The Problem with Politics

I gave a copy of my group's zine to my friend and also to my mom. Their reactions made me think about the accessibility of political texts, manifestos, etc. Although both my mom and my friend loved the zine's aesthetic, there was so much of it that they did not understand, especially my mom. It made me realize that even the most inclusive and inviting political groups are in fact very exclusive at the same time. I'm sure my mom would completely agree and stand for so many of the feminist issues we address in our zine, however, she does not have the education or background to do so. Therefore, she it is pretty much a given that she would not participate in many of the revolutionary feminist acts-- the ones that Kipnis would like us all to take part in. I realize that there exists more accessible feminist texts that my mom would understand more readily, but there are so many more that she will never a) get a hold of or b) come close to understanding. So how can we recruit people to partake in feminist action who do not share the same level of eduction as we? Education is a privelege that many cannot access. I guess that is one of the many problems with politics.

The Problem WITH a Name

"As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night, she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question: Is this all?"
-Betty Freidan, The Feminine Mystique 1963
I read something in the newspaper a few weeks ago that I have been thinking about ever since. The article claimed that mothers today are even more oppressed than they had been in the 1950s, before the rise of second-wave feminism. Today, the "best mothers" are the mothers that can spend the most amount of time with their children. Soccer games, crafts, sewing halloween costumes, planning birthday parties and PTA meetings become the priority in these women's lives. It is as if they make a career out of their children's well-planned out weekly schedule. There isn't time to focus on a career/life of their own, because then who is going to organize Billy's boy scout meeting? And it is her turn to bring snacks to soccer. But what about the mothers that have jobs of their own? Single mothers, especially. Those going to school? Well, these are the moms that neglect their children and don't have time to make it to Sally's recital. So they are "bad" moms. Not spending enough (all) time with your children or focusing on a career or an education makes you a mother who does not devote enough time to your kids, and thus a less capable and nuturing mom than Suzy Homemaker is. And these women, who pursue other things in life than raising kids, feel quilty. They are supposed to feel inadequate. But on the other hand, those devoted mothers who have never missed a practice or recital don't have it so good either. Sure, they are the best moms--the ones who devote all their time and attention to their kids. And like all other things, time with their spouse is put on the backburner. But that's ok, because the most important thing in their lives are their children. That is what makes a good mother....
I can say with confidence that Betty Friedan would be disappointed. "The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way.." (Friedan) I hardly think that finger painting with her kids can be considered "creative work of her own". But if she is pursuing work of her own, she is a bad, neglective mother. This is the problem that now HAS a name--women are kept from growing to their full human capacities by the totalizing identity of "mother". So why, in a time of radical feminism and the realization of women's oppression in a patriarchal society, in a time where women can make careers for themselves and be praised for it, why has this problem arisen yet again?