Spring Break
Letter To The Editor
Casapulla Right On
Emily Salisbury
Issue date: 10/13/05 Section: Commentary
I had to chuckle when I read Casapulla's commentary on misguided feminists. Even more intriguing than Casapulla's article itself was the moral outrage that erupted from a vocal minority on campus. This reaction is typical of the modern movement Casapulla describes.
The pseudo-feminist movement we witness in women's studies departments at college campuses across the United States use "moral outrage" as a tool to exclude opinions that do not sync with their own. I use the term "pseudo-feminists" not because I wish to provoke, but because I do not feel as though these women correctly represent me.
It is my feeling that today's feminists are not for the advancement of women, but are, rather, for the advancement of leftist women. Last year I spent a summer researching history, political science, cultural and women's studies courses offered by various colleges. As I investigated the women's studies sections of college handbooks, I noticed a trend: the texts covered in the courses were, for the most part, written by women who subscribe to various leftist political philosophies. Names such as Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Patricia Ireland and Kate Michelman frequented reading lists. All prominent, left-leaning women. My findings struck me as ironic, because many of the leftists I know seem very excited about celebrating multiculturalism and diversity.
Why have the works of so many other prominent, intelligent women been stricken from women's studies courses? Phyllis Schaflay, Christina Hoff Sommers, Margaret Thatcher, Michelle Easton, and Linda Chavez are only a few of the many women ignored by women's studies programs. Why? I suggest that these women do not fit the women's studies department standard for how women should think.
This intolerance of conservative views in academia extends to race as well. I've had the opportunity to speak at length with black writer and speaker Reginald Jones. Jones is a well-known entertainer, entrepreneur and campus lecturer, and students from all over the country invite him to speak at their colleges for Black History Month.But many times, Jones' visits are vetoed by the administration or cancelled at the last minute. According to Jones, sometimes the excuses are creative. Other times he is told straight out that he is not welcome because he does not subscribe to views that are typically considered conducive to the advancement of African Americans. He doesn't fit their standard for how black people should think.
The pseudo-feminist movement we witness in women's studies departments at college campuses across the United States use "moral outrage" as a tool to exclude opinions that do not sync with their own. I use the term "pseudo-feminists" not because I wish to provoke, but because I do not feel as though these women correctly represent me.
It is my feeling that today's feminists are not for the advancement of women, but are, rather, for the advancement of leftist women. Last year I spent a summer researching history, political science, cultural and women's studies courses offered by various colleges. As I investigated the women's studies sections of college handbooks, I noticed a trend: the texts covered in the courses were, for the most part, written by women who subscribe to various leftist political philosophies. Names such as Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Patricia Ireland and Kate Michelman frequented reading lists. All prominent, left-leaning women. My findings struck me as ironic, because many of the leftists I know seem very excited about celebrating multiculturalism and diversity.
Why have the works of so many other prominent, intelligent women been stricken from women's studies courses? Phyllis Schaflay, Christina Hoff Sommers, Margaret Thatcher, Michelle Easton, and Linda Chavez are only a few of the many women ignored by women's studies programs. Why? I suggest that these women do not fit the women's studies department standard for how women should think.
This intolerance of conservative views in academia extends to race as well. I've had the opportunity to speak at length with black writer and speaker Reginald Jones. Jones is a well-known entertainer, entrepreneur and campus lecturer, and students from all over the country invite him to speak at their colleges for Black History Month.But many times, Jones' visits are vetoed by the administration or cancelled at the last minute. According to Jones, sometimes the excuses are creative. Other times he is told straight out that he is not welcome because he does not subscribe to views that are typically considered conducive to the advancement of African Americans. He doesn't fit their standard for how black people should think.