Rush Limbaugh has some shit to say about Democrats, Hillary, and feminists.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200804010009?f=h_latest
I kind of wish I were capable of ignoring comments like this. Because there will always be the Pat Robertsons, with the whole, "Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." And the Ann Coulters, pointing out that if women couldn't vote, the Democrats would never win another election, and then saying, "It's kind of a personal fantasy of mine."
I understand disagreeing about abortion. I understand thinking that feminists take things too far sometimes. But to discount a movement that has done so much for this country...I can't understand that, outside of the conclusion that every single conservative pundit out there doesn't actually believe what they're saying and just knows what sells well. And I don't think that's true. I honestly think that most of them believe what they're saying. How can Ann Coulter believe that restricting women's' right to vote would accomplish anything positive? I would never in my life say that the vote of white men earning $100,000 a year or more should be taken away. I wouldn't say that evangelical Christians should be barred from voting, even though doing so would solve the same "problem" for my side of the aisle. I believe the solution to an electorate that doesn't vote the way I would like is more information and more education, not curtailing their rights. I know that probably wasn't a serious comment. But I still wonder how the Coulters and O'Reillys and Limbaughs of the world can go home happy with themselves and the world. And if they can't, then why are they doing what they're doing?
On the off-chance the Rush Limbaugh actually wants to learn something and wasn't just trying to get some controversy points, I wrote him this letter (as an 18-year old so I could pretend that my opinion about the election actually matters):
Mr. Limbaugh,
As an eighteen year old Democratic feminist, I would like to correct some of the misstatements you made in your radio broadcast on April 1st. Not all female voters in the Democratic Party—not even those who self-identify as feminists—necessarily support Ms. Clinton as the Democratic nominee. Nor is the party as divided as you claim. While I would prefer to see Mr. Obama as the nominee for the party, I would be happy to vote for either candidate, and happy to see either as president. My desire to see Mr. Obama or Ms. Clinton in the White House does not come from the feeling that I am owed any sort of “due”, by society or the party. It comes from my belief that their policies on health care, Iraq, and environmental issues will lead America in the direction I would like to see it heading.
I am troubled by your comments about feminists, as I believe they display a fundamental misunderstanding of what the feminist movement stands for. Feminism believes in allowing women to choose the course of their own lives and calls attention to the prejudice and discrimination that has and continues to, stop women from achieving equality. Though feminists support a woman’s right to choose an abortion, no feminist believes abortion is some type of “due” owed to the movement. Feminists work actively, every day, to promote education about safer sex practices precisely to reduce the number of accidental pregnancies occurring in the US. Not all feminists are the man-hating, career-driven women you make them out to be. My mother, who raised me to be a proud feminist, has only married once, never had an abortion, and stayed home to raise me and my brother.
I understand that as a conservative radio personality, you are naturally critical of the Democratic Party. I am aware that you disagree with the feminist movement on many key issues. However, I would ask that you remember that there is a difference between commentary and falsification. If you want to criticize the Democratic Party, the feminist movement, or Hillary Clinton’s supporters, by all means do so. But please don’t make sweeping generalizations about the feminist movement or women as a whole when you do. To portray such a diverse group of people in such a stereotypical way does everyone a disservice—it adds to misconceptions, illegitimizes your point, and does nothing to elevate the level of political discourse in this country.
Respectfully,
Rachel Alexander
I'm sure he won't reply, and if he does, it will be a form letter. So really, that was pointless. But who knows? Maybe he actually reads his email.
In other news, Mother Jones magazine has published a list, leaked from the US government, of specific songs that have been used in US military prisons to shock detainees and "drown out screams". On the list--Born in the USA, American Pie, the Barney theme song, White America and some others. Check out the link here: http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2008/03/torture-playlist.html
