By Nadine Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 17, 2012
A new category of feminism, defined by Sarah Palin herself, has been making the rounds. A “pro-life feminism,” otherwise called “Tea Party feminism” or “Sarah Palin feminism.” This new brand of feminism turns the old outmoded version on its head. The right to choose? Who needs it! Equal rights for the working class, the physically challenged and gay men and women? So yesterday! Today’s feminism is a feminism for white, privileged women who are looking out for themselves. Good old Palin knows exactly what she’s talking about. She’s now the cult leader of a weird anti-feminism.
There are many definitions of feminism. American feminist Barbara Smith describes it as “the political theory and practice to free all women: women of colour, working-class women, poor women, physically challenged women, lesbians, old women – as well as white, economically-privileged heterosexual women. Anything less than this is not feminism, but merely female self-aggrandizement.”
Self-aggrandizement is a good way to describe Sarah Palin’s feminism. A powerful woman who voices her opinion is not automatically a feminist. She may be a female that many women look up to and admire, but unless she respects other women’s freedom and rights, she cannot call herself a feminist.
Of course a woman can be pro-life and be a feminist. She can make the personal decision that if she were to conceive an unwanted child, she would not consider abortion an option. If she is a feminist, however, she will respect other women’s choices to abort that child. Palin—an educated, affluent and healthy woman—cannot make the pro-life choice for every woman, for she cannot understand every woman’s situation. She calls herself a feminist and then continues her fight to take away a woman’s most basic right.
Some feminists respond to Palin’s statement with a shrug. “There are a lot of ways in which this [conservative feminist] logic is contorted,” writes Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times. “But putting that aside, I feel a duty (a feminist duty, in fact) to say this about Palin’s declaration: If she has the guts to call herself a feminist, then she’s entitled to be accepted as one.” Daum considers it a bit of a compliment that a woman in such a position would be brave enough to associate herself with feminism. But the “emerging, conservative feminist identity,” as Palin describes it, is the antithesis of feminism. It’s a bit like calling yourself a Buddhist who also believes in murdering people.
Other feminists are pleased with the idea that feminism might be catching on. Perhaps it’ll be the next cool thing. I can definitely see how that would go over. Just like how so many people on Facebook who call themselves activists are making such a big difference in the world. Click “like” to be a feminist!
I’ll respect Palin’s choice as a woman to be pro-life, to be conservative and bat-shit crazy (not in a she’s-a-powerful-woman-so-I’ll-name-call type way but in your-politics-are-disgusting-to-me type way). I’ll respect her choice, but I won’t call someone who is determined to take away the rights of women across the U.S. a feminist.
