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Sunday, March 09, 2008
International Women's Week wrap-up
This past week was International Women's Week, and yesterday, March 8, was International Women's Day. Sure, there`s some awareness - people know that there is an International Women's Day, but I had three people let me know this week that three different days were the auspicious day, and none of them were.
So I thought to myself, with the new feminists falling so far from the tree of the original movement, demanding "equality" through pandering to women and driving it into our minds that we are inferior and can only achieve what men can achieve naturally through cheating the system, how can we revitalize awareness of this week?
Well, there's a pretty swell broad I'd like to introduce you to who really has done a lot for women's rights - her name is Lady Liberty. Yeah, that's right. Fighting for freedom might be the "red-blooded manly" thing to do, but when it comes right down to it, freedom is embodied historically by a chick. So take that, men.
Really, though, there are a lot of women who don't fit into the standard view of women as passive, state-needing "natural socialists" as I read in several places while I was poking around looking for ideas for this post. One blogger tackles "Why libertarian women are so hardcore," and hypothesizes that women who love freedom have a higher "escape velocity" to break free of the social mores of womenfolk.
But really, we don't have to look far to find some women who really deserve celebrating, especially by small-government types.
There are some women who immediately jump to mind when you think of freedom or conservatism. Peter mentioned Ayn Rand, whose books have helped introduce many people to the ideas of libertarianism and conservatism, and who founded a whole philosophy on individualism, rather than following and relying on the collective.
Thatcher is another great example - she was instrumental in turning the tide on a trend of ballooning government and espousing the values of smaller government, lower taxes and freedom.
And if you're looking for symbols of success and strength, we can look at the late Benazir Bhutto, who - regardless of what you think about her time in power - was able to become President of a Muslim state before many Western countries had a female leader. While feminists might point to her as a great role model for women around the world, they seldom mention that she attained the success she did without the social programs, quotas and other systems they insist need to be in place for women to flourish.
The point is, there's no reason to wonder why a post like this is appearing on a libertarian/conservative blog, or for the reaction, "Oh no, not more feminist nonsense," when you hear "International Women's Week." Take the opportunity to think of all the great women in history who have done so much to fight for our freedoms, and who have done so much to fight the stereotype of women the "natural socialists."
If you're interested in learning about more awesome libertarian and conservative broads, check out this page on libertarian women, complete with links to sites for and by liberty ladies, and Rightgrrl!, a site for conservative and free-market loving women.
Posted by Janet Neilson on March 9, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
Excellent post and comments Janet. My vote has always gone to M. Thatcher. She was a great leader by example and a true conservative (Tory). For me the fact that she was a woman is secondary, meaning that I admire her for what she did as opposed to her sex.
The UK has never had anyone equal to her since and I shall not bother commenting on Canada.
Posted by: Alain | 2008-03-09 4:52:15 PM
I love the "escape velocity" theory of why female converts to liberty are so radical. I think it also applies to reformed statist as well.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2008-03-09 11:35:40 PM
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