Palinism’s Threat to Feminism

By Judah Friedman

I can count on my hands the number of times in the last month I have heard a good word uttered in this great town of Hollywood about Sarah Palin. I have been trying to figure out what it is about her that bothers so many women here. How can a woman from a tiny town affect all the big girls from the big city like this? I have been taught the lesson that if something really bothers you about someone then there is a good chance that you see something in them that reflects what you do not like in yourself.

Why are feminists so bothered by her? Could it be that if she were to be elected, it would be the end of their movement? I mean, what would they say at their next feminist meeting: "Women aren't getting ahead"? What they should be saying at their next meeting is: "My God, do you see the way this woman is being treated? Let's do whatever we have to do, even though, yes, she thinks differently on certain issues, let's defend her." But how can they? Her very existence brings to light the waste of the life and years that they have lived on this Earth. Sarah Palin is everything they hate, because she is everything they never could be or chose not to be.

What could be worse for a woman who has chosen a barren existence, in the name of a movement, than to see a woman get ahead who has already actually gotten so many great things out of life? If Sarah Plain gets elected it would sort of imply that their lives have had no meaning, and would leave open the question: "For what have they done any of this?" Sadly, this has to be how they see it.

Instead, the detractors should be looking at this as everything they have fought for coming to fruition. That every girl across this great land has a role model, a woman's woman, who doesn't take her orders from the man, and who is beholden to no one. These women, in this sad town that I live in, are fighting the wrong fight against the wrong party. I would say, what kind of message are you sending to your daughters, but I guess that is the point, you don't have any.

But I have sisters, I have a mother, I have nieces, and I want to tell you women to shut up. The women in my life have a role model and it is not you. For years you have looked down upon them and snickered at them in your meetings. You had a shot at redemption and you passed it up. Your role model of womanhood lost her bid, and you did nothing to defend her as she was being attacked. In case you haven't noticed, Hillary Clinton has been very silent and has not said a bad word. I have to tell you, my level of respect for her has skyrocketed. After all, Hillary is nothing like you; at the end of the day she too is a mother trying to create a better life for her daughter.

Whether or not Sarah Palin is the next Vice President, one thing is for certain. She has shown you for the frauds that you are, for Pandora's box has been opened and you will never be able to close it. You are not the role models for the next generation of women. You have lost all of your credibility. There is a new type of woman out there who can juggle both a family and a career. You had your chance to get on board and you blew it, sorry.

One last thing, if Sarah Palin really does become the next Vice President, the day she gets in should be recognized and remembered as "Women's Day." The day when women and men, regardless of their lives or backgrounds, are truly equal.