Conservatism and feminism are not so narrowly defined that people who consider themselves as supporters of both fall into contradiction.
I hold conservative and feminist values. This statement may seem like a contradiction as a result of negative stereotypes both groups have developed over the years, but I firmly believe the two can coexist in an individual. Conservatism for me basically means importance of family and meritocracy. I am conservative but would probably vote for the most liberal candidate because at the same time, I believe that every mentally capable adult is entitled to make their own decisions. Feminism for me means the recognition that women and minorities have the same worth and therefore, deserve equal respect and treatment as white men.
What drove me to claim that I am a feminist? One morning when I looked at myself, I did not realize who I was. Abusive relationships with two men at Dartmouth had crushed me. I was disgusted by the feeble-minded being I had become and was overwhelmed by Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It was then that I fully understood that everyone deserves to be treated as a human being.
Ergo, I am pro-life but would support anyone who decided to get an abortion because there are too many unwanted babies who are abused and too many all too true sad life stories. I am heterosexual but understand there are other sexual behaviors that have as much of a right to exist as does heterosexuality. I do support homosexuality, because I find joy in seeing people genuinely love one another in a world full of hate and selfishness. I hope none of my friends and family will die unnaturally and would be devastated if they did, but I support euthanasia for people who are physically and mentally deteriorating; those who are painfully waiting to die.
In sum, I am conservative and at the same time believe our bodies are our own and therefore, no other adult has a right to dictate what we do with them, as long as we are not physically endangering others.
Yet, the belief that one cannot be both a conservative and feminist is prevalent on this campus. Attending a few meetings of the Conservative Union at Dartmouth, I realized how much more we need to evolve from our ape ancestors. During the first meeting, the president asked us who our favorite conservative idols were. When my turn came to answer, I said I had no conservative idols. I do not idolize anybody, especially double-faced political figures. People laughed and some asked what I was doing there then. The president also encouraged "liberal-bashing" during its first meeting, jeering at liberals. Gee...that was a really productive meeting.
I have been marked and mocked as a liberal by CUAD. One young female executive wanted to expose my "liberalism" and somehow try to "trap me" because I expressed my support for the Women's Resource Center over blitz.
Must "conservative" mean that people can not respect others with opinions that differ from their own?
The answer to this question for conservatives in CUAD was quite clear to me when I went to support Giavanna Munafo, the director of the WRC (an exceptional woman I greatly admire and respect), and heard them attack her statements during a feminist "forum" that CUAD was sponsoring. The reason behind the pseudo- "informational session" appeared to be to attack her and to provide an excuse after the meeting to encircle amongst themselves and mock her; not to learn about feminism today as Beth Westman claimed. Was an understanding reached between CUAD and feminism? Of course not. No learning can be achieved without open minds.
I am tired of looking around and staring at people who do not see beyond themselves; they shut the world out by living within themselves. Worse, when they emerge from their own worlds, they give a pretense of caring. These people seem to aggregate in CUAD like flies around a dung pile.
Their dismissal of others with differing beliefs from their own through mockery and contemptuous labeling helps promulgate negative stereotypes of conservatives. Why kick yourselves in the head? The world's problems are our own. A happier future lies for us all if we grow up and learn how to "listen" to one another.
