A Reminder For All Feminists

Whatever you think of Hillary Rodham Clinton's politics or person, you have to admit that she has faced the scrutiny and scorn of countless individuals and groups during her time in the public sphere. I don't find her to be a credible or progressive candidate, I find she has a very unique relationship with the truth [to put it mildly], and I abhor some of the behind the scenes arms-length efforts to discredit her every political rival with ruthless precision as opposed to focusing on the issues. No matter my personal position on Hillary, it's undeniable that she has faced unrelenting attacks as either being too aggressive and un-first ladylike, or subjugating her pride as a modern woman in favor of upholding her marriage vows.

The first argument suggests that any woman who wants to hold public office deserves the kind of treatment that so many have gotten away with. The second argument is more puzzling as it is bandied about by so-called Conservative Christians, that Hillary is somehow less of a woman for staying in a marriage with a man who grossly embarrassed her in front of the world when his philandering nature was uncovered. As far as I am concerned, Hillary's personal relationship with her husband is her business and no one has the right to tell her how to conduct herself in the very private and complicated bonds of a marriage. In either case, this one point can be clearly seen in this small 3 minute clip that shows just a tiny sample of the asinine and archaic questions Hillary has faced over the last 30+ years.

I don't care what your politics are, there is no way I could have stayed calm while being compared to fictional characters like 'Lady MacBeth' or being labeled a 'nagging wife'.  So today I want to remind women everywhere, and particularly those who are thinking of a future in the political arena, that feminism means that all women move ahead, the ones we love and the ones that we definitely do not love. The point is that men do not have an exclusive monopoly on 'toughness' and women do not have an exclusive claim to 'gentility'. The most impressive argument I have ever heard for women standing up for all women and the injustices we face daily is in a poem by Melissa Newman-Evans, a piece called "9 Things I Would Like To Tell Every Teenage Girl". I am not going to say anything more, it speaks for itself and I hope that you will overlook a few cuss words and embrace the heart and intention behind this passionate plea.