Women with Opinions

Faludi Gives Us the Real Scoop on 9-11

In a tense courtroom scene in the movie A Few Good Men, Tom Cruise badgers Jack Nicholson, demanding the "truth," which prompts Nicholson to erupt in volcanic fury:  "You can't handle the truth!" he thunders at Cruise, the veins throbbing in his neck.

In her latest book, The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post 9/11 America, Susan Faludi delivers a similar message.

The Terror Dream

Susan Faludi (remember Backlash?) is the guest speaker at tomorrow's Susan B. Anthony House luncheon. I am listening to her latest book - The Terror Dream. Her premise is that 9/11 produced very few, if any, real heroes. To compensate, the nation brought back the myths of the cavalier male rescuing the woman victim. Publishers Weekly stated in its review, "The intrusions of September 11, she [Faludi] observes, broke the dead bolt on our protective myth, the illusion that... our might makes our homeland impregnable... and women and children safe in the arms of their men."

Very interesting reading. I am looking forward to hearing her speak.

No Woman President

Today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle had this final say about whether or not we should have a woman president: 

"I believe that whoever our next president is, it should not be a female. Women should not represent us on an international level. American culture can accept it; other cultures cannot."

There you go!  And it was written by a man, of course.