Letters

IS FEMINISM DEAD?

Your cover story "Is Feminism Dead?" was more about pop culture than about feminism [SOCIETY, June 29]. You have marginalized those who care about feminist issues, such as pay equity and the glass ceiling, implying they are an "elitist" group with little connection to mainstream women and their aspirations. You missed analyzing one of the most significant developments of our century, the progress of women into nontraditional roles and their emergence as a major economic and political force. Nor did you address the persistent inequities that remain. Perhaps only when women are better represented in the boardrooms and upper management of media conglomerates can we expect to see our agenda and our advocates covered seriously and with respect. GAIL S. SHAFFER, Executive Director Business and Professional Women/USA Washington

Your report was right on. For me, lately, graduate school has become more about lip liners and short skirts than education and intelligence. Although I will probably continue to watch Ally McBeal, you made me stop and think. KATIE OSTLER Boston

You old buzzards are so out of touch! Feminists are everywhere; you've just got to take your blinders off. ERIN MALIK Sebastopol, Calif.

In today's society, a powerful and assertive woman is often labeled a feminist. However, your poll shows that less than 30% of women today consider themselves feminists. The term feminist, it appears, is almost regarded as an insult, reserved for women who want to conquer the world and all its men. But a woman's success is seldom a point she wants to "rub in" to members of the opposite sex. She may wish to be viewed as an individual, not as a representative of her gender. Sadly, our society is one that cannot differentiate between someone's proving a point as a woman and proving herself as a person. LAUREN RUTLEDGE, age 16 Okemos, Mich.

If feminism was able to survive the dramatic backlash of the 1970s, it will surely survive the '90s. SOMA RAY Princeton Junction, N.J.

In the '60s, the women's movement was too strident and humorless, and now it's too sexy and self-centered. The ultimate goal of feminism is a world in which women can choose what to do and be. The most damage to feminism comes not from the media but from individual women who overlook the need to continue to bond and support one another in every aspect of their lives. BETH LERCH Los Angeles

I am not a good spokesperson for the feminist movement, nor have I ever aspired to be. I have been attacked in the pages of your magazine both for being an antifeminist and for not being effective enough as a young feminist leader. Which is it? It seems to me a sad state of affairs when every young woman who writes about culture is judged on whether she is a "good feminist." Women should be judged for the individual voices we are, not for whether we conform to an outdated vision of what a good feminist is. It is a sign that feminism has not died, but rather has succeeded to an amazing extent, that young female critics don't have to be as single-minded or rigid as Gloria Steinem or Germaine Greer. Today we can express as divergent views and attitudes, with as varied points of view, and opinions and obsessions and styles, as our male counterparts. KATIE ROIPHE New York City

I know we feminists have made progress, because my 12-year-old daughter believes she can do, say and be anything, and go anywhere her male friends can. She not only believes it--she expects it to be that way. That is not the power of a dead movement! TAMMY SCHEUERMANN Ames, Iowa

You missed a central trend that has reduced the number of women who identify themselves as feminists and encouraged the current feminist obsession with sex: the arrogation of the feminist movement by radicals like Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin who turned the focus of the women's movement away from equal rights and equal pay and toward viewing sex as a form of domination. And it was in conscious rebellion against these leaders that "pro-sex" feminists like Camille Paglia and Naomi Wolf set the stage for the current trend of celebrating female sexuality. MARY KENDALL New York City

The Supreme Court's landmark rulings in two recent sexual-harassment suits dramatically demonstrate that feminism continues to play a critical role in ensuring fairness in the workplace. Because the vast majority of us who call ourselves feminists (as well as many strong and effective women who do not) keep pushing for issues such as equal pay, affordable and quality child care and an end to domestic violence and sexual assault, women and men and society at large benefit. Phony battles over labels are not what is important: substance is. The current favorites whom the media dub "feminists" are enjoying the freedom to be what they want because of the feminists who came before them. KATHY RODGERS, Executive Director NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund New York City

You somehow failed to assess the ways that feminism has changed the intellectual, legal and political landscape since the late 1960s. Instead you assembled a grab bag of popular-culture effusions that, taken together, form a ghastly caricature that only antifeminists would recognize. TIME also managed to miss the fact that many men call themselves feminists. We're not the wishy-washy cliches of popular culture, either. We simply respect women, oppose attempts to keep them relegated to second-class status and join with women in the cause of equal rights. RICHARD B. BERNSTEIN New York City

As an African-American feminist and the editor of Ms., the pre-eminent feminist publication in the U.S., I was deeply offended, but alas, not terribly surprised, by "Is Feminism Dead?" Nah, TIME just doesn't get it. That you could do a story on feminism and not talk to the editors of Ms. reflects either ignorance, arrogance or an obvious bias. I think the latter, since you chose to ignore the breadth and depth of feminists' concerns and activism, exactly what Ms. reports on. Feminism and the women's movement are alive, very well and clearly focused on women's economic, political and social equality. And no, it is not all about white women. Yet you ignore the activism of women of color and dismiss the work being done by feminists of all ages on issues ranging from women's health, human rights, political representation, the environment, and social, economic and racial justice. Well, at least you're consistent. MARCIA ANN GILLESPIE, Editor in Chief Ms. New York City

I'm distressed that there are 13-to-20-year-old girls who believe feminism is about getting your thighs in shape or having sequins on your bra. The real issues are unchanged: equality in the workplace, control over one's body and equal pay. Real feminists need to focus on these problems and dictate change. BECKY FOSTER Wichita, Kans.

Your failure to include Helen Gurley Brown was astonishing. Author of the seminal book Sex and the Single Girl, she was a leader in liberating women's bodies and minds from the constraints of the past. She has changed the lives of countless women. More than that, her magazine, Cosmopolitan, is today carrying her message to countries outside the U.S. It is unthinkable that she would not be included in the list of influential feminists. Am I a prejudiced party? Of course. I'm her husband. DAVID BROWN New York City

The current feminist movement is best understood as a reflection of a society whose primary value is not achievement but celebrity. The real question for women and men alike is not "Are you a feminist?" but "Are you somebody?" BRAD DESCH New York City

Not a single mention of the character Dana Scully on the X-Files TV show? She is pop-culture proof that feminism has not necessarily "devolved into the silly." Scully is a wonderful example. She does not sleep with male co-workers, and she succeeds in a male-dominated profession not because she is a flirt but because she is intelligent, qualified and determined. She is everything I aspire to, both as a woman and as a person. CHRISTINE CHANG Calgary, Alta.

INSIDE A CHANGING NATION

Whether isolationists like it or not, the Chinese are quickly becoming the future of the world [THE CHINA SUMMIT, June 29]. They are dealing effectively with overpopulation and dwindling natural resources, and at the same time lifting themselves out of Third World status. Their discipline and pragmatism will raise the standard of living for all Chinese; liberty as we know it will come later, and it can wait. Eventually the Chinese will throw off the old trappings of Stalinist and Maoist philosophy and adopt a culture that balances the privileges of liberty with the responsibilities thereof. Surely the next hundred years will be called "the Chinese Century." MARC NEVILLE Harrisburg, Pa.

The $50 billion annual trade deficit the U.S. has with China cast a shadow over President Clinton's visit there. The Chinese government has made great efforts to sell to Americans, but it has gone to even greater lengths to prevent Americans from selling to China. Tariffs, quotas, obscure laws, prejudicial inspections and so on are routinely used by Chinese authorities to prevent American sales. This reverberates in the U.S., affecting thousands of companies and workers. It is time for Clinton to try strenuously to break down all the Chinese trade barriers. For starters, how about trying to get China to grant most-favored-nation status to the U.S.? CARL OLSON, Chairman State Department Watch Washington

Americans believe that everybody else wants to be like them, but the idea that the Chinese want American-style democracy is not only a false assumption but a dangerous one as well. The suggestion is that Chinese society can be remolded in the American image. However, China has existed for more than 3,000 years, and the Chinese probably have their own ideas about where they want their nation to go. Certainly there is a new belief in capitalist economics in China, but to infer that the Chinese see U.S.-style constitutional democracy as a panacea for their widespread poverty is, at the very least, an illogical leap. DAN MARTINEAU Philadelphia

Do those who want the U.S. to halt trade with China because of its human-rights violations want to stop commerce with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that permit no religious freedom and have gross human-rights violations? Do the complainers choose to talk about China instead of the others because we need Middle Eastern oil? Where is their moral consistency? JERRY STEINMAN West Nyack, N.Y.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

The U.S. lawmakers who voted down the tobacco bill belong on the sidelines [NATION, June 29]. Every day 3,000 children become addicted to the cigarettes and tobacco that kill 419,000 smokers each year. Unless this trend is checked, the effects on our national health will be devastating in 10 years. How do we break this self-destructive habit? The tobacco bill, which aimed to raise cigarette taxes and increase regulation, would have been a start. If another such measure is brought to a vote, efforts by lawmakers must be focused on its passage and not the likelihood of lost campaign funding from Big Tobacco. DICK MONTGOMERY Battle Creek, Mich.

The dependency of our elected representatives on tobacco money must end. The public has the power to put a stop to it by rejecting those who blatantly serve the industry's interests. In the face of documents showing that the tobacco industry deliberately marketed to children, no self-respecting Senator or Representative can claim the industry bears no responsibility for teen smoking. Apathetic or not, I think Americans will see through the veil of tobacco money on Election Day. ANDREW GARDNER, age 17 Anchorage

DON'T BLAME THE WEATHER

Your report on global forest fires was right on target [ENVIRONMENT, June 22]. In the rain forests of the world, people, not weather changes, are the culprits. Loggers, ranchers and plantation owners cut down our vital tree cover to clear the way for roads, cropland and pasture. Peasant farmers burn small areas of forest to clear land for subsistence agriculture. In the end, we all pay for the loss of watersheds, biodiversity and carbon absorption. But we cannot expect the poor to conserve for the future when their day-to-day survival is in jeopardy. Our program is doing its share in countries such as Cameroon, Costa Rica, Guyana, Uganda and Vietnam by bringing together government authorities and private enterprises to support strategies for sustainable forest management. JAMES GUSTAVE SPETH, Administrator U.N. Development Program New York City

AARGH, GRUNT, WRESTLING MANIA

I have been a fan of professional wrestling all my life, and I was thrilled to see your report on its new popularity on cable [TELEVISION, June 29]. However, I have never heard a wrestling promoter openly state that the bouts are "staged." Nor have I heard of families being reassured that they will not see real violence. You also concluded that wrestling isn't really fun to watch. Then why are the shows' ratings so high? Why do 34 million viewers tune in every week? SARAH HAMMELL Waynesboro, Pa.

I have taken my family to see baseball and football games. Last March, when I took my son to see World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro, I expected to witness the worst behavior of any fans anywhere at any time. Guess what? There were no drunks, no foul language and no obscene behavior--just an excellent 20th century vaudeville performance at which the crowd cheered the heroes and booed the villains. ED SEAMAN El Dorado Hills, Calif.

I am a 14-year-old wrestling fan. What is so jarring about seeing young children at matches? Mock violence is nothing new to these kids. And despite what you said, people have fun watching wrestling. Granted, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kane might not be as intelligent as Larry King and Trent Lott, but as the high TV ratings demonstrate, they are a whole lot more entertaining. GENE VINSON Easley, S.C.

BRINGING JOY TO MARRIAGE

I know there has been a lot of negative reaction to the Southern Baptists' recommendation that a wife "submit graciously" to her husband [LETTERS, July 6]. However, if more men took responsibility for their actions, more women would feel comfortable in stepping down as head of the household. I am not a Baptist, but I am a Christian, and I feel that the "submission" statement has got completely turned around. The Bible says wives should submit to their husbands, just as the church submits to Christ. Nowhere does it say they should submit to abuse or neglect, or give up a career to mop the floor at a fast-food joint. Taken in context, submission can bring joy and peace to a marriage. KATHRYN WEAKLEY San Antonio, Texas

X MARKS THE SPOT

I have some questions for Joel Stein, who wrote about the high-risk, cutting-edge sports events known as the X-Games [AMERICAN SCENE, June 29]. Do you exercise? How much do you weigh? Are you one of those armchair athletes who live vicariously through the motion of someone else's body? What- ever, your commentary on the X-Games was off the mark. You assumed that Generation X competitors are adrenaline junkies funded by Daddy's wallet. You failed to grasp the true nature of suburban youths' competing not in a group but with the greatest rival, one's self. Joel, we all enjoy the taste of victory as well as the spectacle of defeat. Now get off your ass, and put on some in-line skates. MICHAEL SCOTT JAFFE San Diego