Follow Up: Responding to Brittany's Post (9/9/10)

What stood out most to me from the three readings was the idea that women have to go to battle on sexism on their own. Standing up for their rights is not just something a women ought to do, it is their "duty" and an absolute "necessity," as claimed in the "Declaration of Sentiments." For whatever reason--whether it be that they don't fully understand the oppression that women live under or that they simply don't care enough to really take action and do anything about it--men are not going to fight this battle for women. Even the most radical liberals, who claimed they were fighting for equality for all in wanting a complete social and political revolution, did not step up to the plate for women and practice what they preached. It is really disgusting to me how hypocritical the members, and even more so, the leaders of the "New Left" were. This movement, which had "dedicated itself to equal justice for all" had inequality right under its nose, as the women involved in the movement were given the "shitwork," not involved in decision-making, and never given any public recognition. Were men and society, as a whole, just so conditioned to the subordinate roles of women that they didn't see it as a serious problem to be dealt with? The poisoned society had to be saved by the oppressed--the women. As Ellen DuBois claims,"we work in women's liberation because we are not permitted to function fully in other movements for social change and because, if we don't demand our liberation, no one will."