In order to answer Julia’s question, (“Do we need to personally experience men’s arrogance to again push the “second wave” forward to a new point of extreme change?”) we must look to Ellen Neuborne’s essay, Imagine My Surprise. Even Neuborne, a devout feminist, became the subject of her own preaching when she failed to stand up to chauvinism in the work place. While the reader is tempted to judge Neuborne for not “raising her voice”, she throws the situation back to the her audience, “Do you think you would recognize sexism at work immediately? Are you sure? Programming is a powerful thing. It makes you lazy. It makes you vulnerable. And until you can recognize that it’s there, it works for the opposition.”
Neuborne’s perspective leaves us with a bleak outlook on the second wave of feminism. If every woman needs to not only experience sexism, but also recognize it in order to act, we are a very, very long way away from achieving the goals of the feminist movement. That said, there is a great irony to this situation. Elizabeth Cady Stanton points out, “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her,” (Stanton, 71). If this statement is true, why have so few women spoken up? More importantly, why are so few women outraged?
Part of the reason may be that women have tried to fight back, yet only to receive more ridicule and subordination. Whether it is women like Neuborne displaying their intellectual capacity in the workforce or women like Sojourner Truth competing physically with men, very little has gotten their attention, let alone respect. As Truth cries, “Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?” (Sojourner, 1851).
Back to Julia’s question, I think the reason we are reading about women like Neuborne and Truth today is because they did experience men’s arrogance and were furious. In order to have every woman truly committed to the feminist movement, each and every one must experience sexism in order to feel the powerful, rallying force of indignation. When women achieve this collectively, there will be no stopping the second feminist wave.
I think Hilary brings up such valid points. The truth and reality is, we have become so programmed, that our mothers mothers mothers are all thinking the same thing and passing onto us the "standard" or expected gender roles that are formed by society. It is truly the biggest challenge that new wave feminists face and that is the idea of completley changing, essentially what has become the normal life for the society we live in. Re programming everyone to believe that women should be treated like equals, would require a lot of bribing because not everyone agrees on explicit details. While many women experience chauvinistic and sexist experiences, both in the work place and at home, how can we change that when our own mothers are telling us that wearing a short skirt is not very lady-like. Its hard to change a culture who truly believes that both porn is liberating and degrading. It just makes me feel like the world is always going to be torn by women like Sojourner who truly believe that yes, i am a woman, and i have a body and i work, and i eat, and so i should be given the same respect and opportunities as a man. and there are others who believe that it is with their sexuality that they hold the power to be equal with men. That by playing into this stereotype of the "guys girl" that they will be able to lap -dance their way to higher wages. It just seems like while many women realize the mens arrogance, many are unwilling to change with conventional methods like the ones seen during the second wave, which dealt more with legislation and laws. I dont know, its all just very frustrating. I know what i would change and where I would stand but there are some women who dont, and I just want to shake them and tell them to realize that dancing on a pole is not helping.
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