Pro:
Not long ago, I was at a dinner with a couple; a professor and his wife. When they discovered that I was a conservative, and that on top of that I like Sarah Palin, the wife exclaimed: “Sarah Palin is a bitch! And I never, ever use that word.” This from a woman with an Ivy League education, a scholar who identifies as one of the early feminists of the 1970s.
Palin’s unique profile ensures that most Americans hold strong views about her, yet what is needed right now is balanced thinking. What is needed is recognition that, at very least, Palin is a public figure of legitimate importance and deserved popularity.
I wish to neither dismiss nor cheer Palin’s political ambitions. I do, however, think she can teach the nation important lessons about family, sacrifice, and other values which have historically sustained this nation’s advancement. Furthermore, I believe she can achieve more progress for the role of women in the public sphere than many self-described, self-congratulating feminists.
The public’s perception of Palin yields fascinating insight about the American family, the role of conservative women in national politics, and the symbolic importance of intellectualism and education in regards to leadership.
Palin faced and overcame many personal challenges. She raised five children, often while managing public office. She saw a son join the military and serve in Iraq. She kept a child with Down syndrome; 90% of women choose otherwise. She has dealt with teenage parenthood and early grandmotherhood.
Forget applauded, these achievements are barely even acknowledged by the groomed, “cultivated,” cosmopolitan leadership class. Her Christian faith, traditional femininity, and small town roots warrant praise but received ridicule.
Palin may not champion intellectualism, but her story teaches more essential virtues, such as doggedness and resilience. Palin always emphasized that leadership skill does not depend on elite education and is not determined by sheer intellectual capacity. However, many now demand a new breed of leader, one of high academic pedigree, muted Christian values, and superb technocratic fluency.
As we drift from our Protestant roots, and as the demographics of the elite increasingly fail to reflect those of the public, regular “fly-over” Americans are likely to remain culturally underrepresented. Against and in contrast to this decline, she is a potent avatar of the pious conservatism still thriveing in fly-over land.
Palin proves that women need not sacrifice traditional femininity to achieve great success in non-household realms. With this she has made greater strides toward equality than all the Germaine Greers and Betty Friedans combined.
Inexplicably, for this contribution to the cause of women, Palin’s “feminist” detractors have resorted to misogynistic rhetoric. She has even been subject to pornographic representations. Palin has expanded the perception of what women can do, and has done so while surrmounting difficulties distinct to her gender. That is a feminism to which average American women can relate.
America needs its Palins. America needs to see middle class citizens in positions of high power. It needs successes who harken from the backwoods, from the frontier, from the vast stretches where traditionalism and Christianity still rule. She may or may not be the best candidate for president, but Palin continues to speak for the great center with truth, honor, and daring.
I can agree that woman equality will achieve full advancement when women dumb-fucks can achieve as much as traditional male dumb-fucks with equal effort. Hurray for equality of the sexes. Good point on that one. F on the rest.
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