O.K., something bothers me every time I see Sarah on the TV machine....

[Volaris]

And here is where it ALWAYS leads me....

I guess this is my thesis statement(if it can be called that) and I'm not as concerned as how it will “play” here as I am about getting some kind of answer to the question that has been very quietly gnawing at my mind for at least since the last Presidential election, but PLEASE believe me when I say that I am NOT trying to start a war in here =)

Here goes....

How is Sarah Palin's choice (whether conscientiously chosen or not) to be a dumb bimbo any less important a choice than Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama's choice NOT to be, as far as the Womens' (sp) Movement is concerned?

I want to know why it is that otherwise rational, forward thinking women can disparage another woman for CHOOSING to be, well, traditional, when it comes to things like religion, reproductive choice, family life, and I guess to a lesser extent, politics in general. Does not Empowered and right-thinking Feminism do itself a MASSIVE dis-service in not acknowledging that Sarah's choice IS, whether many of us agree with it or not, THE choice of millions of American women? And that IN that affirmation of their choice, we bring those women into a community that may, at some point, empower them to end up making BETTER, more progressive decisions?
It seems simple to me that if we really want the Womens' Movement to come to natural and full fruition, that it will need those who, at this point, feel abandond and betrayed by the very community that was supposed to lift them up and empower them...

I am NOT saying that I agree with Sister Sarah's choices. I find many of them to be reprehensible and completely antithetical to the idea of a kind of modern, (and very ancient, which by the way I find interesting, but that’s for another time) empowered, and intelligent Femininity, that can access its own creative spirit to solve problems both personal and societal, in new, interesting, and productive ways that exist outside the realms of intuitive, and Empowered, Masculine approaches.

I just want to know what everyone here thinks, and disagreeing with me is welcome, as it always makes my own arguments better and more refined, but at this point, I'm not even sure what I am trying to argue FOR, so PLEASE respond with any thoughts you might think are helpful...
Or, as always, you're welcome to bring to my attention how much of an idiot you think I am=)

[givemebackmycountry]

1. With all due respect.

You are nuts.
Wondering why Palin does anything, is like wondering why the dog likes to eat out of the litter box.
Palin doesn't give a flying fuck about the womens movement, and neither do the ones that love and follow her.

You are giving this WAY too much thought.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. +1

[FLAprogressive]

36. DUzy

[Tunkamerica]

2. You lost me.

You think Clinton or M.Obama disparages Sarah Palin because she's 'traditional'? I think the place you're starting from is so off base that any argument you try to form from there is going to look ridiculous. That's all I got.

[boston bean]

3. Because Sarah Palin is a anti feminist when you get down to the nub of it.

It is us who can celebrate her choices. It is she who does not give the same turn.

[EFerrari]

7. She demands one standard for herself and another for other women.

She is anti-democratic and anti-feminist.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Something bothers me too. The fact that everyone has to post about her every time she's on tv. n/t

[EFerrari]

5. It's not what she chooses to do, it's that everything she does is fakery.

I've been a feminist for more than forty years now and have friends who've made all kinds of choices about how to live their lives, from very traditional to very radical.

That's not a problem.

Sarah Palin is a hypocritical, ignorant, self-serving grifter. She cloaks herself in Christianity and family and patriotism when she's a stranger to Christian charity, her family is no better for all the attention she claims to lavish on them, and she can't even serve out one term in service to her state.

Everything about this individual is fakery. She goes on book tours for a book she didn't write, someone tweets in her name, and her father hunts on her tag. What she does doesn't empower her and can't be a model for anyone because it's unreal.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. Amen.

[enough]

24. +1 (nt)

[mithnanthy]

32. EFerrari...

I agree 1000%! Actually,I agree with most everything you post. Thank you.

[EFerrari]

35. Love your user name.

lol

[Liquorice]

6. There were women who fought against woman's suffrage, and they weren't respected

among feminists at the time for obvious reasons. Some of the anti-suffrage women were very outspoken about their cause, and went all over the country giving speeches against women having the right to vote... So just because a woman may be out there in the public pushing a certain viewpoint, it doesn't mean that viewpoint is good for women.

[truedelphi]

8. Joy Behar and Bette Midler were discussing Palin one time, and both agreed that they

Respected her choice of being more traditional, and being the way she is.

It really sucks that "feminists" have decided on a very narrow mold for how a "modern woman" must appear to be.


And Midler and Behar both thought that if they could take Sarah away for a weekend, they could straighten her out a bit politically.

[Luminous Animal]

15. A feminist embraces choice but does not work against the interests of other women.

More traditional as a personal lifestyle is AOK. Advocating, through policy, a more traditional role for women is not. Republicans are well-known for their anti-women policy and Palin was against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. (In a most remarkable incoherent way, but against it, nonetheless.)

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/10/01/palin-lily-ledbetter-pay-act-a-boon-trial-lawyers

[MilesColtrane]

31. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how Sarah Palin lives a "more traditional" lifestyle.

Sure, she likes to claim she does, but...?

:shrug:

[Volaris]

9. It is us who can celebrate her choices. It is she who does not give the same turn.

THIS feels like the answer that I was looking for. Thanks for the responses, they ALL were very informative (as always)=)

[polmaven]

20. OK---Now for a response

on your (sp) "question" womens'(sp).......The word women is already plural, so adding the s at the end is unnecessary to make it so. So the possessive would, therefore, be women's.....

Sorry - kind of a "thing" with me sometimes.

[Volaris]

25. See, this is why I come here...

I ALWAYS learn something new.
Thank you, Polmaven, it's not a spelling mistake I will make again. =)

[Blue_In_AK]

10. It has nothing to do with Sarah's sex or feminism...

Sarah is just an awful human being, period.

Anyone who chooses to be an awful human being deserves no respect from any group -- feminists or whoever.

[ohheckyeah]

12. I really don't care what she chooses to do with her

own life. I have a big problem when she uses her position to try and deny other women a choice.

[Raine]

13. Palin is not supportive of Michelle Obama's in her

fight against childhood obesity. Palin does nothing but degrade it and no one can tell me it isn't because it's Michelle's issue. Who the heck could be infavor of child obesity, it's simply because Palin has no respect for other women and their choices IMO.

[asjr]

14. The media made Sara Palin and she

has taken advantage of it by raking in the big bucks. She is feathering her nest egg.

[fasttense]

16. Being an idiot who can't complete a sentence or a thought is the traditional role of women? n/t

[Phentex]

21. I was about to post that I don't want an idiot to represent women of any kind.

Being intelligent is not something you pretend to be. Sure, Sarah cannot help being an idiot, but we certainly don't want to reward her for it!

[OneGrassRoot]

17. Her obvious manipulative character is just as appalling as her ignorance to me...

NOT a choice or characteristic to be admired.

[mwb970]

19. You're not an idiot, but you do think way too much.

This analysis seems overblown and overthought to me. It's simpler than that. Palin is a grifter. She says what needs to be said to make money for herself. Putting her up as an icon (or anti-icon) of some kind of Femininity writ large might get you an A on a Social Studies paper but it just doesn't have much to do with the real Sarah, who is a witless airhead, a hero to the dumb and gullible. Or so it seems to me.

:)

[PADemD]

22. You don't change the channel when her face appears?

[lunatica]

23. Double standard here. Do you think men should never criticize each other?

The first mistake you make is assuming that women criticizing one woman are therefore criticizing all women who are the same. Sarah Palin is a grifter and that opinion has nothing to do with whether she's a woman or not.

[Volaris]

26. I didn't mean to imply a double standard.

But, in general, no I don't think that mature and right-headed Men would criticize one another for choosing a non-traditional role, such as stay-at-home-dad.
While Sarah Palin IS a very public figure among conservative-leaning, "family values" women, she is also, admittedly, a bad example of the thing I was trying to get to, I guess.
And I did just finish a Sociology class, in which I am pretty sure I got an A. So the above poster may be correct in stating that I may be over-thinking this too much.=)
Again, thanks for ALL the responses, you all rock.

[DebJ]

27. Because dumb bimbo + public office just doesn't work. And

dumb bimbo who would restrict the rights of others and rape natural resources just doesn't work. She can stay home, dust the furniture, knit and chat with other like-minded women. But stay off the power stages.

[Vickers]

28. If that's your thesis, I hope you're just going for Dr. Pepper. n/t

[HopeHoops]

29. Sarah who?

:shrug:

[Ganja Ninja]

30. Nobody questions her right to be ignorant.

It's her ignorance of her own ignorance that bothers us.

[lumberjack_jeff]

33. She has a right to behave and think any way she wishes.

She doesn't have a right to lead people. That must be earned by being something other than a dumb bimbo.

[11 Bravo]

34. I once had a girlfriend whose golden retriever ate the droppings from her macaw.

I spent exactly as much time wondering why the pooch did what he did as I do wondering why Palin does what she does. She has issues, social, intellectual, and psychological. I'm not trained to diagnose her, so I simply ignore (or occasionally chuckle at) her ramblings.