Conservative, pro-life feminists like Sarah Palin tell women that they’re strong enough to have more than one choice. Fascist feminists want abortion to be their only choice. They tell women that they aren’t strong enough to handle working and having a baby, that they can’t choose both, or that they can’t handle the responsibility of planning in advance to not put themselves in a situation of needing an abortion — you know, like using birth control or not having sex if you don’t want a baby. The insinuation is that women are too stupid to be responsible for their decisions, that they can’t think things through, and they can’t handle the “inconvenience” of a child. They look at women as perpetual victims, while pretending to champion empowerment. It’s hypocritical and it’s not helpful to women.
And that’s the real difference between conservative feminism and fascist feminism. Conservative feminists understand that women are equal to men, but that they are different. Femisogynists define equality as being exactly the same as men. Conservative feminists do not live their lives defined by a rigid ideology. Fascist feminists believe that you cannot be a real woman unless you believe in “women’s issues.” (Women’s issues are things like universal health care, universal day care, taxpayer funded abortion on demand, higher minimum wage, etc.)
Feminists like Marcotte don’t fight for equality anymore, they fight to make sure that women stay entrenched forever as helpless victims who must always adhere to a radical feminist agenda. Women aren’t supposed to think for themselves or make up their own minds about issues like abortion or health care — Amanda Marcotte will make it for them! It’s interesting that Marcotte would argue that men see women as very tall children who need their choices made for them, because isn’t that exactly what Marcotte’s brand of fascist feminism does? Women aren’t supposed to make their own choices or think for themselves, they’re supposed to only make Fascist Feminist Approved choices. You’re not supposed to disagree with them on any issue at all, and if you do, you’re not a real woman.
This is the different between conservative feminism and fascist feminism. Conservative feminism is the idea that a litmus test is not needed to define women. Fascist feminism is the idea that women are too stupid to think for themselves.
Justin says: Ridiculous arguments like Amanda’s make me laugh. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they draw such stupid conclusions.
Drug control laws target both men and women. That’s all that needs to be said to unravel her whole screed.
Of course, if Marcotte would no doubt scratch her head in confusion upon reading this. I don’t think she has the mental capacity to follow the logic train.
I R A Darth Aggie says: She’s almost kinda cute.
She lost me when she claimed that a particular laundry basket was representative of the oppression of women because it was curved to fit a pregnant woman’s belly. Given that I have that exact same basket, I remarked on her blog that it happens to fit my beer belly just fine, and that the human body for the most part was a series of curves.
Naturally, she deleted my comment. But maybe that was because I’m just dumn Aggie, and she went to that large secular school in Austin whose mascot is a cow?
Ronald Wilson Reaganowitz says: Lefty to the core here, but I agree that Ms Marcotte is an albatross around progressives’ necks. You all can have her.
And that laundry basket–as a guy, I find that it fits more neatly on the hip (nothing fits a pregnant woman’s belly).
Common sense would demand that one not agree that there could be a kind of feminism that would declare the entire female sex incapable of handling the right to bodily autonomy.
As I usually point out: if men could get pregnant, I would still be pro-life.
That only women can get pregnant does NOTHING to change the moral calculus of abortion. Nothing. If it’s not okay if men were to get pregnant, it’s not okay because the precious snowflake Marcotte, and not her boyfriend, worries about pregnancy.
Oddly, the pro-abortion argument assumes that women are too stupid to know how to use birth control or to keep their knees shut, but I doubt that Marcotte realises that.
Furthermore, women and men are equally pro-life. What does she say to women who are opposed to abortion – the half of us who are? That we’re stupid? That we can’t think for ourselves? That we aren’t really women? That feminism speaks for us all, but not for the half of us who don’t agree with her?
Smithwick says: So a self-selecting body of people gets to decide what thoughts and actions are acceptable for women-folk and will work to ostracize, condemn, humiliate and otherwise harm women who don’t fall in line with their rigid demands on them.
Given all that, it would seem that their constant railing against the patriarchy subjecting women is based mostly on jealousy. They want that job.
Digby says: Amanda Marcotte looks scary, I wouldn’t trust her to alone with a man.
Sarah Palin calling herself a feminist is ridiculous… Does she even know the meaning of that word?
I for one would appreciate it if you could enlighten us.
What’s Sarah Palin supposed to do that she hasn’t already done? Come up with some personal insults against Todd? Maybe divorce him and make sure he can’t see the kids ever again? What’ve you got in mind?
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