Comments on: Obsolete? I Don’t Think So

By: Who’s the Best Feminist Wife of All? - The Pursuit of Harpyness

Who’s the Best Feminist Wife of All? - The Pursuit of Harpyness — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:01:59 +0000

[...] from being feminists. There is nothing about feminism that has political party motivations. I had a similar reaction to what Mary Matalin said about how conservatives don’t feel they fit into feminism because [...]

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:08:28 +0000

I completely agree that it is ridiculous to even ask if feminism is obsolete. And the fact that so many people think it is obsolete is absolutely disgusting, yet not surprising. She is also way off base to say that feminists didn’t back up Palin on this one.
While I do think that 90% of her blog post is pure crap, she does have one point. Most conservative women feel like there is no place for them in feminism, and they are not the only group that feels this way. Uneducated women, women of color, married women, women with children (especially those who are SAHMs), often feel there is no place for them in feminism even if they agree with many feminist ideals. I think we all need to be regularly asking why so many women feel left out of feminism. And when we encounter someone who asks “Can an X woman be a feminist these days,” we ought to be asking them why they feel left out and show them that there is a place for them rather than attacking these women, telling them they don’t understand feminism, and proving to them that there really isn’t a place for them in feminism.

By: Miss Pinot

Miss Pinot — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:31:31 +0000

@ bellacoker: You know, I think that’s a great idea! Let’s just start labeling things for feminism!

By: bellacoker

bellacoker — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:36:45 +0000

I was watching a documentary about Ralph Nader that said he would have won the presidency if everything he had done for the country had his name on it, seatbelts, food labels, etc. I think the same thing could be said about feminism, it would be much more popular and harder for people to go along with the backlash if every time a woman got a voting ballot, paycheck, or diploma it had a big sticker on it that said: If you appreciate this, thank a feminist!

By: Spark

Spark — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:30:07 +0000

Feminism challenges the status quo; therefore it is the opposite of conservative.

yr friend,
Captain Obvious

By: Miss Pinot

Miss Pinot — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:12:14 +0000

I saw this last night, and my jaw dropped and I scared my kitties by throwing pillows are the T.V.

As stated above, feminism was NEVER about the right to choose your lifestyle. IT was about EQUALITY, legally and socially. And since we are very very very much NOT there, feminism is not obsolete nor is it a liberal thing. It angers and saddens me deeply that a news organization that I respected ran this piece. You can call yourself a feminist regardless of you political affiliation, as long as you promote and fight for the respect and equality of your peers, of society, and when you call out assholes(regardless of their gender and political stances) on their sexist, careless, rude, misogynistic behaviors!

By: sarah.of.a.lesser.god

sarah.of.a.lesser.god — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:34:20 +0000

@aspex: I’m happy you’re commenting again! Your absence was missed and rued over.

As for whether the first comment was satire, that is possible. But, uh, the problem is that it was drawn with such a broad brush that it’s extremely ambiguous. The rest of the comments? Vomit-inducing.

By: Pilgrim Soul

Pilgrim Soul — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:17:48 +0000

Awww, aspex, personally I found item (d) of your comment endearing.

By: aspiringexpatriate

aspiringexpatriate — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:23:17 +0000

Right. I haven’t thought through what to say on this which probably means I shouldn’t say anything. But I feel like I haven’t commented on this site in ages simply because I don’t bother thinking through responses. a) I get the feeling the first comment you isolated from Costello’s piece is satire, and rather good satire at that. Sure it’s possible it isn’t, but come on, it’d be great if it was. b) cat-calling is fucked, I’ve never understood it; blatantly checking out is just rude, but without the ‘blatant’ it is easily something both men and women can do to each other without shame. (Oddly, I had a female friend argue with me and flat out tell me more than once that women who get cat-called are-yes she said it-asking for it. I was flummoxed.) c) Ciji, has it been 10 years? I was hoping it was less, but yet again, you’re probably right. d) Before PhDork refutes something in here, she is right in the post above mine and likely right in whatever she wants to refute in my comment.

By: angry_tweety

angry_tweety — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:53:18 +0000

@Newt: I feel like I could construct a sentence starting with "feminism will be obselete when..." every day. For example, from tonight: Feminism will be obselete when there aren't movies like The Stoning of Soraya M. and when four randomly selected reviewers aren't all men.