catsittingstill | Real Feminism

According to this article in Slate, teh Palin has redefined feminism to suit herself as follows:

The new feminism is telling women they are capable and strong. And if keeping a child isn't possible, adoption is a beautiful choice. It's about empowering women to make real choices, not forcing them to accept false ones. It's about compassion and letting these scared young women know that there will be some help there for them to raise their children in those less-than-ideal circumstances.

Here, Sarah, let me fix that for you.

The new fFeminism ~~is telling~~ has always told ~~women~~ ~~they~~ everyone that women are capable and strong--capable and strong enough to make our own decisions without the government butting in to run our lives and control our bodies, or males butting in to own our property and cast our votes. And if keeping a child isn't possible, adoption is a beautiful choice as long as you want to go through pregnancy and labor and delivery and as long as you don't mind risking the whole decades of grief and regret thing. Feminism is about empowering women to make real choices, like whether and when to have a baby, not forcing them to accept false ones, like choosing between motherhood and adoption after being forced to bear an unwanted child. ~~It's about compassion and letting these scared young women know that there will be some help there for them to raise their children in those less-than-ideal circumstances.~~

There. I pretty much had to cross out her last sentence, because in Sarah Palin's world there will be no help whatsoever for a woman trying to raise a child in less-than-ideal circumstances; no maternal leave, no welfare, no medical care unless she's fortunate enough to get a job with benefits as a single mom, no child care, no Head Start, no functional public school system, even.

Feminism is about more than just control of our own bodies, of course--it's about challenging discrimination on every level-- from the magazines and television shows that tell everyone our bodies are public property, to be judged and commented upon if our job of upkeep is not up to par, to the public perception violence against women (date rape, domestic violence) isn't really serious crime, like violence against men, to clothes that make women turn their valuables over to their male companions, who have actual pockets to carry them. Feminism is about much, much more than protecting women from unwanted babies. But the unwanted babies part is pretty basic.