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Sarah Palin Made Me A Feminist

I’m not sure which wink it was, it could have been the first, it might have been the thirteenth, but watching Sarah Palin campaign for White House pained me as a woman. I love that we are sexual beings, sex is fun and dirty, and sometimes funny. Sex can also be a weapon, and I resent that about the GOP.

On day one I liked Palin, but then I realized that she worked a full three months a year. I watched her lose her composure, throw her children under the bus, behave like a lunatic, and then she winked at the camera.

I’ve never really wanted to work outside the home so the glass ceiling isn’t something I’ve cared much about. Keeping abortion safe is something I care about. Talking to kids about sex and evolution should be part of the public school curriculum, unless of course we are in the business of raising pregnant little idiots.

I never felt like I had to fight for my daughter’s future. Maybe living in Los Angeles has kept me safely ensconced in a bubble wherein I’m allowed to believe women are highly regarded.

Sarah Palin made me a feminist. I’m unwilling to raise a child in a country where a woman like her is held up to be the ideal.

23 thoughts on “Sarah Palin Made Me A Feminist”

  1. I considered myself a feminist before Sarah Palin, but I can understand exactly what you mean. A woman who uses her son as a poster boy for the U.S. military and her daughter as a poster child for the asbtinence-only education and the pro-life movement… You don’t use your children like that. (Besides, I don’t understand how Bristol is supposed to be a GOOD model for abstinence-only education. I mean, HELLO-O! Baby much?)

    She consistently said stupid things that were supposed to be “charming,” but really only made her look like a dumb chick. But it’s okay to be a dumb chick, because she was well-dressed and pretty, and she didn’t make people feel stupid by, you know, showing any sign of intelligence.

    Feminism took a hit the day that Sarah Palin took the national spotlight.

  2. This is horrible. Why do we women tear each other apart like this? Dislike her for her policies and politics, not whether she winks or looks beautiful.

    Does Joe Biden get criticized for his daughter’s unfortunate choices? No, because the game is to discredit conservatives, particularly conservative women. (I wouldn’t criticize him either, btw. Parenting is hard stuff)

    What in the world is prompting you to post this today? And why can’t we leave the hate behind us and move on, for women’s sake.

    1. Joe Biden didn’t trot his daughter out for the cameras. I’m not sure what her bad choices are, or even what her name is.

      What bad choice are you referring to?

      And no, for the sake of women everywhere I can’t leave this alone. I’m raising a daughter, I’d like her to know that it’s okay to use your brain. I’d like her to know about sex, how to have it without getting pregnant and that there is no mistake she can make that will make me stop loving her.

  3. I’m not sure where to begin. First, why is it assumed that the GOP was using sex to advance their cause? When Hillary Clinton was campaigning for the highest office in the land, was her sexuality an issue? She was tearful and emotional in a townhall meeting- the emotions she displayed were hotly debated as to whether or not they made her seem “more human” or down to earth. Does that not qualify as using her sexuality? Because she is a Democrat does that give her a free pass?

    Secondly,believing that “talking to kids about sex and evolution should be a part of the public school curriculum” does not make you more of a feminist. Doesn’t dumping that responsibility on the public school system make you a less personally responsible parent? Why do you feel that it is the public school system’s responsibility, or even right, to educate your children about things which you should reserve the right to shape in your impressionable children’s minds?

    Where I live women are highly regarded. I am not sure what makes Los Angeles a special haven for the regard of women. It seems to me that every day someone makes news in the Los Angeles area, sexuality exploited and demoralized. That doesn’t seem like feminism to me. I find it sad that the exploitation and abuse of women, to them and by themselves, is regarded as a bubble of high regard.

    Sarah Palin is a working mother, like many others in the United States and the world. Her struggles just happened to become highly publicized, yet she faces the same issues many working moms face each and every day. She did not make her personal issues front page news- the main stream media, hungry for sensationalism, did. Her son, Tripp, is a constant daily reminder to abortion proponents that there is a better choice out there.

    So,, why can’t we choose to applaud her courage to take a step out where few have gone before? Why would we want to tear her down? Feminism is not just about supporting abortion, or being the perfect person. It’s about making the right choices for you as a woman and your family, and they are between you, your God and your family, and no one else.

  4. So, Palin cut and run. And after tasting fame and having her picture and/or her beloved childrens’ picture on the front of People magazine, AGAIN, she is probably trying to gather momentum toward the White House. That is exactly why you have to speak out about it NOW. Because Evangelical Christians across America are going hooray, and a woman who is unable, unwilling, or unqualified to run the state of Alaska, now has her sights on running our entire country. McCain has alot of explaining to do. And since too many Americans now believe that believing the evolution theory conflicts with believing in Jesus, we have to once again battle creationism in schools. Evolution is not just a theory; it is an important corner stone of science. Just as the theory of gravity is to physics. But, Bush and now Palin would have schools teaching “both sides of the debate.” There is no debate. Gravity is the physical force that keep evolved, crazy people from falling off of the world. If only we could be more selective with gravity.

  5. Woman, you are killing me lately. It’s great that you can have the all or nothing stance, but life (at least MY life) has grey areas. Is Palin perfect? Far from it. Is she able to single-handedly change curriculum or ban abortions? Not even if she were President.

    But you know something? I’m royally pissed off at my party for pandering so far to the left that not only did we put up McCain and Palin, but we set up what is happening in Washington right now.

  6. Palin was such a poor choice, it boggles the mind. So many independents ran away from voting for Johnny Mac because of her.

    She has yet to accomplish anythihng that proves that she has the skills, ability and wherewithal to hold high office, or any office for that matter.

    Just a complete train wreck. And to listen to the Kool-Aid drinkers you’d think that she was Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary wrapped in one.

    C’mon, when someone asks you what news sources you read you need to give an answer. Even if you don’t, how hard is it to lie and say that you read Time, Newseek, the WSJ, New York Times whatever.

    When you can’t name a single publication there is a problem. And now that she has quit because it got too tough she still has people trying to protect her.

    It is mind boggling. With any luck she really will disappear from the public eye, but I doubt it.

  7. Sorry Jessica, I’m going to have to disagree on this one.

    This post actually makes me a little sad. It’s like kicking a woman when she’s down. She’s left office because she couldn’t handle the pressure.

    Imagine everything that’s happened to her (yes, she asked for it) and tell me you could deal with it with grace and confidence.

    She was an “interesting” choice for VP and I think she did not fathom the pain it would cause her family.

    Do I think she might one day be back? Only if she’s a masochist. She has spoken up during the Health Coverage discussion and I think she has a right to her opinion.

    Do I think she got a raw deal because she was a Republican and is not treated as fairly by media as say Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi? Yes, I do. Do I ever think as you say that she’s been held up as the “ideal?” Not once.

    Would I vote for her as a moderate to conservative-minded mother, most likely not.

    However, I do not believe she deserves the venom, down right hatred, and low blows that are being aimed at her and her children’s choices. We all make mistakes. We usually prop each other up as mothers on these blogs. I see nothing to be gained by shreddng another woman to bits.

  8. Thank you.

    I considered myself a feminist before, but her lack of capability in so many situations certainly lifted some of my complacency.

    California in general has so many women in positions of power and authority, that it IS easy to become complacent here!

    Abstinence-only ‘education’, and teaching Creationism, is child abuse. (Yeah, I said it.)

    Not that I’m accusing her specifically of child abuse, but rather the culture that finds acceptable the teaching of such half-truths.

    I know there are Christians who are responsible and teach their children about birth control and evolution. I just wish there were more of them.

    Great post!

  9. Sarah Palin is what she is, and she can do what she wants to do. It’s none of our business.

    But the fact that large numbers of people hold her in high regard is an insult to hard-working, rational and intelligent women everywhere. It’s a slap in our faces.

  10. I agree with Amy B. And Sarah Palin turned me into a feminist,too, and I’m a guy. Okay, I’m a gay guy none-the-less, but still, it’s sad to see people hold her in high regard. She can be whatever she wants to be in her personal life but as a politician, she is no friend to women.

  11. Hey, but give Sarah credit–she’s weighing in on the important issue of the day: healthcare reform. She posted a typically rambling statement on her Facebook page that included this:

    “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care.”

    That would be a great comment–if the whole “Obama death panel” thing wasn’t a disgusting and much-debunked lie. (See http://www.factcheck.org/2009/07/false-euthanasia-claims)

    Of course, there’s plenty to debate about the health care proposals floating around Congress. But as Sarah knows, it would be boring to learn all the stuff she’d have to understand to talk intelligently about health care reform.

    The “death panel” debate requires no research (since it’s mostly made up) and it’s lots more fun to rant about! *Wink*

  12. I’m stunned that someone said Palin was more lambasted than Hillary Clinton. Say what you will about Hillary, and my guess is that Jessica’s not a fan of Hillary’s, but she has been called every name in the book for the past 2 decades! Palin couldn’t even handle a year of it.
    I disagreed with the women who said during the primaries that I should support Hillary simply because she’s a woman and I disagree with the ones who say that I should support Palin for the same reason.
    There are some criticisms of both of them that I don’t agree with, but I’m personally offended by Palin. She has made a lot of statements that are demeaning to me as a single, working mother, and simply as a woman. I have no idea what makes her tick, and she continues to stun me with her ability to live off in her own world that resembles nothing even close to mine.
    But hey, if she’s what made Jessica call herself a feminist, then I have to applaud it. To me, feminism is making sure that woman have the same opportunities to their own life choices as men do. When someone like Palin demeans me for mine, she is no feminist to me.

  13. Though I have no point of view from a woman, my point of view is simple. She seems to be too indecisive and hide from issues that matter, and at the first sign of major trouble she leaves office. I think she shows that it doesn’t really take much intellect to be in politics, has nothing to do with being a woman. I think many politicians are unqualified to be there.

  14. Let’s face it folks, women are just vicious. I for one — as a woman– can’t stand them. Petty, evil bitches — I am proud to say all my friends are men.

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