Washington Examiner:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a harsh critic of Islam’s treatment of women, said Wednesday that modern American feminism is focused on “trivial bullshit” and needs to be reclaimed.
Speaking at the Independent Women’s Forum Women of Valor dinner, where she received an award for courage, Hirsi Ali reminded her audience of how far feminism has strayed from its original purpose.
“I want you to remember that once upon a time, feminists fought for the access — basic right — access of girls to education,” she said.
Hirsi Ali — who despite the harsh words she said, spoke softly, almost timidly — told the story of a fight between her mother and father when she was about 11 years old. Her mother wanted to take her and her sister out of school because education would lead them to rebel against their family and “bring shame upon us.” Her father responded by saying, “If you take my girls out of school, I am going to curse you and you are going to burn in hell.”
Taken out of context, Hirsi Ali said, one might side with her mother, but in reality, she said it was her father that allowed her to be educated and helped make her what she is today.
“That’s what feminists used to fight for — the access for girls to education,” Hirsi Ali said. “They used to fight for the recognition of girls as fellow human beings and recognition of their personal liberty.”
She spoke of growing up in Somalia, where women aren’t allowed to leave the house without asking permission from a male guardian and need to be accompanied by a male guardian.
“If something wrong were to happen to me, and where I come from that happened all the time — you were groped, you were harassed, you were raped — you had no recourse because you weren’t supposed to be where you were,” Hirsi Ali said. “You were married off as a child and you had to obey the person that you were married to, it was just your luck.”
“Feminists in this country and in the West fought against that and won the battle,” she added.
But now, Hirsi Ali said, feminism has taken that victory and squandered it.
“What we are now doing with the victory, and I agree with you if you condemn that and I condemn whole-heartedly the trivial bullshit it is to go after a man who makes a scientific breakthrough and all that we as women — organized women — do is to fret about his shirt?” Hirsi Ali said, referring to the controversy generated by the shirt featuring cartoons of scantily-clad women worn by the scientist who helped land a robot on a comet. “We must reclaim and retake feminism from our fellow idiotic women.”
A woman after my own heart.
Idiotic is correct:
The (Liberal) women who supposedly lead women in the ‘West’ Hilliary – Elizabeth – Debbie – Maxine – Pelosi …and on and on – These women seem to want other women to act like sluts, get abortions, be overly focus on their sexual/reproductive parts, and, be – useful idiots for them…I never hear these women espouse Higher Education in Business, Sciences, Math for women and, if they did I must have missed that one time. I could never ‘look up’ to these women…they come off as phony and not very bright.
On the other hand the Women on the Right who lead other Women: Michelle Bachman – Sara Palin – Condoleezza Rice – Star Parker – Kimberly Guilfoyle – Dana Loesch – Michelle Bernard who show more respect toward other women and especially self-respect and are well grounded in their views (not contradictory), they are not overtly self focused, and are smart, intelligent (for real). I tend to lean with the strong women on the right.
Women in America had to Fight for Rights that at one time were only afforded to men. Not only am I happy they fought the good fight, I certainly respect them for it.
However, fast forward to present day in America. I do feel this ‘War on Women’ created by the likes of Debbie Schultz and Hilliary et al…is really shameful in comparison to what a lot of women in this world (other Countries) have to endure on a daily basis…Women in America have an “out” they can get protection or leave if they are abused by their husbands, boyfriends or family…Women in other parts of our World are not afforded those “Liberties”…they are not “allowed” to partake in many things Women in America take for granted. I wish a lot of these idiot women could just realize that and just shut the hell up….quite frankly I am tired of hearing about their reproductive organs and their “phony” birth control “victimization”. Get over it already and get on with a REAL LIFE….
American Feminism is another demographic for conning weak-minded women into serving the Democratic Party. They get to feel good about asserting themselves in meaningless objectives for the cause of feminism and the Democrats abuse them by corralling their votes to accomplish nothing for feminism, but plenty for the cause of Socialism. In the mean-time, the Democratic bigwigs have their sexual escapades by having waitress sandwiches and a stay out of jail card for sexual assault. It’s a sick party of misogyny and perversion; yet they con women into thinking they care for them. Yes, Gruber is right, the Democrats have no pretenses when it comes to manipulating the stupidity of Democrats.