Who-Stole-Feminism.-How-Women-Have-Betrayed-Women

264 WHO STOLE FEMINISM?published. The Chronicle reporter asked what he thought of Bartky's letter."It seemed to confirm some of the darker aspects of Ms. Sommers'sarticle, which pointed out the extraordinary lengths some of the womenwere prepared to go to shape all discussion in which they had an interest,"he replied. 25Rhett Butler continues to pique the gender feminists. Naomi Wolf, atleast in her earlier incarnation, was fond of explaining to the public howwomen cooperate in their own degradation. When asked why womenenjoyed the "rape scene" in Gone with the Wind, Ms. Wolf answered thatthey had been "trained" to accept that kind of treatment and so grew tolike it: "It's not surprising that, after decades of being exposed to a culturethat consistently eroticizes violence against women, women, too, wouldoften internalize their own training." 26I can't help being amused by how upset the New Feminists get overthe vicarious pleasure women take in Scarlett's transports. All that incorrectswooning! How are we ever going to get women to see how wrong itis? Nevertheless, the gender feminists seem to believe that thirty yearsfrom now, with the academy transformed and the feminist consciousnessof the population raised, there will be a new Zeitgeist. Women whointerpret sexual domination as pleasurable will then be few and far between,and Scarlett, alas, will be out of style.Is this scenario out of the question? I think it is. Sexuality has alwaysbeen part of our natures, and there is no one right way. Men like RhettButler will continue to fascinate many women. Nor will the doctrine thatthis demeans them have much of an effect. How many women who likeRhett Butler-types are in search of support groups to help them change?Such women are not grateful to the gender feminists for going to waragainst male lust. They may even be offended at the suggestion that theythemselves are being degraded and humiliated; for that treats their enjoymentas pathological.Defending women who enjoy the idea of ravishment is not the same asholding a brief for any specific kind of fantasy or sexual preference.Fantasies of female domination are also popular. Women are clearly capableof treating men as "sex objects" with an enthusiasm equal to, andin some cases exceeding, that of men for treating women as such. Malestrip-shows seem to be as popular as Tupperware parties.The dissident feminist Camille Paglia uses the term pagan gazers forthose who publicly watch males or females as sex objects. She has noquarrel with the male gazers, but she positively applauds the female ones."Women are getting much more honest about looking at men, and aboutleering. Finally we're getting somewhere." 27