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Thursday, August 31, 2006
Rebecca Hagelin :: Townhall.com Columnist
Stirring the caldron of radical feminism
by Rebecca Hagelin
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It was parents’ orientation at my son’s new college when the young female co-ed introduced her academic pursuit as “Women’s Studies.” My son and I sat stone-faced, desperately trying to hold back the smirks we knew would reveal our thoughts about the absurdity of such an “intellectual, academic” pursuit.

“Where are the degrees in ‘Men’s Studies’?” I wanted to ask. Of course, there aren’t any. Only the pro-lesbian, ego-centric, sexually perverse “Women’s Studies” majors and minors are considered politically correct. The clear bigotry and plain ridiculousness of such classes, and the messages they send our college men and women, seemed lost on the poor young girl. The reality is that she and thousands of co-eds across the country are being steeped in nothing more than the bitter propaganda, indoctrination and hypocrisy that fill the caldron of radical feminism.

Classes required in the pseudo-discipline include “Race, Gender and Politics,” “Human Sexual Behavior,” “Sex and Gender in Contemporary Society” and “The Politics of Poverty.” Not one class offering even comes close to, say, “The Power of Mothering,” or “The Beauty and Benefits of Marriage” or “Why We Love Men.”

Among the biggest feminist lies infecting the minds of our young people is that feminism is about “choices.” Of course, the lie has been spread since the disease of modern radical feminism first reared its ugly head back in the 1960s. The tale is as follows: In the old days, women were largely excluded from the workplace and expected to marry and stay home to raise their children. Now, thanks to feminism, they are encouraged to freely choose whatever profession suits them.

Not exactly. As a new, growing campus group, the “Network of enlightened Women” (NeW), will tell you, reality offers an ironic twist: One profession -- homemaker -- is off limits. Feminist professors take it for granted that the young women in their charge will work full-time outside the home -- and woe betide the female student who expresses a retrograde interest in putting her family first (if, that is, she’s foolish enough to have children at all).

Matters are no better when it comes to political philosophy. Radical feminists have yoked themselves to a brand of extreme liberalism that most people, men and women, find repugnant. They believe in big government, socialized medicine, pacifism and abortion on demand. On campuses nationwide, they exert heavy pressure on young female co-eds to get on board -- or get lost.

Just about anyone can see this view is a serious betrayal of true feminism. The pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. There’s no question that women should be free to pursue the profession of their choice -- and their menu of options should include the role of homemaker. And who’s to tell them they can’t be conservative? Modern feminists have become the very thing they profess to hate -- leaders who limit women’s choices and dare to tell them they aren’t free to follow where their interests and talents take them.

That’s where NeW comes in. NeW bills itself as “the nation’s premier club for conservative university women.” It was started two years ago by Karin Agness of the University of Virginia as a book club. Today, NeW has 15 chapters at universities in states throughout the country, and, as its Web site notes, members meet regularly to discuss issues relating to politics, gender and conservative principles. Continued...

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About The Author
Rebecca Hagelin is a public speaker on the family and culture and the author of the new best seller, 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family.
 
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Missing the point entirely..
To answer Ms. Hagerlin's query as to "What about Men's Studies?" I'd like to offer a few answers, namely history, political science, and philosophy. The study of any of those three fields begins with an in-depth look at their beginnings and history -- and since women were essentially prohibited from participating from the public sphere of life for hundreds of years, women are excluded entirely from the study of how politics, modern thought, and all western and eastern cultures developed. That causes a great gap in our understanding of women. Some of us would like to better understand what exactly the role of women was while men were tromping about setting up societies and governments. Some of us would like to focus on literature as written by women, because of the undeniably difference in their perspectives from men, different because of the incomprable differences in their everyday lives. Some of us want to actively engage in discussions on womens' issues, what the role of women in society or government should be, abortion, body issues, etc.

I think it's pretty clear that there is substantive cause for creating a field dedicated to studying womens experiences and creations -- to deny that is to claim ignorance. If Ms. Hagerlin is claiming ignorance, that's fine. It'd be a proud moment for American conservativism, for once someone within the movement would be guilty of being honest.

A few Misconceptions
Hello women across the political spectrum! It's good to see us communicating! I hope that effort continues, though I don't think NeW has the answers for that anymore than radical feminist groups do. I'm sorry Ms. Hagerlin but you've made some mistakes in your argument. Radical feminism, which started closer to the ladte 60s/early 70s, included many different beliefs about women who stayed at home. One of these was the idea that women should be compensated by the government for unpaid labor at home. I also believe that choice is a true tenant of feminism and not something we proclaim but can't back up, unlike the Republican party's platform of morality.
Many women's studies departments have changed their names to gender studies departments where men and homosexuals are studied just as much as women. I think you're missing the point though- take any history class and you'll learn the history of men. The goal for women was to find their own space, history, and identity. I think we can only credit these programs for such space.
Also I have to strongly disagree with your interpretation of the Vagina Monologues. I've read several conservative articles now which miss the point of the monologues entirely. They're not about staring at your vagina or glorifying rape, they're a metaphor for accepting you body and your femininity. If you think about the difference in the way we view penises as symbols of power (look at the Washington Monument, largest phallus in the US) and vaginas as symbols of embarassment (who really had a good experience with their first menstrual cycle?). It's not about sex, it's about empowerment through love of the body/self first. In this age of eating disorders, you can't really argue against something that allows women to love their bodies just the way they are, and that's what the monologues encourage.
Finally I can't help but add that conservative women like Karin Agness, no matter how much they want to deny it, owe a huge debt to feminism. Women would not outnumber men in graduating classes throughout the nation today if it weren't for the movement. So go ahead and create your conservative groups and pretend to open up dialogue with those against whom you're already biased, but don't forget the price those radical women you now claim to hate paid to get you here today.
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