Posted on 02/04/2006 1:10:18 PM PST by GeneD
WASHINGTON - Betty Friedan, whose manifesto "The Feminine Mystique" became a best seller in the 1960s and laid the groundwork for the modern feminist movement, died Saturday, her birthday. She was 85.
Friedan died at her home of congestive heart failure, according to a cousin, Emily Bazelon.
Friedan's assertion in her 1963 best seller that having a husband and babies was not everything and that women should aspire to separate identities as individuals, was highly unusual, if not revolutionary, just after the baby and suburban booms of the Eisenhower era.
The feminine mystique, she said, was a phony bill of goods society sold to women that left them unfulfilled, suffering from "the problem that has no name" and seeking a solution in tranquilizers and psychoanalysis.
"A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, `Who am I, and what do I want out of life?' She mustn't feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of husband and children," Friedan said.
In the racial, political and sexual conflicts of the 1960s and '70s, Friedan's was one of the most commanding voices and recognizable presences in the women's movement.
As a founder and first president of the National Organization for Women in 1966, she staked out positions that seemed extreme at the time on such issues as abortion, sex-neutral help-wanted ads, equal pay, promotion opportunities and maternity leave.
"Betty, get yer fat butt in the laundry room and iron my sheets." Caspar the Not So Friendly Ghost
Hmm...I don't think the troll will be returning any time soon.
I've no beef with people who choose not to raise children, except when they choose to elevate themselves with lies that denigrate both children and the women who choose to mother them.
Activities that Betty Friedan devoted her live to, sadly. The secret agenda of communism/feminism in elevating work over family under the guise of "self-actualization" is to push children into publicly funded daycare and schooling so they can control the pap that is poured into their little skulls of mush.
Unfortunately, she was a recognizable presence (shiver) in Sag Harbor, NY when I used to live there.
Nonetheless, my condolences to her family.
Friedan, Glorai Steinam and their fellow cronies were celebrities in their day. Who are the young radical feminist voices today?
Is the breed dying out? I know the colleges are full of them, but none seem to have media pedastal of their seniors.
LOL! No kidding.
Here's a very kind review of one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Wolf
Like leprechauns, there aren't very many.
A stunning blonde conservative author takes Naomi apart brick-by-brick in one of her books, maybe `How to Talk to a Liberal'. Believe it was on the topic of large advances lefty authors (like Wolf) get for lousy books, while conservatives get next-to-nothing for their "surprise best sellers'.
(It's always a real surprise to the NYT, you know, when a conservative book is a best seller)
Funny thing is her husband died only a few weeks ago. Good old Carl, the Father of the Women's Liberation Movement.
That was Gloria Steinem, not Betty Friedan, that made that comment about fish needing bicycles.
Motherhood is a proud role for her to play now that her son is dead. Was she a mother to him when it mattered? Pffft.
It certainly appears that Casey was an innocent victim of the stinky fruits of feminism. Lord only knows the effect of that deranged troll on him. Incredibly sad.
It's OK for women to lead the lives in whatever way they see fit. It's NOT OK to shove your ideals down everyone else's throat.
May God have mercy on her.
***Feminist Author Betty Friedan Dies at 85****
And Satan was last seen running out the back door of hell!
I saw Friedan speak when I was in college (circa 1975) and she was actually a very upbeat, humorous, and interesting speaker - - nothing bitter or especially kooky that I can recall, at least compared with the lesbian scum that runs the remnants of the "women's movement" today.
RIP
Some mighty rewarding legacy for THE head honcho of the feminist movement, who's expired term was announced by "a" cousin.
What happened to... "surrounded by friends, family, kids, grand kids etc"?.
Bye,Bye Betty.
("God have mercy"). He better. I don't.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.