Now WTF?!?

Check out this completely bizarre statement from NOW-NY. And, um, this one.

I thought, this is surely a joke. But apparently it isn't.

For the record, this is a state branch--here's the NOW statement from the national organization. Just have to throw that in there b/c you know the wacko statement's gonna get misattributed.

Okay, now back to the wackiness. I mean, the title to the latest (top) link alone is very, uh, un-press-releasy:

Senator Ted Kennedy Betrays Women by Not Standing for Hillary Clinton for President;
Ultimate Betrayal Felt by Women Everywhere

Ultimate betrayal? Um, really? Wow.

Then we've got exclamation points! Two of them! in the second paragraph:

And now the greatest betrayal! We are repaid with his abandonment!

Ted Kennedy has abandoned us? I can kinda see an argument that, say, endorsing anyone other than Hillary suggests that women's issues are taking a backseat, and that this has historically been the case, but "his abandonment" has overtones that I'd rather not put under the feminist microscope; it's too embarrassing.

And then press release #2:

Psychological Gang Bang of Hillary is Proof We Need a Woman President

Oooh, ouch. I love hyperbole, don't get me wrong, but there's hyperbole and then there's . . . really, really bad taste. Followed by really, really poor argument.

We've all witnessed scenarios where, on the playground little girls are being taunted by little boys while both girls and boys stand idle, afraid to speak up or even cheering. Or, in the workplace males tease young and older female co-workers; make obscene gestures, inappropriate comments, laughing and expecting (often correctly) that everyone will join in. Then there was that movie where Jodie Foster portrayed the true story of woman who was ganged raped in a bar while others looked on and encouraged the realization. Still others pretended the rape didn't happen. In short, gang raping of women is commonplace in our culture both physically and metaphorically.

Hmm. Two "we've all witnessed" made-up scenarios followed by one movie do not "in short, gang raping is commonplace" support. I'm sorry, they really don't. You can say there's a *culture* of rape--and hopefully you'll be able to, you know, provide a little better evidence than this--but, uh, no, gang rape really isn't *commonplace*.

And a couple paragraphs later we get some more exclamation points:

Every woman knows how it feels! There are those who will dismiss, defend or even shame those around them into believing that we progressives are making a mountain out of a mole hill. But that’s the game plan of the patriarchal system that has persisted for millennia. Because they can't frighten Hillary they've decided to control her with the time-old trick of patriarchal ridicule. Women, you know what I mean!

Ayiyi. I get that some people--including, apparently, the president of NOW-NY--are really adamant Clinton supporters. And hey, great.

But you know, she *is* a candidate. Not the feminist messiah. It's not inconceivable that some people--good feminists, even--might endorse or vote for someone else. And yes, she's gotten some sexist bullshit thrown at her, and it sucks, but dealing with sexist bullshit is not gang rape.

I've seen a lot of people bitching that things like Steinem's editorial or the Hirshman articles about "opting out" make arguments that imply that any woman who doesn't agree isn't a feminist--and I've always argued that those readings are unnecessarily defensive and insensitive. But in this case, yes, someone is actually making that kind of an argument.

Like, whoa.