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Nora Loreto takes on the massive task of exploring feminism in Canada, going back to the roots of the National Action Comittee on the Status of Women through to today, which is mostly defined by ad hoc rally’s based on flashpoint events that rile enough people up.
I found a few important ideas throughout the book.
First, neoliberalism has had the effect of making sure that we far overvalue the impact a single person can make to change the system. This means we each are on our own and don’t benefit from an organization that would be there to sustain a longer term campaign, or to rally behind us when the trolls show up and try to crush our lives.
Second, much of the feminism of the National Action Committee feminism for relatively well off white women who then bailed on the movement when a racial president was elected to the Committee. They assumed that trickle down feminism would work. If white women had more freedom, then all women would have more freedom. For the most part this works like trickle down economics…it doesn’t work.
Third, the feminist movement, and movements in general, has been co-opted by corporations and governments. Corporations put out a shirt for National Woman’s day, and we wear it to show solidarity. We’re really just supporting a company that doesn’t care about women outside of how much they can purchase to increase the profits of the company. Similarly politicians take on the mantel of feminism, but do little to change the system to ensure that feminist ideals move forward and the rights of all women at all economic levels are increased. Loreto lays into Justin Trudeau regularly as this type of feminist. He used the words and did nothing.
Fourth, free speech and those in power are defined by mostly white men as what and who doesn’t threaten them and their power. On the political front white men often choose the women that run for political office by convincing them that they’re good enough to do it. This means they can choose women that won’t challenge their power. If we had a national organization that could help train women they could put forward candidates that would challenge power.
The biggest issue I have with the book is the lack of clear action to take. At the end of the book Loreto says she doesn’t know what a new national organization should look like, but women should come together to figure that out. It feels like the easy way out. She could have at least put together a framework to get the conversation started.
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