If a man said what Gloria Steinhem said than he would have rightfully been
branded "a male chauvenist pig". Now, that said I have a great deal of
respect for her and all that she has done over the years. Still do. Everyone
has a slip of the tongue on these issues from time to time including me. I
was more taken aback though by her comments than Albrights, only because
Albright is a pure political animal and this type of thing was expected.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 6:06 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Dear Hillary, Madeleine and Gloria: Full Feminism
Demands We Say No to America's Deadly Imperial Wars
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Dear Hillary, Madeleine and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No
to America's Deadly Imperial Wars
________________________________________
Dear Hillary, Madeleine and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No to
America's Deadly Imperial Wars
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
February 8, 2016
Two powerful backers of Hillary Clinton attracted headlines-and outrage-this
weekend when they uttered sweeping statements under the banner of
"feminism," calling on young women to back the former Secretary of State's
presidential bid.
Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Sate,
introduced Clinton in New Hampshire on Saturday by declaring, "There's a
special place in hell for women who don't help each other!"
In the days following, many have scrutinized the hawkish track record of
Albright, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In
just one example, Albright told "60 Minutes" in 1996 that half a million
children who died [3] as a result of U.S. sanctions against Iran were
"worth" the price.
"Albright has a hell of a lot of nerve telling young women who may be very
concerned about Clinton's support for virtually all U.S. wars of recent
years that they should vote for her because she's a woman," Phyllis Bennis,
senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told AlterNet.
Meanwhile, speaking with HBO's "Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday,
feminist icon Gloria Steinem claimed that young women are backing
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in order to meet guys. Women get "more
activist as they grow older," she said. "And when you're younger, you think:
'Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.'" Steinem later apologized
for the comment on her Facebook page, writing [4] that she "misspoke."
Nonetheless, the statement rightfully provoked rebuke, including from some
who grew up respecting Steinem. "The good news is that more and more of us
are ready to change the whole system, and fewer and fewer are willing to
believe that imperial feminism [5] is the best we can do," declared [6]
Philadelphia-based writer Sarah Grey.
These recent controversial comments stem from a broader campaign strategy,
with Clinton leveraging high-profile (and often white and wealthy)
self-avowed feminists to bolster her campaign. Among them is Lena Dunham,
the creator of the hit series "Girls," who has sought to win support for
Clinton among young women.
Feminists should unequivocally declare that Clinton's policies of war and
empire that kill, wound and traumatize women around the world are not
compatible with feminism. Of course we defend any woman, including Clinton,
against sexism. But that defense must not lead to reflexive embrace of an
entire platform, nor claims that elite politicians like Clinton somehow have
a monopoly on feminism.
As Rania Masri, an activist and associate director of the Asfari Institute
for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut, put
it in an interview with AlterNet, "Feminism demands a critique of U.S.
policies, both domestically and internationally. It demands a critique of
all wars and all hegemonies and of all structures of oppression."
Masri noted that these concepts are not new, and in fact, have been built up
by powerful and visionary feminists, many of them people of color, including
the poet and organizer Audre Lorde, who urged nuanced and intersectional
movements. "There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not
live single-issue lives," Lorde famously said.
Clinton's foreign policy, however, falls in line with policies of war and
empire. As a U.S. senator for New York, Clinton cast one of the most
influential votes in favor of the 2003 Iraq war, signaling to other
Democrats to back the invasion. She has since acknowledged this decision was
a mistake, but her actions indicate she has learned nothing.
Under the Obama administration, Clinton consistently represented the pro-war
wing, advocating military aggression and escalation from Iraq and Libya to
Afghanistan and Ukraine. She was cautious on the global nuclear deal, saying
she would "not hesitate" to take military action against Iran, and during
her campaign declared [7] her unbreakable bond with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. In her memoir Hard Choices, Clinton took credit for the
military pivot to the Asia-Pacific, which continues to escalate military
buildup and aggression region-wide to hedge against China.
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Clinton has been conspicuously silent
about close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia's brutal military assault on Yemen, now
into its tenth month. She has said nothing about ethnic cleansing and war
crimes perpetuated by Israel, while vowing [8] to donors to crush the
Palestinian human rights movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions
(BDS).
Foreign Policy in Focus columnist Conn Hallinan recently took on the grim
task of attempting [9] to tally those killed in foreign policy disasters
related to Clinton. According to some calculations, the 2003 U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq killed over one million people due to war-related causes.
Nearly a quarter million Afghans have died since the 2001 U.S. invasion of
Afghanistan, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes and
become refugees.
In June 2014, I spoke [10] with Yanar Mohammed of the Organization of
Women's Freedom in Iraq, who warned against further U.S. military
intervention in the country. "These wars are against women," Mohammed said,
"and women are becoming the first victims."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, Sarah co-edited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [11].
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [12]
[13]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-hillary-madeline-and-gloria-full-
feminism-demands-we-say-no-americas-deadly
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/we-think-the-price-is-worth-it/
[4] https://www.facebook.com/GloriaSteinem/?fref=nf
[5]
https://www.opendemocracy.net/deepa-kumar/imperialist-feminism-and-liberalis
m
[6]
http://www.theestablishment.co/2016/02/08/an-open-letter-to-gloria-steinem-o
n-intersectional-feminism/
[7]
http://forward.com/opinion/national/324013/how-i-would-rebuild-ties-to-israe
l-and-benjamin-neta/
[8]
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/controversial-israel-supporter-funneli
ng-millions-clinton-campaign
[9] http://fpif.org/adding-costs-hillary-clintons-wars/
[10]
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/06/20/many-voices-one-call-we-refuse-u
s-military-intervention-iraq
[11] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[12] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Dear Hillary, Madeleine
and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No to America's Deadly
Imperial Wars
[13] http://www.alternet.org/
[14] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Dear Hillary, Madeleine and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No
to America's Deadly Imperial Wars
Dear Hillary, Madeleine and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No to
America's Deadly Imperial Wars
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
February 8, 2016
Two powerful backers of Hillary Clinton attracted headlines-and outrage-this
weekend when they uttered sweeping statements under the banner of
"feminism," calling on young women to back the former Secretary of State's
presidential bid.
Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Sate,
introduced Clinton in New Hampshire on Saturday by declaring, "There's a
special place in hell for women who don't help each other!"
In the days following, many have scrutinized the hawkish track record of
Albright, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In
just one example, Albright told "60 Minutes" in 1996 that half a million
children who died [3] as a result of U.S. sanctions against Iran were
"worth" the price.
"Albright has a hell of a lot of nerve telling young women who may be very
concerned about Clinton's support for virtually all U.S. wars of recent
years that they should vote for her because she's a woman," Phyllis Bennis,
senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told AlterNet.
Meanwhile, speaking with HBO's "Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday,
feminist icon Gloria Steinem claimed that young women are backing
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in order to meet guys. Women get "more
activist as they grow older," she said. "And when you're younger, you think:
'Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.'" Steinem later apologized
for the comment on her Facebook page, writing [4] that she "misspoke."
Nonetheless, the statement rightfully provoked rebuke, including from some
who grew up respecting Steinem. "The good news is that more and more of us
are ready to change the whole system, and fewer and fewer are willing to
believe that imperial feminism [5] is the best we can do," declared [6]
Philadelphia-based writer Sarah Grey.
These recent controversial comments stem from a broader campaign strategy,
with Clinton leveraging high-profile (and often white and wealthy)
self-avowed feminists to bolster her campaign. Among them is Lena Dunham,
the creator of the hit series "Girls," who has sought to win support for
Clinton among young women.
Feminists should unequivocally declare that Clinton's policies of war and
empire that kill, wound and traumatize women around the world are not
compatible with feminism. Of course we defend any woman, including Clinton,
against sexism. But that defense must not lead to reflexive embrace of an
entire platform, nor claims that elite politicians like Clinton somehow have
a monopoly on feminism.
As Rania Masri, an activist and associate director of the Asfari Institute
for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut, put
it in an interview with AlterNet, "Feminism demands a critique of U.S.
policies, both domestically and internationally. It demands a critique of
all wars and all hegemonies and of all structures of oppression."
Masri noted that these concepts are not new, and in fact, have been built up
by powerful and visionary feminists, many of them people of color, including
the poet and organizer Audre Lorde, who urged nuanced and intersectional
movements. "There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not
live single-issue lives," Lorde famously said.
Clinton's foreign policy, however, falls in line with policies of war and
empire. As a U.S. senator for New York, Clinton cast one of the most
influential votes in favor of the 2003 Iraq war, signaling to other
Democrats to back the invasion. She has since acknowledged this decision was
a mistake, but her actions indicate she has learned nothing.
Under the Obama administration, Clinton consistently represented the pro-war
wing, advocating military aggression and escalation from Iraq and Libya to
Afghanistan and Ukraine. She was cautious on the global nuclear deal, saying
she would "not hesitate" to take military action against Iran, and during
her campaign declared [7] her unbreakable bond with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. In her memoir Hard Choices, Clinton took credit for the
military pivot to the Asia-Pacific, which continues to escalate military
buildup and aggression region-wide to hedge against China.
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Clinton has been conspicuously silent
about close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia's brutal military assault on Yemen, now
into its tenth month. She has said nothing about ethnic cleansing and war
crimes perpetuated by Israel, while vowing [8] to donors to crush the
Palestinian human rights movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions
(BDS).
Foreign Policy in Focus columnist Conn Hallinan recently took on the grim
task of attempting [9] to tally those killed in foreign policy disasters
related to Clinton. According to some calculations, the 2003 U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq killed over one million people due to war-related causes.
Nearly a quarter million Afghans have died since the 2001 U.S. invasion of
Afghanistan, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes and
become refugees.
In June 2014, I spoke [10] with Yanar Mohammed of the Organization of
Women's Freedom in Iraq, who warned against further U.S. military
intervention in the country. "These wars are against women," Mohammed said,
"and women are becoming the first victims."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, Sarah co-edited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [11].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [12]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[13]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-hillary-madeline-and-gloria-full-
feminism-demands-we-say-no-americas-deadly
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/we-think-the-price-is-worth-it/
[4] https://www.facebook.com/GloriaSteinem/?fref=nf
[5]
https://www.opendemocracy.net/deepa-kumar/imperialist-feminism-and-liberalis
m
[6]
http://www.theestablishment.co/2016/02/08/an-open-letter-to-gloria-steinem-o
n-intersectional-feminism/
[7]
http://forward.com/opinion/national/324013/how-i-would-rebuild-ties-to-israe
l-and-benjamin-neta/
[8]
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/controversial-israel-supporter-funneli
ng-millions-clinton-campaign
[9] http://fpif.org/adding-costs-hillary-clintons-wars/
[10]
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/06/20/many-voices-one-call-we-refuse-u
s-military-intervention-iraq
[11] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[12] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Dear Hillary, Madeleine
and Gloria: Full Feminism Demands We Say No to America's Deadly
Imperial Wars
[13] http://www.alternet.org/
[14] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
