“I’m sorry, I’m just a girl.” -Rachel, Amazing Race s20 ep2.
I’ve never really thought of myself as a feminist. Thanks to those who came before me, like Susan B. Anthony & Betty Friedan, I’ve never lived in a world that discriminated against me due to my gender. I’ve never felt the need to rail against the Patriarchy nor have I been oppressed by “the Man.” I’ve grown up in a time when women can & do just about anything. Women serve in the military, they run Fortune 500 companies, serve in Congress, even run for the Presidency.
But lately, I’ve noticed a trend, both in TV & politics, that bothers me. I see women making excuses for their own shortcomings or demanding things from others based solely on their gender. Like Ms Rachel from Amazing Race 20, whose comment about being “just a girl” came during a building challenge on Episode 2. Woman, do not blame your lack of mechanical ability on your lady bits! Especially when the all-female team next to you has not only already finished the build, but given the all-male team a few pointers.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7s7cqqdOc#t=146s]
Rachel’s “just a girl” comment is at the 2:28 mark.
If that wasn’t bad enough, take the example of the women’s team on Survivor: One World, who continue to insist the men’s team provide for them. In Episode 3, one woman, after an especially cold rainy night, said, “We’re girls! We’re not meant to be beaten down like this.” Wait, what? Did you not sign up for this show? Have you never watched an episode? Your experience so far is not that different from the teams of the past. Man up! Quit yer griping and fix your shelter! Stop expecting the men to give you things because you’re girls, and start providing for yourselves.
Then, to cap this off, Sandra Fluke – Nancy Pelosi’s latest Useful Idiot – goes before Congress to demand that Congress force those big bad meanies known as health insurance companies to provide contraception. Ignore the fact that she chose to go to Georgetown Law School because the student healthcare coverage does not provide for contraception, though the employee version does. Ignore the fact that she was president of the Law Students for Reproductive Justice and battled with a Catholic School over their policies for three years. Pay no attention to the fact that she believes “gender reassignment” operations should be considered medically necessary and fully covered by all health insurance companies. Ignore the Limbaugh controversy, his subsequent apology – which she refused to accept, Presidential phone call, and her possible collusion with White House and MMFA to push a narrative. (By the way, the idea that Viagra is covered by most health care plans, while birth control is not, is False.)
Ignore all the facts, and the obvious activism of Ms Fluke, and what you have is a woman sitting in front of the Congress, demanding they make someone else give her something – because she’s a girl.
Feminism was never supposed to be about getting special treatment because of our womanhood. It was about getting equal treatment. Ladies, you can not demand to be treated as equals while simultaneously demanding special treatment. Knock it off! Stop looking to others for what you need or want, and provide for yourself. In the words of Daisy, via Chicks on the Right:
The strong, REAL “feminists” like me are painted as old-fashioned in today’s society. Go figure. Well, that’s fine, because I know I’ll always be better off. Because I know that if a government is powerful enough to give something to me – if ANYONE is powerful enough to do so – they’re powerful to take it away. Count on it, oh strong and able “feminists.” And remember that you’re the one who handed over the power.