The second generation born during the feminist era that started in the 1970s is already here, and they are generally small children. Not counting inner-city teen mom baby stacking, the oldest are still pre-teens. For second-wave feminists, this presents an interesting problem. All those advantages and privileges they fought for have been paid for in large part by their own sons, and many of them do have sons. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that a high proportion of militant anti-feminist young men grew up with staunchly feminist mothers. However, problems between parents and children are nothing new. Each generation goes through something like this, and the form it takes varies according to circumstances.
On the other hand, the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is rarely characterized by the competing interests, resentments and ideological clashes that so often beset parents and children. Grandparents and grandchildren tend to have an affection for each other that is based on mutual appreciation — it’s a nice, easy sort of relationship with few demands or expectations on either side. Children with grandparents are lucky, as are grandparents themselves. Many adults, myself included, look forward to the day they can relax and enjoy time with grandchildren. It’s a blessing and a source of joy in old age.
Today, however, one particular class of grandparents and potential grandparents has a lot less security in that regard. Namely, fathers’ parents. Today we are seeing the first generation of feminist women become grandparents, and whatever differences they may have had with their sons – even however much they may have rationalized supporting policies that directly harmed their sons – losing the opportunity to be grandmothers is not a compromise they are willing to make. In fact, in all likelihood they never counted on it at all — they were never supposed to become victims of feminism; that wasn’t part of the program!
It seems that lately this has just begun to dawn on some of the more intelligent of these women, and it shows in the increasingly unsympathetic attitude one sees from professional second wavers, like Judge Judy, toward young women. Every now and then I watch her court show, and she is often harder on the girls than the male judges.
Here’s an example:
According to Wikipedia, she has at least three sons (maybe four — not sure whether “Jamie” is a boy or girl), and many grandchildren, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this makes a difference in her attitude toward young women. Also, being a judge, she’s probably witnessed hundreds – if not thousands – of instances of women steamrolling their children’s fathers in court. As a grandmother whose grandchildren come largely from sons, this must give her some cause for alarm.
Judge Judy probably caught on earlier than many of the others; born in 1942, she’s a bit older than your typical boomer second waver. However, there are a lot of women in their 50s or early 60s who are just starting to wake up to the uncomfortable realization that – as mothers of sons – they are effectively second-class grandparents. I used to think that a lot of older supporters of feminism would carry their bias to the grave, but if there’s any issue that will change their attitude, this is it. And the beautiful thing about it is that this is more than simply a design flaw in feminism; it is an inherent weakness. By pitting men and women against each other, feminists wreck the family, and eventually even women pay for that.
Feminism sowed the seeds of its own destruction, and those seeds are beginning to bear fruit even now.
