Supporters of Sarah Palin’s “feminism” getting desperate

It’s been nearly a month since I wrote this
piece in The Washington Post about Sarah Palin’s fake
feminism, and I’m still seeing responses to it – some awesome,
some…well, not. I’ve gotten emails calling me a jealous whore, seen
articles desperate to paint anti-choice policies as somehow pro-woman,
and read blog posts of conservatives furious that I would dare suggest
that not just anyone can call themselves a feminist. (Who cares if she
fights against other women’s rights?! She’s a woman and therefore must
be a feminist!)

As fun as it would be to take on all of these responses, it’s
Kathleen Parker’s most recent article – A
feminism that spans from Palin to Pelosi – that I find the
most interesting, and the most telling.

Like most of the other pieces that criticized my WaPo
article, Parker focuses on my take-down of Palin’s anti-choice policies –
bemoaning the belief that “a pro-life woman can’t really be a
feminist.” I can’t say I’m surprised that so many chose to respond with
the abortion/feminism debate – it’s the most salacious, and certainly
the argument that will get the most attention. But it’s also pretty
goddamn lazy.

Because feminists aren’t criticizing Palin and her co-opting ilk
(organizations like IWF and writers like Christina Hoff Sommers) simply
because of their views on choice.  These faux feminists are
called out as such because they fight against women’s rights across the
board.