Posted by
Dawn on Friday, September 19, 2008 11:02:58 PM
Women are jealous of each other. It has been that way since the dawn of time. There was a brief period after the advent of the Pill and the publications of The Female Eunuch, (Germaine Greer) and The Feminine Mystique (Betty Friedan), when millions of women united, burned their bras, joined hands and marched in lockstep for the Sisterhood! Women were equal at last in a Man`s World! Women were encouraged to pursue careers with the mantra they could compete with any man for any job! Many very qualified women have gone on to become airline pilots, engineers, construction workers, firemen (persons!). Some were elected to political office such as small town mayors, Governors of states, Congressional Representatives and Senators. These women have duly earned our respect and admiration.
None of these advancements for equality have come without a price. Chivalry first began its slow decline and is now almost non-existent today. Men were at a loss as to what to do even when it was something as simple as standing up when a woman entered a room or opening a door for her as she left it. (Yes, men used to do those things!) While equal rights for women have leveled the playing field in social situations, such as who calls whom to ask for the date and splitting the dinner check, it has also caused undue criticism for some very exceptional women who do not fit the image of what is the definition of a "true feminist" today.
An excellent example of this conundrum is the current Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. The vitriolic media firestorm that has greeted her and her family has been unprecedented and shameful. Her life story and resume read like that of the All American Girl and would make an excellent movie, except that so far, Hollywood shuns her. She has the proven record of being a rebel and a fighter for her beliefs and for the good of the people of Alaska. Her rise from the PTA to Mayor to Governor did not happen because she is a former beauty queen or due to her political connections (nepotism). She proved her exceptionalism and did it all on her own. Governor Palin has shown herself to be up to the task time and time again. Yet she and her family have been vilified and pilloried in the media beyond imagination. It is doubtful that any woman, feminist or not, could stand up to the merciless scrutiny of the press coverage she has endured and continue with the day to day business of being a woman and remaining genuine, strong and true to herself.
The hysterical rantings and ravings from female columnists, comedians and surrogates for the Democratic party have attempted to belittle, besmirch and insult this woman who stands head and shoulders above all of them in every regard. The venom they spew in their acerbic columns and obscene comedy routines reminds one of the old saw, "Do you kiss your child with that mouth?" Sarah Palin is a woman whose very aura exudes love , warmth and authenticity; the likes of which they who criticize her with so much abandonment and hatred will never have the opportunity to experience themselves. Their catty comments only reinforce the fact they are left wanting in their own feminity and womanliness. Sarah Palin could be the first female Vice President of the United States in history! All women everywhere should be celebrating and rallying to her. So why aren`t they? The only feasible answer could be that Governor Sarah Palin is pro-Life.