Faux Feminism
January 12, 2010
New York Times Magazine writer, Virginia Heffernan, believes that WAHM – a work at home mom – is a feminist concept.
Thanks to modernized and computerized telecommunications, Heffernan states, “the bourgeois home has become a woman’s base of operations”. Indeed, “Telecommuting is a familiar story” but she feels she “must sing its praises again – this time in a feminist key”.
I’m sorry, what? WHAT?
According to Heffernan, telecommunications freed women (women, not men!) from the burden of encountering the outside world. Now you don’t have to leave your house and “enter the unpredictable world of vice presidents and printer hubs”.
Ooooh, that’s so scary! Why do that when you can stay home, do your work – work, the house work and take care of the children and pets, all the while wearing drab pants and watching trashy TV. Heaven forbid you should go out in to the real world, wear actual cloths and face your male colleagues as your equals (and by “equals” I mean mentally and emotionally inferiors).
News flesh: a work at home mom (as depicted by Heffernan) is not a feminist. She’s just sad. Not to mention a servile of the modern patriarchal system. Glorifying her would only result in another generation of girls (and boys) growing up with a gross misconception of what the world should look like.
Misusing the term “feminist” or “feminism” is worse than misogyny because it creates further miseducation. At least with misogynists it is straight forward. You know what’s in front of you and you can face it head on. Attaching the word “feminist” to the wrong issue, cause or idea is blasphemy, for lack of a better word.
For the love of Mary, pick up a book and learn something, anything before you go around spreading mock, evidently non feminist ideas in the name of feminism. In other words: if you don’t have anything feminist to say, it is better that you say nothing at all.
P.S. Dear Virginia Heffernan: Mary Wollstonecraft called from her grave and asked that you never ever mention her name again. Ok? Thanks so much!
January 12, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Really. Does no one think we are up to the challenge these days? I just think back on watching mom and dad while I was growing up. Pros and cons and all. I’m still working on my…identity…I guess you could say. More late maybe.
January 12, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I read your article first and then read hers – she is a fucking moron! Women who work from home do not do it to AVOID ALL THE BIG, BAD, SCARY THINGS AT WORK! Christ half the time they don’t even HAVE kids and bullshit at home to “take care of while they work”. Women work from home for the SAME reasons MEN work from home!
We all know that working from home is the better choice – no matter WHAT gender you are. Why? because you can do shit in your own time, your own hours, in your comfy clothes and not have to stress over the stupid shit that doesn’t matter such as which suit to wear.
This is not a feminist, masculine, feminine issue it is simply a COMFORT issue. She also chose to ignore the fact that MOST people who are lucky enough to get to work from home are doing so because they are UNLUCKY enough to have medical issues that make going “in” to work difficult or impossible. So I say she could not be more wrong on her statement that this most of all benefits “feminist women who wish to stay home and work while caring for the kiddies and home”.
Feminism is not about caring for the damn kids and house and having it all ready for when the big, strong, working man of the house gets home! She totally missed the boat.
January 13, 2010 at 3:35 am
Right you are Jayde (& H).
I’m disgusted at the implications that the big bad man world, is just too much for us to face in our kitten heels and poodle skirts. It’s bizzare that a woman (or a man for that matter) would choose domesticated prison coupled with technology as oppose to a fight on the front lines.
I prefer to get my hands dirty, and not (just) from diaper gravy! I don’t care if I could teleport through the Internet, I want to BE the change I want to see! And last time I checked I could do that a bit better when I’m not channel surfing and starting wars with www. …
As for the women who BALANCE domesticity with purpose I applaude you! Being a Mom is still one of the most important, powerful jobs on the planet- if not the most. Everyone chooses there weapons accordingly, no one needs to be advised of what may work better for the war.
Thanks for sharing H, I may just go troll that site myself, and leave a piece of my mind.
January 23, 2010 at 1:28 pm
LOL well done!
For the love of Mary get out of the house and put on real clothes! LOL.
Love it!