Posted on 04/15/2020 7:25:27 AM PDT by Kaslin
With the revived push for the Equal Rights Amendment has come a revived push to cast Phyllis Schlafly as a historical villain. These are revisionist efforts informed by ideological bias more than fact.
With the revived push for the Equal Rights Amendment has come a revived push to cast Phyllis Schlafly as a historical villain. These are revisionist efforts informed by ideological bias more than fact. Enter “Mrs. America,” FX’s flashy new prestige offering starring Cate Blanchett as Schlafly.
Last month, I interviewed Anne Schlafly Cori, daughter of the late conservative activist, about the six-episode series, which premieres on Hulu Wednesday. When I asked Cori, chairman of the Eagle Forum, if anyone in her family had been consulted for their input, she replied, “Oh, no, they’ve got an agenda.” Cori further revealed her mother’s biographer, Donald Critchlow, was not contacted to assist in the production either. That’s a good indication “Mrs. America” values narrative over accuracy.
Here’s one example of how that does a disservice to viewers. I asked Cori what it was like to see Blanchett play her mother in the trailers. “She has the hair, and the makeup, and the costuming correct,” Cori said. “What she misses is the warmth in my mother’s eyes.”
“She plays her as a cold, calculating, power-hungry woman. My mother led a volunteer group of women, and I don’t think she could lead volunteer women unless she was warm and inspiring. And she was. She was encouraging, she got women to do things, and you can’t do it if you bark and order it around. You do it by building up leadership. And that’s what she did. She said, ‘Nobody is born a leader, leaders are made.’ And she made it her mission to make a multitude of leaders.”
Love or hate Schlafly, caricatures are a waste of time, even if your goal is to advance an agenda. Capturing Schlafly’s character accurately helps viewers understand, for instance, how she managed to tackle the herculean task of defeating the ERA. The truth is more interesting than fiction, whatever side of the policy battle you support.
One thing the left at least gets right about Schlafly is her organizing prowess. In their hands, she was remarkably capable, but capable as a conniving bigot. In reality, she was remarkably capable of galvanizing women to advance a cause rooted in her faith.
That’s enough to be disqualifying for the left. To them, Schlafly’s political differences necessarily reflect poor character. If you accept that lens—and film through it—even warm and decent people look cold and evil.
That explains why “Mrs. America” had no interest in consulting the Schlafly family or their matriarch’s biographer. The writers didn’t need more information to tell the story they believe to be true. Traditional conservatives are categorically indecent, rendering nuance of little value in their eyes.
“I think the effort with this upcoming Hollywood-ization is to try to paint her name as a shorthand for a bad person,” Cori told me. “You know, every -ism, make it out into something that’s terrible. I think that’s what I want to push back against, because I think she is a role model and a life worth emulating. Because she had enormous success, and any woman can have the same success.”
Cori and Eagle Forum created MrsAmerica.org as hub for resources that undercut biased narratives about Schlafly, including videos and essays. Browsers will find video of Schlafly’s debate over the ERA with Betty Friedan and first-person testimonials.
Early reviews of “Mrs. America” are positive. The performance by Blanchett, an Oscar winner, is already stirring Emmy buzz. But aside from peddling a slanted and unhelpful version of history, the left’s campaign to twist Schlafly’s character is also a powerful smear campaign, ironically denigrating a woman whose intellect and grassroots savvy launched her to the top of American politics.
With the prospect of a critically acclaimed series set to push a false narrative about her mother at hand, I asked Cori what her message would be to young women who watch “Mrs. America.”
“You too can have tremendous success,” said Cori. “Don’t don’t see yourself as a victim, but see life as an opportunity and grab it and do it. That is what my mother did. She enjoyed every aspect of her life, whether it was being a wife and mother or going out into the fray, and don’t be afraid to go out into the fray.”
What would Phyllis Schlafly herself think of the series? “I think she’d actually find it as an opportunity to get her message out again,” answered Cori. “And she was always looking for opportunities to get her message out.”
Phyllis Schlafly is an American hero. She sounded the alarm and pulled the mask off the truth. Imagine what the ERA would have done to our culture in today’s climate.
As anyone knows, for years, on my Freep Page, I have touted Phyllis Schafley as a genuine American hero. She fought against all odds almost single-handedly for years, and defeated the equal rights amendment.
The fact that she defeated the equal rights amendment (or at least lead the charge to defeat it) causes ignorant people to determine she was some kind of female version of the male chauvinist caveman, fighting for her rights to be subservient to men.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Phyllis Schafley understood the differences between men and women, and understood that the equal rights amendment would destroy centuries of Efforts by many societies around the world to implement protections for women that were codified and cultural and legal processes.
That is the important thing: these were protections for women.
Phyllis Schafley understood fully that ratifying the equal rights amendment would remove those protections. Her strength was being able to have the courage to ask the questions “what if this happens?“ To display a particular facet of Available protections for women that would be corroded and destroyed by the passing of the ERA.
In my lifetime, the demonizing and verification of Phyllis Schlafly Has been one of the most ironic twists on the stupidity of feminism I have ever seen. Phyllis Schlafly Was a real woman who understood the strengths and weaknesses of women And fully understood that a relative weakness in one area compared to another did not Translate to a full inferiority of some kind for women.
The ironic thing is, “feminists” do believe that.
So, this is the first that I’ve heard of a movie they made of her.
One does not have to imagine how she will be characterized in that movie. I doubt that I’ll be wasting my money or time watching it.
How could anyone expect that it would be anything but a hit piece? It’s like the cable “news” stations every year just before Easter running their favorite “The real truth about Jesus; a special at 11 PM” Same lies from atheists every year.
I have no use for Hollywood.. They live in a parallel universe.
Of course, I don’t have to imagine too hard, having a reprehensible Cate Blanchett cast as Phyllis Schlafly.
I met Phyllis Schlafly at CPAC many Years ago. I’m sitting at a Table in the Hotel Ballroom waiting to hear a Speaker and she just sat down across from me.
We exchanged pleasantries, no real conversation. She seemed very nice and had a great smile.
Sad to see yet another hit job on a Woman who is not around to defend herself. Hollywood is full of Assassins masquerading as Entertainers.
The left gives Phyllis Schafley the same treatment they have given Joseph McCarthy for years.
Just seeing this makes me sick. It is a Hollywood highest version of Joe Biden accusing the truck driver involved in his first wife’s death of being a drunk driver.
Just despicable, reprehensible people. I fully detest them.
I have no use for Hollywood.. They live in a parallel universe.
I have no desire to see this movie. A movie about Phyllis Schlafly made by liberal Hollywood idiots, is by definition, going to be a hatchet job.
There’s no way Hollywood idiots would make any sort of fair minded or dispassionate telling of the story of Phyllis Schlafly.
I remember how baffled I was that she could totally wipeout people like Betty Friedan and was the intellectual heavyweight who made Bill Buckley look weak-kneed. Beneath that carefully coiffed hair was a genius brain, and beneath her prim starched schoolmarm blouse beat a heart of tested gold.
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A lot of people suffer loss.. it doesn’t give them the right to destroy other people’s lives. Joe Biden is a Dispicable political opportunist! I have no respect for him at all.
50 years ago? Oh baloney, you mean you were a lefty feminist at only 7 years old, watching debates?
She did it from home with 6 kids in tow. I’ve been a silent contributor of info when I find it. Phyllis is a Hero.
If this virus kills Hollywood, then it would be well worth it.
I agree.
“Parallel”. I think you meant. Alternate
Her sons, John and Andy Schlafly both continue her column in Townhall.com
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