Cross posted to The Autonomist
September 19, 2007
Not content with just accepting her Emmy Award Sunday Evening, September 16, 2007, Sally Field treated listeners and viewers to her anti-war rant of, "Let's face it. If the mothers ruled the world, there would be no god-damned wars in the first place."
The uproar over this wasn’t about her stance or choice of words, though. It was about Fox News cutting her off at the profanity. Totally missed in all this is just how wrong her statement was.
Someone as talented and able as Ms. Field surely must know a little history, but if she thinks it is only men who fight and lead wars, she is dead wrong.
Two names of prominent Women come to mind right away that led their countries in war, Golda Meir, who led Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and Margaret Thatcher, who led Britain during the 1982 Falklands war with Argentina.
Another mother than Ms. Field seems to have forgot, although not really a national leader, but very prominent just the same, was Eleanor Roosevelt, who initially feared and opposed involvement in World War One but threw herself fully into the war effort once we committed to it. In World War two she would often admonish leaders and the public alike that we must win the war and the peace.
Throughout history women have played a pivotal roll in winning wars. Without the women taking up the manufacturing of war materials in World War Two, we may have lost that one.
The 20th Century alone is replete with Women Warriors who fought and led during wars their respective nations found themselves in.
For some time now we have been hearing Feminist Groups, such as NOW (National Organization for Women), demanding Women be given Equal Opportunity in the Military by being included in Combat Positions. Karen Johnson, executive vice president of NOW once said, “War makes no gender distinctions,” in her argument of, "Serving in the military is a right of American citizenship, and when you limit women's role in the military, you're limiting the opportunity of women to play a full and responsible role as citizens."
Women have willingly sacrificed their selves during war throughout history as well. The Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Wall contains the names of Women who gave their lives during that conflict. Women were imprisoned in POW Camps by Japan in World War Two and gave their lives as well.
The Soviet Union could never have pushed Hitler’s Nazi’s back from Stalingrad without Women fighting alongside the men, many of them leading.
Ms. Field assumes she has the right to speak for all Moms, but she ignores the multitude of Mothers who have lost their sons or daughters in this war and, although deeply grieving, also feel enormous pride that their adult child felt serving and protecting their country was the right thing to do. Those Mothers are rarely given the microphone though, the vocal minority claiming Moral Authority over them.
Making rhetorical statements as Ms. Field did may make her feel good, as if she did something, but it is obvious that the clichéd speech is misguided as well as erroneous. Wars come upon us and men and women fight them. Both men and women lead them. Both sexes sacrifice in them.
Wouldn’t it be better to get behind the men and women voluntarily fighting this war and bring them home VICTORIOUS?
Or, has that concept totally escaped her?
Lew
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin, also a Mother says Silly Sally Field doesn’t speak for me
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Little History, For Sally Field
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3 comments:
Who starts wars?
I do think that Females are less likely to start wars than Males (not that every single female is less likely than every single male).
Even back when I was a kid in school, I noticed that Boys were much more likely to engage in physical fights than Girls were.
Coboble, in recent years, I'd say you are right, Men have been the majority of leaders in the world, so naturally, they lead and start most wars.
In history, many women, known today as mostly "Warrior Queens" did their share of leading and even starting wars.
I also agree that boys are naturally more aggressive than girls, but a disturbing trend I see, and I don't think is because of birth or gender, but environment, girls are getting more and more aggressive all the time.
I realize what Sally Field was trying to say, but she is dead wrong. Even with all women in charge of the nations, war will continue.
I hope one day we could reach a point of no more war, but realistically, it isn't going to happen in my lifetime. Too many despots rise up and decide they can rule the world. It's been going on for way too many centuries.
Lew,
I agree. I wish we had some of them now. Wouldn't mind a Kathryn, Elizabeth, Mary or Joan running up and down the streets of DC.
I am more and more just turned off by the celb's trying to be political. Poor Sally forgot what she was supposed to say. There was another one, I think she is married to Aflek, have no idea who she is, that messed up on the carpet and when she couldn't remember her lines referred to Miss Teen USA and her speech?
I don't think that any of these people are Mensa material. But just like Barry Manilow probably killed his new CD this week. All of these people are just hurting themselves. I will not go to their movies, buy their products or watch their TV shows. It's my way of not giving back to them.
I was reading a medical article earlier and the comments that followed. There were maybe 3 about the article and the next 37 were bash Bush. I just think there a lot of people out there that can't carry any type of conversation or intellegent thought so it's jump in the barrel and bash the president. I can't ever remember one man being responible for every little accurance on the planet and expected to fix everyone's problems.
When I see the Leno's or Letterman's on the streets Q&A's it is pretty scary.
As I look at the weather report I am praying that this storm in the Gulf doesn't go anywhere near NO. I'm sick of NO and really don't want to hear anything else about it. To bad they can't do what the states that hit the worst and just go on with their lives and fix it. Three other states go hit a lot harder and no one has been out there everyday whining. They moved on, dealt with it and are functioning quiet well.
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