T-shirt slogan sparked feminist talk with daughter

[The Straight Story]

SNIP

The shirts were inexpensive, and the money sounded like it was going toward a great cause. Normally, I would have just made a small donation and moved on, but the slogan intrigued me; it was a quote attributed to Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler, and read: "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people."

The quote made me smile, and like I said, the shirt was inexpensive; I decided to buy one. They didn't have anything my size left on the table, so I figured I would pick one up for my teenage daughter. She can always use another black T-shirt; besides, I thought she would get a chuckle out of it just like I did.

SNIP

... have never been so wrong. My daughter read the shirt and turned to me with a confused expression on her face. "Mom, what does it mean?" She didn't laugh - she didn't even get it. I was stunned. How could she not understand what this phrase meant? Had I let my daughter down? Had I not been a good enough mother? Was I not bringing her up right? This was going to take some time for me to process.

When she is an adult, my daughter will be able to vote. She will be able to own property and attend college. Her future husband will not have a legal right to beat her. She will be able to wear clothing, which suits her style and taste rather than something mandated by a governing body. These are rights she has never had to question - and hopefully never will.

My child is still young, and she hasn't had to face many of the inequalities of this life. Maybe, because of the sacrifices of other women who have gone before her, she will never have to. Barriers that have been attacked over the years may crumble to dust during her lifetime. For the barriers that remain, there are those of us who must be willing to continue to press on until women are accepted as people. Women are people. What a radical notion that is - and what a noble cause.

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/OPINION02/605180320/1014

Interesting read.

[niyad]

1. thank you for sharing this. am going to pass it on.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. If the RW continues to gain power in this country, it won't be long until

she and every other female child understands.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

3. Yeah - it means

we won.

HAHAHAHAHHAHA!

That woman's work with her daughter has just begun.

She's a resident of "Virgin"?

Really?

The daughter has no clue, and needs to be educated. The mother missed the point entirely.

[The Straight Story]

8. Is there ever actually a 'winning'? How does one define won?

Reminds me of Iraq in a way - we went in, mission accomplished, but are still there fighting.

So in that way it can never be won perhaps, but the major initial operations are completed - we just have to look out for those sniping at us.

I guess to me the feminist movement is akin to that. Rights were won, huge leaps were made, and even though the smoke has cleared there are still those out to change things back to how they were. We can take some breathers, revel in the battles won, but still need to be aware. And not get too lazy.

On the other hand - shouting out 'terror alert' all the time can get people feeling fatigued. Muddy cross connected interests with singular focus - ie something that affects many classes/races/groups and taking on as an issue that on only affects one group seems counterproductive and not fully genuine.

That is why I see the dem party as one of a merger party - minorities have all had similar battles, blacks, gays, indians, women, handicap, etc and now instead of a multi-tiered and singular group focus we come together on the common issues which cross those borders. And in doing so perhaps we find out how similar we all are.

Feminism is not dead, it is just merging with other groups to fight a broader battle for all. Because what affects women, also affects others.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. That first line - "... we won...."

was a joke.

Look around. What have we won?

I went to law school in 1972, and the only reason I got in was because of affirmative action. Today, young women go to law school as a matter of routine, and never give one thought to what people such as I had to endure in order to blaze the trails for them

We won nothing but more hard work and the grand opportunity to put our kids in day care while we shuffle off to work because some people were too damn stupid to understand that changing the laws of separate maintenance in marriage dissolution would screw women royally.

The Democrat Party had better get its act together, because, frankly, they've done nothing for women that I can see.

Feminism will never die, but as long as women like the author of this insipid piece think their daughters are enlightened and informed, it's being strangled.

[Fierce]

4. Wait, her daughter doesn't face any inequalities now?

Sign me up to be a citizen of that fair land!

[Caoimhe]

5. Very good read and highlights a big problem

So many young women don't realize all that has been fought for, that they take for granted now. Hell it was less than a 100 years ago women couldn't even vote! I'd love to see more women's history in our schools, it would benefit both genders. John Lennon said "Woman is the nigger of the world" and as offensive as it sounds, it does ring true. How do we get the next generation to understand how hard these fights were, and how hard the fundamentalists and misogynists are fighting to destroy all that was gained?

My grandmother told me of how (back in the old days) after having 8 babies in rapid succession, she decided enough was enough and went down to the druggist to get some rubbers. The druggist was VERY rude, and after explaining WHY she needed them (why the hell would he need to know) she was led into a dark back room where the rubbers, the nudie magazines and other "bad" things were. He stared at her disapprovingly as she made her selection and basically made her feel loathesome. She told me this to highlight to me how well we girls have it now compared to back then. It worked on me.

I know your daughter may be too young now, but when she is old enough (per your discretion) you should introduce her to the book A Handmaiden's Tale. OOPS.. forgot this was posted from somewhere else. NEVERMIND.

[pocket]

6. why does she assume that her daughter will have a husband?

she can use a few lessons in feminism herself.

[China_cat]

9. I don't think she is assuming that her daughter will

have a husband, just relating to her what was...in the day when every woman was either married or kept on as a 'poor relation' (eg, unpaid servant) It was a day when it was more than assumed that every woman would have a husband.

[pocket]

13. sure she is. "Her future husband will not have a legal right to beat her."

[northzax]

7. it's not a slogan that's all that useful anymore

especially to the kids. If a kid is confused by looking at it, it probably means you have raised them right, obviously women are people, so it seems a stupid comment to them. like saying the sky is blue.

[SmokingJacket]

10. Actually, I would guess the problem is the use of irony.

I taught college freshmen, and was rather surprised that they simply didn't GET irony -- didn't even believe in it, actually.

[poverlay]

12. I have been ready since my wife got pregnant to destroy anyone

and anything that stood in my daughter's way...

What I've come to realize is that my willfull, now 11 year old, amazing daughter has more power than I could ever force people to give her, simply by virtue of assuming it's hers and taking it. That's the triumph of how they've been raised. The simple fact that she "didn't get it" is a victory of epic proportions. Yes, you should celebrate because she doesn't know why. She will have her own battles. Don't hold her back by making her re fight yours. (Not that she shouldn't be aware and wary of historical oppressions.) Our society in this country has changed over the years, thanks to so many "Steel-jawed angels" that have come before. The only one that can take away her "person-hood" now, is her...