Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!orion.oac.uci.edu!ucivax!gateway
From: wilber%nunki.usc.edu@usc.EDU (John Wilber)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: TFFTFM/EMILY's List
Summary: Socialism & Feminism
Message-ID: <11103@chaph.usc.edu>
Date: 31 Jul 90 16:00:49 GMT
References: <141@sierra.STANFORD.EDU>
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 36
Approved: tittle@ics.uci.edu
Nntp-Posting-Host: zola.ics.uci.edu

In article <141@sierra.STANFORD.EDU> beckwith@sierra.STANFORD.EDU (beckwith) writes:

>The Fund supports the Feminist Agenda: equality, reproductive freedom,
>peace & disarmanent, civil rights, lesbian and gay rights, economic
>justice, homemaker's rights, elimination of poverty, rights of the
>disabled, human services, elimination of violence,  preservation of
>the environment, and equality/affirmative action, etc. in the arts,
>humanities, & media.

Think it is an agends that lumps feminism, socialism, and an odd
grab-bag of other isms together that has stalled the feminist
movement.  I very much support women's rights, but I am absolutely
opposed to pacifism, socialism, environmentalism (as practiced these
days), and affirmative action.  By lumping together the good positions
of feminism with these other (and might I say *wrong*) ideologies, the
feminist movement looses the support of the majority of the
population.

>The Fund believes that these ideas can be brought about best by
>electing feminist women to public office.

Isn't this a sexist perspective?  Can't a man promote policies that
are fair to women?  My point is not that women don't belong in
government (I consider sex irrelevant), it is that claims that "Only a
woman can do X." are just as sexist as "Women can't do X, only men
can.".

>They ask their contributors
>to take a pledge:  "I pledge not to work for, nor support with my
>vote, money, or time, any candidate who does not support and work for
>women's rights and feminist principles."

If "feminist principles" are the same as the list above, then I assume
that you think that someone cannot be both a feminist and a
capitalist/ hawk/industrialist/anti-affirmative actionist.  This is a
ridiculous and self-destructive idea for that organization.