Feminism Founders while Hercules Savta Dotty Naps

After I referred to elswhere's post as an inspiration for my post about racism, she pointed out that her post was actually on feminism, not racism. And I replied that indeed it was, and I would prepare a post on feminism.

In the interim I watched a DVD of the brilliant, dated, and timeless movie "Adam's Rib." After ruminating on that movie and its subject for a couple of weeks, I find I have too much very little to say on the subject of feminism. Once (Western) women were able to obtain birth control products easily, everything changed and nothing has changed. Over the last five decades we tried "equal pay for equal work" and we bumped up against various definitions of equal work. Fast-track 80-hour-a-week jobs became available to more women in more industries, but we bumped up against the glass ceiling, child-care problems, and the stay-at-home-mom controversy. Those of us who chose 40-hour-a-week mommy-track jobs were accused by the more radical feminists of betraying The Cause. Those of us who chose heavy-duty management careers were vilified as Wannabe Men, also traitors to The Cause. When I moved to Israel I met a much wider spectrum of positions and more facets, with religious role-definitions and basic survival complicating the issue further. As if that weren't enough, international events pushed the Global Economy onto page one, and no job provided security against Overseas Outsourcing.

Personal relations that turn into pure competitive power struggles go downhill rapidly, but isn't feminism about power? And isn't racism about power? Women Power! Black Power! Jew Power! Muslim Power! Am I a Power-ist? Or an Anti-Power-ist? Where does Capitalism intersect with Social Welfare? I guess the kindergarten curriculum on Sharing needs updating. Uh oh. My mind boggles.

So for the time being, while I go off to study Power and Its Myriad Manifestations, I unilaterally declare elswhere, given her geographical and generational positioning, in charge of Feminism (and Delicious apples), and myself in charge of Middle East Peace (and Hummus). Stay tuned when we present our platform for World Government By The People and For The People, Including Men, Women, and Children of All Ages.