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From Socialist Review, No. 186, May 1995, p. 32.
Copyright © Socialist Review.
Copied with thanks from the Socialist Review Archive.
Marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
The New Victorians
Rene Denfeld
Simon & Schuster £16.99
Vamps and Tramps
Camille Paglia
Viking £17.00
Camille Paglia’s ‘advice to both sexes at the end of the century’ goes as follows: ‘I would say to men: get it up! And to women I would say: deal with it!’
Paglia, a right-wing self-publicist, argues against affirmative action policies, favours the death penalty, endorses pornography, and argues the prostitute is ‘a prowler and a predator, self directed and no one’s victim’.
Her book attacks feminism, political correctness and women’s studies and promotes a collection of bizarre ideas – for example, freeing our ‘pagan’ sexual nature. This seems to involve being seductresses, exercising ‘vampiric power’ over men and looking at pornography; and, for men, being macho and having a permanent erection.
This throws women’s rights into sharp reverse: women and men adhering to and encouraging sexual stereotypes, a return to mysticism, and plain old reactionary politics. Little wonder that Paglia is a big fan of capitalism, claiming it is ‘the vehicle of women’s modern liberation’.
Rene Denfeld argues from a more left wing perspective. She points out that young women are alienated from feminism and draws parallels between the anti-men, anti-pornography, anti-heterosexuality stance of some feminists and Victorian ideals of women as pure, sexless beings victimised by men.
It’s true that the further from any orientation on working class activity it has moved, the more out of touch with the majority of women feminism has become. At times feminist positions dovetail with the right wing – as over the banning of pornography.
But, while the likes of Catherine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin may be easy targets, the main barrier to women’s equality is not feminism.
Both Paglia and Denfeld spend a lot of time attacking feminism for derailing the progression of women’s equality.
Both writers hark back to days when feminism won gains for women, yet Denfeld rubbishes ‘outmoded’ tactics like demonstrations. She quotes approvingly a National Women’s Political Caucus spokeswoman explaining why her organisation refused to sponsor the huge 1992 pro-choice demo in Washington, ‘For what it would cost us to participate in this march, we can elect several women.’
The message couldn’t be clearer: capitalism works, talk of a backlash is paranoia, all we need is more women in government. Collective struggle is firmly off the agenda.
Neither author sees any contradiction in criticising feminism for being out of touch and, at the same time, recommending electing women, backing Clinton and advocating lifestyle changes that only middle class women could attempt. Neither of them is remotely in touch with the lives of of working class women.
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Last updated: 6 November 2019