Political Crossfire Forums

I think a lot of the discourse about feminism, sexism, and old vs young women in this primary is failing to connect all of it to the fact that the entire race between Sanders and Clinton is a generation gap, and the gender gap really isn't that major. To ask why Clinton's feminism doesn't resonate with young women, one should really be asking why her social liberalism bored young liberals in general.

To me, the answer is that it sounds dated. She's on the stump delivering her big applause lines about how women should have all the career opportunities that a man has. To the 58 year old woman in the audience who started her career in the 70s, that's exciting and shows that Hillary is a champion for her. For millennial women, that's boring cause in her generation, that concept goes without saying. And it's not just women's issues. Millenials aren't impressed or awed by support for LGBT rights and marriage equality from a candidate. Our response is "no shit".

On the other hand, millenials grew up in the post Reagan era, so the stuff Sanders is saying may be rehashed new deal politics, but to us it's new and exciting.

Other then being a liar and asleep at the wheel, Shillary ain't that bad. Trump's women are way hotter though.

Anyway Spider is pretty much on the right track here. To hear so many of these older women who have dedicated a life to feminist progress talk down to young women the way they are is an odd spectacle. Gloria Steinem is mansplaining to millenial women. But maybe that's better than Madeline Albright telling them they're gonna go to hell.

These icons of second wave feminism perhaps are having a tough time accepting the consequences of their own success. They were rebellious crusaders who took on the establishment. But now they ARE the establishment and for millenial women, the opportunity to go to college and choose whatever major they want wasn't the struggle. The struggle is that mountain of student debt they have now. So Steinem and Albright, both millionaires, might have trouble understanding that women of this generation aren't fearful that all the opportunity will be reserved for men. They're fearful there won't be any opportunity left for anyone.

A woman can be just as big deviate reptibate as a man. Or, just as honorable.

Yeah, she crushed it.