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Of course, every individual is different in various Professor Rosenberg must be no doubt referring
ways from every other individual. However, the to the Sears’ Personnel Manual for her evidence
issue in an employment discrimination case turns in support of her position: “Male employees
on “differences” related to bona fide occupational may be granted a day’s paid leave when the
qualifications. How are such “differences” relevant employee’s wife gives birth, however, female
to selling Sears products? THIS is the question. employees are not granted a day’s paid absence
when she GIVES birth.” Can anyone imagine a
The Seventh Circuit’s judicial decision cited two more perfect instance of “unpaid labor”?
primary justifications for the pay discrepancy
between men and women at Sears: (1) women POSTMODERNISM
did not demonstrate “interest” in commission- The Sears case is such a travesty that we have to
sales; and (2) women were risk averse. The ask how this could have happened and why the
“interest” angle had to do with the products being Women’s Movement was not clearer about the
sold. Considering that the bulk of Sears big- import of this case. The seminal essay to read
ticket items are household appliances, such as for the theoretical underpinnings of this period
refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, clothes as it concerns women, using the Sears case
dryers, dishwashers, and so forth, it seems as illustration, is Joan Scott’s “Deconstructing
strange to assert that women lack expertise Equality-Versus-Difference: Or, the Uses of
with such products or an interest in selling them. Poststructuralist Theory for Feminism” (1988).
And, what does “risk” averse mean? Perhaps
skydiving was involved? No, the reference to risk In 1975, Simone de Beauvoir warned me in Paris:
involved the fact that commission sales jobs did “Watch out for the anti-feminist differentialists.”
not have fixed compensation. However, since the I finally understood, in the late 1980s, what
compensation—even at the base salary—was Beauvoir was talking about. Postmodernism is
so superior to that for non-commission sales, a profoundly reactionary political theory. Post-
where was the “risk”? Between “more” and LOTS modernism pretends to focus on words, and on
“more”? So, the “reasons” given were not very words ABOUT words (which it calls “discourse”).
persuasive, to say the least. Postmodernism pretends to analyze discourse
through something called “deconstruction,” but
Furthermore, the EEOC’s case was criticized instead words are used to mystify and confuse
for the lack of individual plaintiffs: no blood in and, finally, to prevent any meaningful steps
the water. But the point of the vastness of the forward—especially as regards thinking about
Sears case was that the discrimination was so the world. Words are not facts. It is facts which
blatantly obvious: Someone would have to claim deny all women our humanity. It is facts we must
that women LIKED being cheated of their just change.
remuneration, unlike men. If women are human
beings, then it’s safe to assume that they don’t Women are a political class. The first one.
enjoy being raped. Well, unless your proposal is It produced the paradigm for the other class
that women are just “different” that way. systems, a sequential bifurcation of the human
4
species. A bifurcation which is repeated, one impress or to dupe. It is impossible to tell what
atop another, until every individual is pitted Postmodernists mean because they use the
against every other. same words to mean different things at different
times. For all the emphasis on the importance
What makes a political category a class are of language, Postmodernism throws away
commonalities. In the case of an oppressed language as a tool of either understanding or of
class, these grievances are observed and communication. At best, language becomes an
shared. It is only as this class mobilizes around end in itself.
these grievances and forms political groups that
meaningful social change can be achieved. CONCLUSION
Women make up 50% of the population. There
It is the differences between us which keep is no system already in existence, on any level—
us isolated, ineffective—and in despair. But economic or social, that can be tweaked to
differences are not what we organize around. The accommodate such numbers.
fact that Postmodernism emphasizes “difference”
gives their political game away. Difference keeps Here are our options: (1) we can limit our goals to
us separate, not together. advance a FEW women up into whatever existing
systems we happen to find ourselves in; or (2) we
Postmodernists claim they are “post”-structural- must understand and prepare ourselves for not
ists. But what does this mean? It means that only turning the world upside down but—more
they reject any attempt to understand how importantly—inside out. All social relations are
things work: where conditions come from and at bottom political ones. They CAN be changed.
how they are maintained. It means, in political But it will be much harder than the Women’s
and practical terms, putting change beyond our Movement of ANY “wave” has indicated it
reach. It means thinking in a circle so that in appreciates.
the end we arrive back again at the beginning,
but this time we are so worn out from trying to No gain is forever. Progress has to be made on
disentangle the Postmodernist abracadabra that the most radical grounds and then constantly
we lack the strength and morale to start over. guarded. If you need a reminder, consider the
right to abortion.
Considering the importance Postmodernists
give to language, they are incredibly sloppy We need to protect our collective identity as
in its usage. Critical terms such as “binary” women. We also need to work with other
and “essentialism” have no fixed meaning and oppressed groups. Since each oppressed group
function simply as perjoratives. experiences their oppression in disparate ways,
we must avoid the trap of competing victimhoods
As for the pretentious philosophical posturing by identifying common goals which we all
by prefacing their claims with words such as need. We could start with the United Nations
“metaphysical” and “epistemological,” “meta- Human Rights Declaration. But substitute “every
epistemological,” and “critical theory,” these have individual” for “every family.” Women’s individual
no purpose other than to intimidate the reader. rights should not be conditional on their existence
None of the ordinary meanings associated with within a family framework.
these terms apply. So why use them?
The most obvious common goal for all individuals
Words are not being used to inform or to clarify. is the equal distribution of material goods, without
Nor to build one thought upon another until some regard to merit.
explanation emerges. Words are tossed in to # # #