THE BRIDGE: A Lesson In Feminism
By
Darryl James
Everything
I learned about feminism, I could have learned from Norma Jeane.
C¹mon, now. You know Norma Jeane, the alter-ego of Marilyn Monroe,
an alter-ego largely buoyed by external examiners of Monroe¹s
personality and hidden meanings as an icon.
History teaches us that Marilyn Monroe¹s image during her living
years was one of contradiction: She was a cute little thing, nearly
a toy, yet, she was a sex goddess. Following her death, when she was
lifted to legendary status in the post-1960¹s feminism, her image
was that of the victim‹the sexist males of Hollywood had oppressed
her, used her and diminished the beautiful creature (apparently against
her will) to only the sexual portion of her being.
But, follow me now, into the 1990¹s, when Norma Jeane was re-tooled
as an "Independent Woman," who cleverly manipulated the
men around her into thinking she was a dumb blonde, so that she could
wield power over them. How shrewd of that strong, independent woman,
who didn¹t really need anyone (save maybe a Kennedy or two).
Now, I don¹t really know that much else about Marilyn Monroe
or Norma Jeane and quite frankly, I couldn¹t possibly care less.
What I do care about is how that woman¹s convenient "evolution"
is a clear example of the problem with feminism.
The evolving image of Marilyn Monroe tells me a great deal about feminism.
Mostly, it tells me that feminism is flawed to the core because its
evolution is not organic.
What does this mean for Black women? Ahh, now I get to go directly
to my reason for the examination of Norma Jeane¹s development.
The feminist movement has been inconsistent for a long time. It paints
a picture of women united, but it refuses to deal with racism or classism.
Feminism rages against the machine of oppression, yet it clearly embraces
elitism.
Feminists seek equality with men, yet many of the women who support
it, are not equal with all feminists. The women¹s rights movement,
which was arguably given a huge boost in the 1970s by Black women,
has yet to embrace empowerment for oppressed women of color, seeming
to say: "You¹re a woman and you¹ve come a long way,
but you¹re still Black, baby."
Feminists rage against sexist cultures overseas, especially Islamic
cultures, but tacitly ignore the heavy hands of racism and classism
swung against their sisters of color in America.
Feminism redefines itself and its icons for convenience, re-writing
history a la Winston Smith in George Orwell¹s 1984. It moves
so fluidly, that it is hard to keep up, even as a man attempting to
pay attention. Its slogan should perhaps go something like this: "What
do we want? We¹re not sure! When do we want it? Now!"
The problem feminism presents to African American women is that the
politics of feminism are based on oppression meted out by white males
in a white male-dominated society. Feminism rebels against a history
of strangled womanhood in favor of a skewed version of manhood, a
history largely foreign to Black women with clear vision of history.
Not many African American females were living the oppressive life
of June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson. Some were, but most were not. In
the majority of Black families, both parents went off to work and
cooperatively built a home and family.
Were Black females oppressed? Hell yes! But their oppression came
from the same hand which oppressed Black males.
What I hear frequently is that the Civil Rights Movement oppressed
Black women by relegating them to the background of the movement.
Being left in the background of the Civil Rights Movement is not the
same as being left out. Black women were there from the beginning
to the end and no one will deny that, but racist whites were hardly
prepared to listen to Black men‹few Black women could make the
standing up front.
Some Black feminists compare some romanticized time of deep sex-based
oppression in our community to their "evolution" into today¹s
empowered, all-powerful beings, while Black men have spiraled from
oppressive brutes, to lazy, unemployed brutes. The result of embracing
a history which never occurred is a present that does not exist and
a future that can never fully develop.
For many, feminism in the Black community conjures up images of combat
boot-wearing man-haters who live for the day to crush the spirit of
men. Its hyper defensiveness has given way to hypersensitivity, with
feminists reacting to oppression that may not be real and men reacting
to any hint of feminism with disdain and repulsion. (Some feminists
will react to this column with anger, while some men will cheer, both
thinking I am attacking Black feminists. I am not.)
Yet, there are real feminists in the Black community who are very
serious about their struggle and still very serious about being Black
people.
For Black women who are feminists and still very much concerned and
active about their entire community (composed of men and women), the
reality lingers that sexism can not be separated from racism and classism.
It was a mistake to move beyond the Civil Rights era without a clear
agenda for Black women. Without such an agenda, feminism is schizophrenic
when it comes to the Black community.
Feminism is schizophrenic in that it is too many things to too many
people and not enough things to some people. Not that Blacks were
ever monolithic, but the Civil Rights era garnered progress because
we were only moving in a handful of directions. Feminism has far too
many.
For example, some feminists see all men as the enemy. Some feminists
see men as oppressive, while others see men as a burden (especially
those lazy men who are beneath their level). Some feminists see a
streamlined female agenda without attention to race, while some feminists
struggle with their activism as females versus their activism as Black
people.
Some feminists see freedom of sexuality as a crucial part of the agenda,
while some feminists see sex as a tool to be used for power. Some
feminists see abortion laws as male-designed for oppression, while
some feminists struggle with their religious beliefs instead. (Some
feminists will ask how a person with a penis dare write such sexist
drivel, but contrary to popular feminist rhetoric, abortion concerns
men, too.)
The bottom line is that there are too many conflicts and too much
confusion in feminism for Black women to ever successfully deliver
it to Black men. The convenient evolution of Norma Jeane has no intrinsic
benefit for the image or standing of Black women.
I¹m dreaming of a day when Black women create their own damned
movement, specifically for the freedoms necessary for Black women.
I already know a few Black male soldiers who will stand on the frontline
in that struggle. I know them, because I am one of those soldiers.
The best way for my sisters to become empowered is not against Black
men, but with us.
Who cares about Norma Jeane when we can learn from Harriet Tubman,
Fannie Lou Hamer and Shirley Chisolm?
