Posted on 11/21/2002 8:02:07 AM PST by x1stcav
Should women pursue the Masters?: No, it's retro feminism Regina Gulick - For the Journal-Constitution Thursday, November 21, 2002
A Gen-X mother of two small sons, I find myself cheering for Hootie Johnson. The fight over women at Augusta National is not about access or women's rights. It's about outdated ideals in the minds of old-fashioned, liberal women.
This is a war women have already won, but a victory that last century's feminist leaders refuse to accept. I can't help but wonder whether they enjoy the fight with men so much that they make up these "battles" for the fun of it.
The sad thing is that "traditional" feminism has lost its effectiveness among the very women it claims to represent. But this may not be a bad thing. Perhaps [National Council of Women's Organizations leader] Martha Burk's campaign will become a turning point in feminism's evolution in the 21st century. I hope that when we look back, this will have been the moment when younger women turned their backs on the outdated feminist movement once and for all.
In a Nov. 13 editorial, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Johnson needs to "grow up and open the club to women members or step down before he single-handedly ruins one of the world's premier golf tournaments."
But perhaps it is feminism that needs to "grow up," not Johnson. An adolescent girl is insecure about her boyfriend's desire to hang out with his friends. A grown-up understands that it's healthy for women to spend time with women friends and men with men friends.
It recharges my husband when he attends a football game with his buddies or plays a round of golf with friends. And I'm rejuvenated after an afternoon with my sisters or a "girls' night out." The adolescent viewpoint is the one that refuses to let Augusta National members hang out with the guys.
While we acknowledge and are grateful for feminists' victories of the past century, we owe no blind loyalty when they are fighting a nonsensical battle. We're not going to jump on Burk's bandwagon simply because she (and certain media) pretend they're fighting for women's rights. Most women today don't feel threatened by men the way our so-called leaders do. And we are now happy to move beyond the men-vs.-women era to tackle real problems.
Poverty, terrorism, alcoholism, inadequate child care, traffic, failing public education, cancer, crime, abused and neglected children, our parents' health, uncertain retirement, on and on . . . these are the things we fear and want solutions for --- not admittance into an all-male private club.
Evidence shows that negative political messages, although offensive and annoying, do work. So, unfortunately, Burk and her feminist coalition's dirty politics probably will prevail. They simply have to throw around worn-out phrases such as "good-old-boy network," "boys' club" and "adolescents" to scare men. And deep down, Johnson probably is a little scared. Amusingly, Johnson didn't choose the politically correct response to Burk. In today's world of hidden meanings and imposed sensitivity over common sense, his in-your-face response was refreshing.
Get what you want --- truth and common sense be damned --- by boycotts and coercion. These same tactics were used in the past for legitimate purposes and are now being used to manipulate the system. Look at all the media coverage Burk is getting.
But there is a price to be paid. The feminists are turning women off. Although they will achieve their objective of getting a woman into Augusta National, and of replacing Johnson as its chairman, they are losing those of us they claim to represent.
I look forward to watching Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson vie for the 2003 green jacket.
Go, Hootie!
Regina Gulick of Canton is a free-lance writer.
Not fun, but the need to stay relevant. If they aren't crusading, then who in the media would bother to talk to them?
Once a vaccine was found, and the threat of polio faded into a distance memory, I was disappointed to discover that the MARCH OF DIMES just morphed into another charity.
It was then that I realized that even when a cure for cancer or heart disease was discovered that the charities would continue with a new cause. For those that ran the charities the end product is not the cure, but the raising of money.
It is the same with the Civil Rights and feminist groups today. Even when the battle is won, they continue to fight the war, it is the only way they can continue their paycheck.
Bump!!
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