Jessica Valenti, who has turned herself into one of the most prominent feminist voices by always managing to be slightly more extreme than the average lefty is comfortable with, penned an op-ed for The New York Times this weekend that was exceptionally honest. In it, Valenti explained that conservatism and feminism would never, and could never, be compatible and that conservative women should NEVER expect her support.
“On Thursday, Gina Haspel, President Trump’s choice to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, was confirmed by the Senate, making her the first woman in that position. That same day, Fox News announced that Suzanne Scott would be the company’s first female chief executive,” Valenti writes. “There is a distinct lack of feminist celebration over these women ascending in these jobs — an absence that Republicans have criticized as hypocrisy. Shouldn’t we feminists be pleased by these shattered glass ceilings?”
Well, it is hypocrisy, but Valenti writes as though there is some kind of confusion in Republican circles about why feminists don’t celebrate these achievements. There is no confusion. Everyone who knows anything about the feminist movement knows that it is firmly rooted in the worst forms of socialism and is nothing more than a front for the greater liberal cause. This is why women like Gina Haspel, Carly Fiorina, Sarah Palin, and Ivanka Trump aren’t just “not celebrated” by the feminist collective – they are vilified even worse than any man. It is the same phenomenon we see when we talk about the way Democrats treat black conservatives or the way Hispanic pro-immigrant groups talk about Marco Rubio. These people are not just political enemies; they are TRAITORS.
In a world defined by identity politics – and feminism is identity politics at its worst – there is no room for those who betray their form. It’s not often that a feminist comes out to make the point as audaciously as Valenti does in The New York Times, but hey, it’s not like she’s giving away state secrets.
She laments that by trying to make feminism accessible to all women, the movement has given Republicans the freedom to claim its mantle without actually believing in its tenets.
“The truth is that while feminism need not be complicated — it’s a movement for social, economic and political justice — it is not for everyone,” she writes. “You cannot be a feminist and support an immigration policy of taking children away from undocumented immigrant mothers. You cannot be a feminist and go along with the White House’s newly announced domestic gag rule, a mandate that would withhold funding from any health care center that helps patients find abortion services.”
There it is, laid out bare for the world to see: You cannot be a feminist and oppose abortion. You cannot be a feminist and support upholding immigration law. You cannot be a feminist and a Republican.
To be honest, an op-ed like this was long overdue. It’s time to stop treating this term – “feminist” – as if it were a politically-neutral label that any man or woman should be happy to wield. It isn’t, and it’s time for conservatives to re-learn that lesson. Feminism is but one prong of the left’s pitchfork and it will never be anything more or less than that. To call yourself a conservative feminist is as silly as calling yourself a conservative communist. They are mutually exclusive.
Thank you, Jessica Valenti, for reminding America of your movement’s true intentions.
