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Read other letters about this article
Hiring a "campaign blogger" is a nonsensical idea. How the Edwards camp or Marcotte thought that would work out is beyond me. And the idea that the blogger could still run a personal site is naive beyond belief! The first thing anyone worth their salt would do is load that up, find something incriminating and go to town.
Whatever Amanda wrote or didn't write, Donohue is still a slime.
Why does there have to be only one bad guy?
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Pandagon looks like about what you would expect - a somewhat personal blog. The raging feminism there is slightly odd. Let me tell a brief story, that I would love to share with a wide audience someday, about why "feminist" is such a horrible term.
At Cornell I went to a debate between Eleanor Smeal, then head of the "Feminist Majority", and Christina Hoff Sommers. The Feminist Majority, Eleanor Smeal informed us, was called so because most people believe women are equal to men - and that is what it means to be a feminist. If you believe women and men are equal, you are a feminist. Sure ok.
After the debate I was hanging around. Skulking. (Not spying! Skulking!) Eleanor Smeal was packing up and talking to some aide of some sort. As they were about to leave this is what Smeal said. (Roughly paraphrased)
Did you hear what Christina said today? She visited Prof Maas Psych 101 class and told them they should come to the debate tonight because it would be 'a real catfight.' She's not a real feminist! [emphasis not added]
And there you go. Eleanor Smeal is the head of a major organization and two-time NOW president! According to Smeal feminism is not just believing women are equal to men - that is simply the cover story she uses in public.
If you use the word 'catfight' (in an ironic manner!) you aren't a feminist. What other wacky rules does Smeal adhere to? What if you, say, call someone a bitch? What if you say "don't get your panties in a bunch?" What if you buy your daughter a Barbie and your son a Transformer? Do any of those rule you out as well?
That is why, when you ask many people (including many women) if they are a feminist, they will hesitate - then change the subject. Many feel that the term has loaded meaning.
And in fact it does. At least according to Eleanor Smeal. And she would know.
The term has been tarnished and co-opted - from the inside. Not by Rush and his 'feminazis', not by right-wing smear campaigns and re-definition of terms, but by prominent feminists.
