Opinion: Man vs. Bear vs. Kristi Noem

Editor’s note: Jill Filipovic is a New York-based journalist and author ofOkay, Boomer, let’s talk: How my generation was left behind.” Follow her twitter. The opinions expressed in this comment are her own.view more opinions On CNN.

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You are walking alone in the forest. Would you rather encounter a human or a bear?

The question went viral on social media, with one woman after another saying “bear.”After all, bears kill and attack people from far away There are fewer people than men. And these answers predictably caused a stir, with some men complaining about the “misandry” of the women’s answers (what’s not on social media?).

What is largely overlooked in these answers is the obvious, rational, and very depressing fear that women have for men. I also couldn’t help but wonder if the answers were divided along political lines. Progressive women have proactively stated the obvious fact that men pose a greater danger to women than other mammals, while conservative women are caught up in more mammals. Jam — needing to avoid the appearance of latent anti-male feminism, while at the same time wanting to prove that they are just as tough as other men.

We saw South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem embody this tough personality when she killed an “untrainable” dog and goat on her family’s farm. “I have never shifted my responsibilities to others, whether it be ranching or politics, even if it was difficult and painful,” Noem writes in his new book.

The conservative theory of femininity, at least judging by prominent women in the Republican Party, is that most women are delicate creatures perfect for childbearing, but only a handful of them are. They are just as brutal as men (and of course well armed).That bear should be worried. they (Notably, Noem has actually hunted bears).

Throughout the feminist era in the United States, there have been women who opposed women’s progress. Many conservative women opposed women’s right to vote. Many conservative women opposed the Equal Rights Amendment (which was eventually defeated), federal funding for child care, and greater rights for women in the workplace.

Conservative women’s groups now lead groups that oppose abortion rights, oppose birth control, oppose in vitro fertilization, and deny women the possibility of needing a medically necessary abortion. Despite America’s unbroken succession of male presidents, there are more than four times as many male Republican senators than female Republicans, and fewer than 8 percent of Republican women in the House of Representatives. Conservative women always say this. Women are treated fairly throughout the country, especially within the party.

Republican women have long tried and failed to rise to the top of their party. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley ran in this year’s Republican primary, but lost in a landslide to former President Donald Trump. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain’s running mate (a decision McCain later said he regretted), resulting in a national laughing stock. And now, Noem is vying to be President Trump’s running mate. And she tells a shockingly awful story about shooting her own puppy in an attempt to appear tough enough for her party, who salivate at her outrageous brutality.

What runs through the prominent Republican women of the past two decades is a seeming obsession with toughness. Nomu takes a murderously harsh attitude toward the pup, and when he faces backlash for killing the dog, he says President Joe Biden’s dog Commander should suffer the same fate. iowa Senator Joni Ernst published an ad regarding castration of pigs. Hailey always flaunted her toughness and insisted that women “don’t have to whine” to get what they want. Palin seemed to suggest that she likes to talk about hunting and that she really enjoys killing animals.

But conservative women must also express themselves as feminine and maternal. Because much of conservative ideology relies on traditional gender roles, and these same women are discouraged from pursuing political life and career ambitions. What is Noem’s excuse for killing puppies? That was her “choice as a mother.” Palin liked to show off her status as a mother of five children, but she also joked about “the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?” lipstick. ”

Why was Haley the right person to be president? Well, she said, she’s the ambassador to the United Nations, the governor of South Carolina, and “the third reason is that I’m a mother.” Ta. Republican responses to the State of the Union are usually delivered from behind the podium, but this year Republican lawmakers spoke from seats in immaculate kitchens.

The American conservative movement, especially the conservative Christian religious groups that make up its base, have long peddled the lie that women are best suited as mothers and that men are natural providers. Marriage unites these two complementary groups. And conservatives have long sought to maintain a system in which men maintain political, social, and economic supremacy, while women are primarily responsible for raising children and maintaining the home.

This has justified keeping women away from the ballot box and out of public office and work. It pervades the rationalization of abortion bans and the lack of government support for childcare. Some conservative women have achieved enormous national fame and incredible career success by telling other women that it’s natural for women to stay at home. Masu.

But no matter their political beliefs, some women are ambitious, intelligent, determined, and just as ruthless as men. The problem is that women who seek power do not tend to be well received by the American public (one reason there are so few women in positions of power), and women who seek power do not tend to be well received by the American public (one reason there are so few women in positions of power). Really They tend not to be well received by conservatives, a group inherently skeptical of change.

Women have always been ambitious and sought power, but the conditions for women to actually reach positions of power are relatively new. And they fly in the face of centuries-old constraints, assumptions, and rules about women’s roles. No wonder conservative women have such a hard time gaining support from their party and Republican voters.

Republican women know they are at an electoral disadvantage compared to men and liberal women, and they have often tried to have it both ways. It’s maternal, but not so much that it can’t be taken seriously. Although feminine, she is willing to be as cruel as the party leader. This is why a story about a woman like Noem gunning down her adorable puppy in a gravel pit will somehow endear itself to Republican voters, and they won’t be horrified by a Cruella de Vil cosplay. How did he come to the conclusion that he was deaf? .

Conservative women don’t have to subscribe to the political tenets of feminism or liberalism. But they find themselves at the center of unsustainable tensions as ambitious women trying to push boundaries in a political movement that constrains women. Their answer is to deny reality, pull themselves together (but wear lipstick), and hope to be the exception for a woman special enough that the boys think she’s fit to lead the club. it seems like. And one day, maybe one of them will. However, their party will still be rigging the entire game.