I would like to respond to some of the biases present in the article “Anti-feminist urges ‘traditional’ female role” in the Nov. 15 edition of The Daily Free Press (p. 1). The event was incorrectly listed as being titled “Feminist Follies: Why Women Belong in the Kitchen.” Mrs. Schlafly does not go around to college campuses ruining the career aspirations of female students saying that “women belong in the kitchen.” Some of our other flyers said “Betrayed: The Assault of Modern Feminism on the Right to Life and the Traditional Family” and “How Feminism Got It Wrong.” Also, only the opposition’s views on how the event went were published. The reason why we as the College Republicans make it our goal to hold events such as this one is to show the Boston University community that there are two sides to every issue, and we represent the small minority on campus that is wrongly mocked, disrespected and disregarded.
As a conservative, I know that all too often our side is never presented in the classroom. Some students complained that Mrs. Schlafly was too outdated a speaker, and said she didn’t address the current wave of feminism. As a student who took a women’s studies class last semester, I believe that Mrs. Schlafly did a fine job of pointing out the historical as well as current complaints of the feminists and their obsession in playing the role of the victim. One of the biggest issues near feminists’ hearts is that gender is a social construct. But a woman’s and man’s biological makeup is not the same, and that is what Mrs. Schlafly pointed out. If any girl has ever wondered why a male student doesn’t hold the door open for her when she enters behind him in Warren or Towers, or why women are no longer respected the way they used to be, I would say that the feminist movement is responsible. If a woman wants to be treated exactly like a man, then why should he bother to hold the door open for her?
Having said this, I would like to thank everyone for coming out to the lecture, no matter what your opinion was. I would hope next time the Free Press would try not to present a biased opinion, and also quote some students who wholeheartedly agreed with Mrs. Schlafly’s view, or better yet, one of the many students who changed their minds after hearing her compelling argument, as many of them have come up to me and told me. However, I would like to thank the Free Press for covering our event. Our viewpoint is never welcomed warmly on this campus, and we are glad that both the paper and the turnout reflected students’ willingness to listen and add to a constructive conversation.
Kasia Zabawa
President, BU College Republicans
CAS/COM ’08
