A multiplying effect: making the personal political

Glenn has a fun set of links today on feminism and whether it still exists in a form that most of us would recognize. (The kerfuffle started here on Ann Althouse's blog).

I recall talking to a girlfriend about this some time back, and she told me that part of her beliefs were based on the rallying cry of "making the personal political". The problems with this were immediately evident to me, even if I didn't have the cojones to say so at the time.

"The personal" is about the choices one makes, of course, and "the political" is about dictating the choices of others. When we make the personal political, therefore, we take a problem for one and turn it into a problem for many.

Of course, each of those "many" has their own problems, and if they follow our catch phrase above, they spread their problems around as well. Pretty quickly, everyone's personal grievances are assigned to every other person, and we have a exponential increase in the number of problems -- none of which brings any individual closer to solutions.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that modern feminism struggles: it creates more problems than it solves. I'm reminded of the instructions on the plane about putting our own oxygen masks on before helping others...

Comments

[Tim]

Well, it's no accident this phenomenon is prevalent on the Left. After all, when you want government to be your and everyone else's Mommy, it isn't any wonder the Left is animated by "making the personal political". Mommy looks after you, and if you want the government to be your Mommy, you have to politicize your personal needs.

I just wish they'd settle for therapy.

[andrea]

Very astute observation. Feminism saw its rise with the "ME" generation, the baby boomers who are the progenitors of navel gazing and are more excited about living the dream than their own children and grandchildren.

[andrea]

correction, living the dream instead of- being involved -with their children and grandchildren.