The Times vs. Feminism

[About 4 decades ago I happened to meet most of the then leading feminists at a party held in Caroline Bird's (Born Female) apartment on Gramercy Square. The star attraction was our toddler son whom we had brought along. They were marvelously real people who cared about the rights of women. I saw the vast difference that they had been making during my brief 3 years teaching at Vassar. They very quickly implemented the women's revolution that had been started way back in the 19th century. Ed Kent]

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=22&media_view_id=9433

In These Times: The Times vs. Feminism (10/09/07) by Susan J. Douglas

Yet again, the New York Times Book Review has upheld its “robust tradition...to stereotype feminists as single-minded, humorless ideologues,” writes Douglas. Responding to Toni Bentley’s review of Nation writer Katha Pollitt’s book Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories, Douglas states:

Stereotypes of feminists such as those proffered by the Times misrepresent and demonize women of all ages who continue to push for equality of opportunity for all, which has yet to be achieved.

Bentley’s review, which referred to feminists as “shrill,” “enraged, educated women,” and “vagina dentate intellectuals,” used her column inches to “trash feminists and to trash Pollitt for both being one and not being one who is stereotypical enough.” Perhaps the Times Book Review should live up to its name, and stick to assessing the qualities of a written work rather than belittling and admonishing the worldview of feminist writers. And, just to clarify, when a feminist is angry it is likely due to continued systemic inequality and discrimination, not because “she is still not as likely to be seduced into bed as the bombshell bimbo.”
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