Re: : The Iroquois and the Early Radical Feminists

Anthony Dauer (jackechs@EROLS.COM)
Thu, 1 Feb 1996 18:05:34 -0500

This not limited to feminists, almost every minority group or special
interest is doing the same to improve their historical image.

At 12:52 PM 02/01/96 PST, Lief M. Hendrickson wrote:
>The recently discussed influence of the Iroquois as the determining
>factor in a certain aspect of U.S. social change is part of a trend
>far beyond anthro-L. The trend is called "filler feminism". Quite
>simply, it's a matter of rewriting history to support an agenda.
>History is not viewed as a means to understand the past, rather its
>description is used as a tool to sanctify ideals of contemporary
>feminists- many of whom have strayed far from the laudable efforts of
>early women's rights advocates.
>
>Filler feminism is stuffing schools with "feel good" writing rather
>than accurate descriptions of reality. As we've seen on this list,
>the staunch advocates present their message in the hopes that some
>will be suckered-in, but avoid considering actual facts when asked to
>do so. An example of "feel good" writing is found in a widely used
>high school textbook in which the following passage is found (1).
>Referring to early North American indigenous peoples, it states:
>
> "A typical family thus consisted of an old woman, her daughters with
> their husbands and children, and her unmarried granddaughters and
> grandsons...Politically, woman's roles and status varied from
> culture to culture. Women were more likely to assume leadership
> roles among the agricultural peoples than among nomadic hunters. In
> addition, in many cases in which women did not become village
> chiefs, they still exercised substantial political power. For
> example, in Iroquois villages, when selected men sat in a circle to
> discuss and make decisions, the senior women of the village stood
> behind them, lobbying and instructing the men. In addition, the
> elder women named the village chiefs to their positions."
>
>Now I wonder if Iroquois women knew the extent to which they were in
>charge as indicated by the above passage. Even if they did, they
>weren't "feminists" in the contemporary sense. Nor, for that matter,
>were there any "Radical Feminists" in that time frame as implied by
>the subject line of messages in this thread. The same applies to
>early women's rights advocates. They didn't call themselves
>"feminists"; the unfortunate term had not been coined back then. The
>retroactive use of the term is a means to justify the current movement
>by attaching itself to the worthy efforts of many individuals who
>worked hard for suffrage, equal rights, and equal opportunity as goals
>rather then the anti-male, anti-family ideas of certain of today's
>feminists.
>
>------------------
>
>(1) Carol Berkin (ed), _American Voices_, Scott Freeman, 1992: p. 29.
>
>

respectfully, Anthony Dauer <jackechs@erol.com>

"We have met the enemy, and he is us." -- Walt Kelly (1913-73)

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