, and comforted crying kiddies.
Today, my sisters and I are all expected to do perform the same set of duties - while also holding down full-time jobs.
I want to thank my mom’s feminist peers who made all this possible.
I have noticed the majority opinion on FR is that family is more important than spouting your opinion, and politics tends to be verboten at a mixed Thanksgiving table.
On the other hand, if you go to DU, it’s filled with fire breathers swearing this year they are going to tear the heads off their conservative parents/siblings/friends.
I guess it’s what you value. On FR, family and friends, on lib sites, personal expression. Which is funny considering conservatism most highly values individual rights and socialism values collective society.
All that said, my lib sister is very restrained over politics when we meet. Although she couldn’t resist saying “Yuk!” when she heard me listening to Rush the other day.
I’ll wager SHE can talk rationally to her mother-in-law.
It’s her MIL who can’t respond without hysterics, name calling, etc.
You see all those flowers? George Bush KILLED THEM!...............
Mine was also. She died a while ago.
Enjoy your mother while you can. The basis of her feminism is a desire for justice, and let her know that this is an admirable desire.
Well, at least she is clear that she is counseling the mentally ill............
A close perusal of history would show that women were making inroads into what had been mostly all male purviews over the decades. Phylis Schafly got her law degree in the forties as did a number of currently wellknown female personalities. You have to remember that until the fifties very few men had professional careers. Most American men still slogged away in factories, mines, or farm fields.
The integration of women into the mainstream of American industry and careers was inevitable due to the ongoing educational progress of women. More women going to college or continuing their education meant more women becoming professionals. Again until the fifties only fifty percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
It was like when some people said that if Jackie Robinson hadn't made it in the majors in 1947 there'd be no Blacks in the majors today. Ignored was the fact that the many owners of baseball were waiting for the opportunity to get more Blacks into the game. Robinson was the tip of the avalanche. If he had failed, there were many ready to step in. He didn't fail, but it wouldn't have mattered.
The same with women. They didn't need a bunch of male-hating, nasty Marxist feminists to make their way. It would have happened without them. America was ready for the integration of women into the workforce. The harm arch-feminists have done to our country is far greater than whatever positive things they've claimed. And I claim they didn't do anything positive!
Well, as I said, we now have more problems and those are among them.
My experience is that the screamers tend to be liberals. The less you know about a subject, the more likely you are to scream. Most liberal know very little about the subjects that grip them. They can recite a few factoids but they can rarely quantify them. Conversations go like this:
“Bush is a liar”
“What lie did he tell?”
“He said Iraq had WMD’s”
“When did he say that?”
(crickets)
“Are you saying he didn’t say that?”
“Yes I’m saying he didn’t say that”
“Everyone knows he said it”
“Then everyone should be able to tell me when he said it”
End of conversation. Screaming ensues.
The next conversation, they establish the rules first
“First, everyone knows global warming is real so you can’t deny that”.
When you say “yes I can”, then they start screaming.
“majority opinion on FR is that family is more important than spouting your opinion,”
We (most Freepers) get our moral/political compass from God’s rules.
When others reject the rules we like to follow, we can dismiss it as “rejecting God and His rules,” rather than rejecting us.
As the author said, Libs take it personally because their rules are “THEIR” rules. If you reject their worldview, you are rejecting “them”.
Excellent article from somebody who has lived it.
I notice that even Morgan didn’t mention that her mother had the opportunity for having her child adopted. The feminist thing is: keep the kid or kill it. It did not help, of course, that the adoption services were so bureaucratized that they would give kids only to “perfect parents.” That sometimes translated into placing the child with those who could pay the most. On the other hand, the agencies DID try to find parents in stable situations. The irony being that adoptive familes provided better for the child than the ordinary child. But oreceisely because legal adoption WAS a viable alternative to abortion, abandonment, or single-mother families, the feminists demonized the practice. Divorcing your husband is liberating; divorcing your kid is abandonment.
Add, “you’re a bigot”
If the accurate answer is "much...largely...mostly..", then I would think many of the resentful,angry, anti-male feminists could examine themselves on this and repent...without abandoning gender fairness and equality. In fact, genuine adherence to fairness etc. would incline one to favor 'Fathers' rights' in family law. Also, maybe to address domestic violence by women and men, and inquire about such factors as stress, demeaning/devaluing psychological abuse of one's spouse, and inducing feelings of desperation in one's spouse as strongly contributing to cases of physical violence.
When a wife/husband hits their spouse or children, obviously s/he should go to jail for an appropriate time, and also receive counseling. Any pattern of continued physical or psychological is probably grounds for divorce, with equal shared physical custody of the children if both parents are fit.
That's fair. If fairness is what feminists care about,they'd favor it. If they don't then they might be in the thrall of man-hating neurosis, of which they should be invited to repent.
By the way, regarding the name 'feminism'... If a movement were established called 'White-ism' and its members assured you they just favored racial fairness and equality, would you believe them? The term 'Feminism' similarly suggests by its exclusionary nature, that it's mostly about anti-male factionalism.
Exactly their intent, my dear. Traditional and family values must be completely destroyed in order for the left to substitute their secular socialist ideology. The two can't co-exist because the traditional always beats out the SS ideas.
On the other hand, my mother considers conservative values as outdated, invalid and having absolutely no intrinsic value.
In other words, like most leftists, she believes that her wisdom trumps the wisdom accumulated over the centuries of human existance. Simply Arrogant.
I’ve wanted to start an organization called M.A.N. Acronym for Men Against NOW..........Use their tactics against THEM and see how THEY’LL like it!.............
Oh, you have to know the “rules” -
you’re only a bigot or racist when you’re WINNING the argument.
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