Now Katha's response...

Jessica, you're not the first to point out that NOW, Feminist majority and other big feminist groups founded by 1960s activists have had trouble opening up leadership roles to young women. I'm not sure there's anything particular to women in this--ie anything that justifies your analogy to that idiotic sorority.

I'd agree that the parallel to the sorority is baseless. The institutional feminist organizations need our money, so they keep us around for our dues. *tongue in cheek...kinda*

If you really feel dissed and dismissed by these minor events, don't hang around waiting for your big break. Start your own group.

On the surface this seems like a good plan. But really, how many of us have the time & resources to start a whole new group? That said, I also feel that sometimes our biggest weakness is that there are too many groups out there and we aren't talking to each other. Whether due to ignorance or competition, we need to talk to each other if we're gonna get anything done.

As a constant reader of Feministing, I know that you and your co-writers are quite the blogo-battlers. You don't have the all-inclusive, nonjudgmental, everyone's-a-feminist POV you insist others take toward young women.

OUCH. And she's right. As much as I love reading Feministing, there are days when I roll my eyes at what is up there. I have to admit that I haven't felt the same love towards them since the lame excusing of Jessica's book cover. I know there are a lot of pressures on young authors, but gawd damn...

If there are ideological differences between generations, they should be discussed as ideas, not declared off limits because the person who espouses them is younger (or older).

And this is where I wholeheartedly agree with Katha. There are far too many times when I've been in meetings or email discussions and debate is shut down due to one generation stomping their foot down and saying, "NO. WE ARE THE EXPERTS." Whether it is to have thongs for sale or have a folk singer from the 1970s us kids have never heard before sing at the big gala.

Feminism means something different to each generation. The second wavers have so much to finish and some of them have told me, "I'm too old, you do it." While others won't give up control until we pry it from their dead hands. In many ways, I admire both. I think it's awesome that someone realizes that they are too tired, too burnt out, too overwhelmed to carry on. Maybe they realize they just are out of new ideas, who knows. But it takes a brave person to walk away from their life's work in order for a new generation to push it to the finish line. OTOH, I really hope that when I'm 60 that I still have the fire I see in some of the second wavers. That I still think I have ideas. But honestly, I hope when I'm 60, most of the work will have been done and I'll have put myself out of business.

There is a generational war brewing. But it's been brewing from generations. We'll always have it. As Katha points out, it is very much like a mother-daughter relationship. Which we all know has it's good points & very bad points. It also has no conclusion.

Labels: blogging, feminism, feministcard