Hillary Clinton and Feminism’s Double Edge Sword

Hillary Clinton: victim of prejudice or pride?

Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro have been associated with the strong feminist movement that blossomed through the 20th century.   Some might argue that these women owe their career opportunities to strong feminist advocates that fought tooth-and-nail for equal rights before them.  Together, however, these women are quickly derailing the movement that helped push them to the top.

Political Opportunism vs. True Interest In Equality

Clinton and Ferraro have done their parts to advocate “equal rights” for women, but will  their use of gender inequality on political stump speeches backfire for women as a whole?

Neither woman was instrumental in fighting the “good fight” for women until political opportunities presented themselves.  Sure, there is no rule that suggests women are  bound to the plight of Women’s rights, particularly if they are beneficiaries of feminism.  That said, Clinton and Ferraro owe their women supporters more respect than they’ve given them.   In my view, there was no gender divide until Hillary Clinton and strategists got their hands on the media.   The same can be said of the racial divide, it was cleverly manufactured to serve as a distraction that would politically empower Hillary Clinton with the strong majority of Americans that share her skin color.

But this article isn’t about race, it is about manipulating women and creating a “movement” that is driven by passion, historical wrongs, and prejudice inherent in American values.  The work of legitimate feminist advocates is undermined every time Hillary Clinton abuses gender conflict and encourages division among men and women for political gain.

Consider the arguments that have been put forward by Clinton and Ferraro throughout the democratic primary.

Hillary Clinton’s first argument to voters was staged in New Hampshire.  She reached out to voters, explained her concern and love for country (thus appealing to the psycho patriots) and did so with a dramatic emotional and maternal appeal.  By now, everyone has seen this famous clip of Clinton tearing up and appealing to women voters.   It worked in New Hampshire, but..

The crying game was the beginning of the end for Hillary Clinton’s chances.  If you recall, the campaign was suffering from a shocking defeat in Iowa and the only way to keep Clinton viable and relevant was by ensuring victory in New Hampshire.   To those of you thinking that I’m just an insensitive jerk without regard for the significance of Clinton to women’s rights, I’d urge you to pay attention to the logic and not your emotion.   You see, the problem wasn’t the tears or her gender, it was the timing, effort, and calculation that went in to making this ‘political moment’ happen.

The American public got a hint of what Hillary Clinton is capable of, inspiring and brilliant through manipulation, but she’ll stop at nothing to achieve her objectives. Knowing what we know about George W. Bush with a similar attitude and driving force behind him, a lot of Americans stopped paying attention at that point.

Dividing and Conquering the American Electoral Process

It’s no secret that the Clinton family is remarkably brilliant when it comes to understanding American politics and the election system.  Triangulation around various hot-button issues is not unique to the Clintons, but it became a staple of the political strategy that put them in the White House in 1992, 1996 and close again in 2008.

Yet, if women have a right to anything, it’s knowing when they are being bamboozled. Ferraro’s recent flirtation with the media is entirely a stunt that has served to suck women into supporting Hillary Clinton.  Natural inclinations for some women might be to support the female candidate anyway, but when gender became a focal point, how could any woman resist the urge to stick up for her “people”.

Solidarity or Equality?

Generally, I’d argue that all people should work to advance opportunities for victims — including women — of government and society driven inequalities. However, what Clinton and Ferraro have asked voters to do is not to fight social inequality, but to simply recognize gender inequality for the purpose of her candidacy.  There is a serious problem that is lurking in the background, this sense of an impending clash between American minority groups.

Women have become experts at spotting male puppet masters, but are women in this country intelligent and aware enough to spot women manipulators when they seem them?

One look at the recent headlines is enough for me to see what is going on, but is it clear to all Americans?  Over the weekend Barack Obama apologized for using the word “sweetie”.  Suddenly, terms of endearment are the enemy?  Obama meant no offense, if there was any gripe to be made it should have been over the lack of professionalism, but when the lines between friendship, business and politics are blurred, who can blame Obama?  Well, Geraldine Ferraro made sure to release a statement to castigate Obama for using such insensitive words, she was downright offended and called his comments “terribly sexist.”

Women have to ask themselves why they are clinging to some idea that Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid - win or lose - will be a prime indicator of Women’s progress in America?  Is this about women, progress, equality or something vile and much more sinister?  My advice to you if you are a woman who has been poisoned against the viability of male candidate, do some research and understand the dynamics of what is going on in politics or else you too will become a victim.  The worst thing that can happen is for women to choose solidarity over equality because it alienates men who happily support the cause of equal rights for all.

I personally have no reason not to support equality for women, in fact, I’d go so far as to call myself feminist if it means supporting the right of women to be equals.  However, if feminism is redefined to mean something other than equality as it has under Clinton and Ferarro, I would like to relinquish my membership card and never speak of feminism again.

Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
Email this author | All posts by Fred Soto