The Feminist Vote
In honor of tomorrow’s election, and as a woman concerned with the state of modern feminism and the glaringly dire lack of nuanced political discourse, I pose a question to all who vote:
What benefits the feminist movement?
Lately, I’ve noticed more and more how popular media coverage has increasingly morphed into something akin to what can only be described as the hypnopaedic lullabies of Huxley’s Brave New World. Phrases like “hate speech” and “patriarchy” get thrown around on a daily basis so frequently, it seems they’ve lost their meaning. The constant regurgitation of catchy women’s rights phrases has successfully created a battalion of laypeople ready to parrot these familiar tunes in response to anything sounding remotely contrary to the opinions being perpetually shoved down our throats. As such, things that don’t even benefit the feminist movement effortlessly fly under the radar with the mindless support of well-meaning, unknowingly indoctrinated voters.
From where I stand, it’s clear that the popular policies of feminist politicians are no longer even empowering women. The problem is: most of us haven’t realized it yet. So, in an effort to help my fellow women think more clearly, let’s analyze, starting with a review of the basics:
What is feminism?
Feminism is a socio-political movement whose ultimate goal is ending all sexism, oppression, and exploitation of women.
While the overarching goal of feminism is inherently good, the means of achieving this ideal state are debatable. What I mean to say is: most feminists don’t realize that you can agree with the end goal of feminism, while maintaining a nuanced opinion on the method by which those goals are achieved.
Increasingly, more and more feminists are turning to the power of the State to help women achieve autonomy. Thanks to the advances of feminist policies over the past century, women are now able to hold lifelong careers, enjoy sexual gratification without consequence, and - if they do decide to have children - financial assistance to atone for any previous need of a man’s help.
Feminism has essentially enabled women to “play men,” should they so desire. Don’t get me wrong, in my opinion, viewing the inherent nature of womanhood as a nuisance, and encouraging women to avoid the impending reality of adulthood, is deeply sinister. But that’s not the point of this article. Instead, the more pressing issue with this purported “solution” is this:
Relying on the government to rescue women doesn’t rid us of the fact of oppression, it simply changes the type of oppression that women face. We trade our burden as mothers and wives for the burden of taxpayer, and further relay our maternal duties to the poorer, ethnic women who nanny our children and clean our houses. Relying on government to ease oppression only shifts the way in which that oppression is distributed. It replaces the tyranny of patriarchs we know - like shitty bosses - with the tyranny of those we don’t know - legislators and bureaucrats.
Ask yourself this:
How can anyone be free of tyranny when they’re dominated by government?
Furthermore: how could the ruling of a male-dominated government be considered an improvement for feminism?
Consider that the goal of feminism is to create a nation in which women are free to make their own decisions, sovereign from the influence of men. If our goals are sovereignty and freedom, it’s not only inexcusable, but impossible to achieve these things at the cost of other individuals’ rights to choose for themselves. If we pass laws that force feminist values on others, we’re no better than the men who’ve forced their values on us. We would essentially be substituting a historically misogynistic tyranny, for a tyranny of our own likeness.
“Man—every man—is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself; he must work for his rational self-interest, with the achievement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life”
-Ayn Rand
The problem with policies like welfare legislation and taxpayer-funded abortions is that these policies sacrifice individual rights for the interests of others. For every individual who benefits, there is another who suffers: should Catholic taxpayers be forced to pay for “free” birth control so that feminists are able to live in their ideal society? Force is force, no matter how noble the purpose may appear. I would argue there are other (better) ways to create the society we desire. Why not let private groups, voluntary donors, and nonprofit organizations provide support of their own accord?
Moreover, it’s more important than ever to recognize this basic truth: government is fickle, politicians are untrustworthy, and authority changes hands every four years. The notion that feminist policies will somehow always be in “good" hands is irresponsible and ignorant.
Anarchist conservationist and novelist Edward Abbey states it best:
“Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.”
The bottom line being that, under the test of time, there’s no assurance that noble goals can remain unadulterated. So tomorrow, when you’re casting your vote, instead of automatically selecting the candidate who touts feminist progress, remember this instead:
We should strive for the liberty of all women and men.
Forget the catchy tag lines and embrace your feminist values. Choose to vote with integrity.
Liberty should precede oppression in every circumstance, not just for those with a feminist agenda.
Happy Election Day,
Maria
