NYT Practices a Little NARAL Camouflage

Photo of Tim Graham.

In Friday's New York Times, reporter Susan Dominus describes division in the feminist movement over who to support in the Democratic presidential primaries. Dominus describes two types: the hip, young, flirty feminist who's uncommitted, exemplified by Jessica Valenti, the founder of the blog Feministing (the one with headlines like "What's your butt's ethnicity?"); and the dour, old-school feminist who says support Hillary or you're sexist, exemplified by Marcia Pappas, the president of the New York chapter of NOW.

It's an interesting piece, written with obvious sympathy for feminism, and the newspaper's sympathy extends to covering up Jessica Valenti's other blog venture: she's paid by NARAL Pro-Choice America to run its "Bush v. Choice" blog (see that "About Jessica" link?). The closest the Times comes to exploring what pays Valenti's bills is this sentence:

What she still doesn't have is money. After almost four years of television appearances, magazine interviews, even minor celebrity, Ms. Valenti still runs the Web site on the side, working as a freelance writer to get by.

Perhaps "freelance blogger" or "freelance writer and blogger" would have been more precise and descriptive. Noting Valenti's professional ties might also explain to the reader why she's uncommitted instead of explicitly favoring Mrs. Clinton or Obama.

Here's one way Valenti totally ruins her hip and young and never-Old-School profile. She's guest-blogging right about now for The Nation, that fusty old hard-left rag.


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the hip, young, flirty

the hip, young, flirty feminist..

Wow! Feminists flirt???? Undoubtedly when the guy flirts back, she yells "Sexual harrassment!!"

Yea, Valenti's just a free-lance writer, who happens to be on the payroll of NARAL.

Gee...is that important to know??? <sarc>

Feminine Mystique?

Wow! Feminists flirt???? Undoubtedly when the guy flirts back, she yells "Sexual harrassment!!"

Yes, they flirt.  They just do it without the bras they have burned. And then they get mad at men who refuse to "look them in the eye."  Is this 'feminine mystique' in action?

flirty feminist

The flirty feminist is most likely the typical spring breaker who ends up showing her ta-tas on the Girls Gone Wild videos and sleeping with as many anonymous men as possible, just to prove women can be just as loose as men. Three cheers for feminism!

....and the dour,

....and the dour, old-school feminist who says support Hillary or you're sexist,

    ??!  Basing your vote for the most important job in the world on genitalia?

Wait a minute!! If not

Wait a minute!! If not voting for someone because she's a woman means you're sexist, doesn't the reverse also apply???

From Kathleen Parker, in

From Kathleen Parker, in Real Clear Politics:

"When feminists quarrel, is it still a catfight?"

I'll be laughing at that one all day.