Because I really do want to know.
If being a woman is NOT a prerequisite to being a feminist, (meaning that men can be feminists as well) then doesn't the most basic logic also follow that you can be a woman and not be a feminist?
And if that is true, why is it that some women don't think that we should point out that Sarah Palin is not a feminist? And I don't mean that she is not my kind of feminist, I mean she doesn't fit the most basic dictionary definition of a feminist.
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines feminism as "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men."
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes."
And lastly, the American Heritage Dictionary defines feminism as "belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes."
The definition of feminist is not "woman." It is either "a person whose beliefs and behavior are based on feminism" or "a person who supports feminism" depending on which dictionary you use.
Based on her policies, statements, and actions, she shows no sign of being a feminist.
Let's be real here, I do not assume that every woman that calls herself a feminist shares the exact same definition of it that I do for myself. In fact, just visiting this site and other feminist blogs and having really interesting discussions in the comments will teach you quite quickly that there are many different takes on feminism. However, I have yet to encounter one that doesn't at least have that dictionary definition at its core, even though it may go on to be much more than that.
I worry that the right too often gets to frame the arguments. (Just look at the terms "pro-life" and "partial-birth abortions.") And it seems to me that they are once again trying to do that here, by labeling Palin a feminist.
Haven't you ever heard of Jewish people who were Nazi sympathizers? Dan Burros is probably the most famous example of this.
I don't want to sound extreme, but even though the stakes might not be quite as high as World War 2, they could be someday. And I think it is important to ask these questions.
So if you think we should be fine with Sarah Palin being called a feminist, I have one question for you: Why?
And I do mean that. I am not asking a rhetorical.
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As you said, she is not a feminist. Therefore, we should not call her one.
I'm interpreting the labeling of Palin as feminist to be a part of the cynical plot by the McCain camp to capture Hillary voters. Sad. Also, she's a member of Feminists for Life, a group that doesn't have much in common with feminists except that they claim to advocate for better support for pregnant women, teen moms, maternity/paternity leave, etc. But in reality they just seem to be vehemently anti-choice.
I wish someone would ask her a couple of things in an interview. Like, if she becomes VP will she be willing to accept $0.72 on Cheney's dollar since she and McCain oppose equal pay legislation? If she or one of her daughters is raped will they be willing to shell over the $1200 or will they allow the rapist to avoid investigation by the police by not buying a rape kit? I could keep going here...
Yeah, we all know why.
A lot of people identify as feminist when they're anything but. If you're ever looking to be utterly horrified, go read Save The Males. The author self-identifies as a feminist, but she refers to spousal rape as "being forced to have sex when not in the mood" (paraphrased) and the Venus Di Milo as a fat broad. Sarah Palin may identify as a feminist, but that's because otherwise she'd have to admit to being a raging sexist.
This is actually a very clever (albeit horrible) tactic. By labeling anti-feminists such as Palin as feminists, the feminist title looses its meaning. Has this been done before? Oh hell yea. How about the word "Patriotic?" Stick a flag on your bumper sticker, hey you're patriotic, question the government, wham, you're anti-American. Soon "feminist" will just vaguely mean anyone who thinks that maybe women aren't evil. The word war is on, we need more people like you Daisy.
I think I saw a piece by Jessica Valenti today, explaining just that. I think it was in the NY Times.
Good luck people! From my side of the pond I'm cheering you on!
I found the piece by Jessica Valenti. It was the Guardian, a British paper.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/12/sarahpalin.feminism
"the F-card won't wash"
Enjoy...