clueless and complacent in america

what i want to know is- what the hell is wrong with women in america? i can't believe that i am the only one who sees america headed back to a time where women had to defer decisons outside of the home to the all-knowing husband or father or pastor. it isn't just the abortion debacle in south dakota that has my knickers in a knot. it the absolute lack of awareness from women- especially young women- that this is but one step in this country's steps backward towards 'stepford wives syndrome'.

i can't fathom that women in the 21st century aren't more angry that they continue to make less money than men and that their contraceptive rights are still being debated. apparently, it is enough to become a soccer mom and live in a big house and drive a big car. young women, increasingly, view feminism as a dirty word and don't know- or don't care- what more than one generation of american women fought for. over a 70 year period, women in america fought simply for the right to vote. it took decades for it to be acceptable for them to earn money outside of the home and decades more for them to win contraceptive rights. unfortunately, contraceptive rights are usually linked inextricably with abortion rights and that is what is going to lead to the demise of the systematic erosion of the hard won rights of previous generations.

i think that what infuriates me is that the current crop of young women are not only clueless- they are complacent in that they feel have always had these rights and always will. my mother's generation got the ball rolling; my generation built on it, and this generation of women, it seems, will squander it. it is unconscionable that so many women aren't protesting the current conservative feeling in the country at this time. i am not saying that 'feminazism' should rule the day but there is a reason that women of the 50's and 60's ended up rallying in the 70's and burned their bras. in a way, it is a good thing that women of today can't conceive of a time where they didn't enjoy freedom in everyday life. on the other hand, complacency has replaced vigilance in maintaining these rights. without awareness and vigilance, women may end up having to fight the fight all over again in the future.