Women's Liberation Radio News

Edition 99: Patriarchal Patriotism with Liz Miller, Thistle & Sekhmet SheOwl

Happy Independence Day! First up, hear Thistle greet the listener introducing the topic of "patriarchal patriotism" with Liz Miller and Sekhmet SheOwl. After the greeting, hear WLRN's World News segment delivered by Mary O'Neill before enjoying American artist Whitney Houston's rendition of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful". Next, stay tuned for a conversation Thistle had with Liz Miller, Contributing Editor of Spinning and Weaving, A Feminist Anthology for the 21st Century. They discuss this year's presidential election cycle, what it means for girls and women, and what we can do to build real democracy in our society. At one point in the conversation, the Party of Women is mentioned. To learn more about the Party of Women go to: www.partyofwomen.org/ Finally, don't miss our in-house WLRN commentary by Sekhmet SheOwl who defines patriotism and points out how it is rooted in male power and is explicitly against women's interests for us to invest and participate in it. She says this is true no matter the nation and including right here in the good ole USA. Thanks as ever for tuning in to WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast. This month and going forward into the future until the FiLia conference in October 2025, WLRN is raising funds to send Thistle, Jenna and aurora as representatives of WLRN to participate in and report on the goings on. Our passes into the conference are covered but our flight and accommodations are not thus far... and that's where you come in! To donate to the cause, please visit wlrnmedia.com and click on the donate button. Any amount is appreciated and we pledge to provide you with stellar WLRN coverage and participation in the FiLia conference 2025. For more information about FiLia, go here: www.filia.org.uk/about-filia. This month's cover image was created by Margaret, WLRN's graphic designer. Her statement about the piece is below. "To make the image for Edition 99, Patriarchal Patriotism, I used a photo I took at a Memorial Day parade, one I took of some bunting, and I found a couple of photos of bombs. The parade photo includes old cars and flags - which represent tradition, the patriarchy, and patriotism. There is a woman who is obscured by a flag (that seemed symbolic of how women are hidden and/or ignored) so I copied, enlarged, & centered that part of the image. The way the image got duplicated, people seemed to have lost their heads (also symbolic) - as the cars (and time) seem to drive over them. Also appearing ‘underground’ (and in our collective unconscious) are the bombs - USA bombs and Russia’s bombs."

Duration:: 58m
Broadcast on:: 04 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

[MUSIC PLAYING] You are listening to W-L-R-N. [MUSIC PLAYING] We the women remember. We the women are not afraid. We the women are relentless. We the women are a phoenix. We the women rise from the ash. We the women plant seeds and nourish gardens of metal and dandelion. We the women sow and weave. We the women create tapestries of connection. We the women are the cloth. We the women are getting stronger. We the women stand in solidarity. We the women create. We the women support. We the women thrive. We the women cast roots in rich soil. We the women lean together, blades of grass to make the meadow. We the women catch sun and flower. We the women fight back. We the women love. We the women prevail. We the women will gather July 19th through the 21st and the Pacific Northwest. Hi, this is Heather Scalsy, We the Women event organizer. Thank you to W-L-R-N for promoting our event. And sure to spark the fires of change in our women's movement for our sex-based rights. Come to the beautiful Pacific Northwest this summer over the weekend of July 19th through 21st. To get your ticket, visit methelimmin.world. That's methelimmin.w-o-r-l-d. W-L-R-N, edition 99, broadcasting in 3, 2, 1. I was born woman off my knees. I will stand for my liberation. Sisters rise again. I was born woman off my knees. I will stand for my liberation. Rise and rise again. Greetings and welcome to the 99th edition podcast of women's liberation radio news for this Thursday, July 4th, 2024. This is Thistle, founding member of W-L-R-N and resident folk singer. On this 4th of July, we focus on this year's presidential election cycle and the meaning of patriarchal patriotism in our country and what we can do about it. We'll hear an interview I did with Liz Miller, contributing editor of Spinning and Weaving, a feminist anthology for the 21st century. Before we hear commentary from our in-house, lesbian feminist thinker, Sekmet Shial. So stay tuned. We have a packed show for you. The team at W-L-R-N produces a monthly radio broadcast to break the sound barrier women are blocked by under the status quo rule of men. This blocking of women's discourse we see in all sectors of society, be they conservative, liberal, mainstream, progressive, or radical. The threat that runs through all of American politics except for separatist feminism is male dominance and entitlement in all spheres. To start off today's edition, here's Mary with women's news from around the globe for this Thursday, July 4th, 2024. Take it away, Mary. Thanks, Thistle. Thousands of Brazilians have protested against a proposed law that would classify abortion after 22 weeks as homicide, even in cases of rape, potentially resulting in up to 20 years in prison for women and health professionals involved. Despite the ruling party's opposition, conservative lawmakers are pushing the bill through Congress, sparking significant public outcry and demonstrations across multiple cities. A play critical of J.K. Rowling's stance on women's rights and trans activism set to debut at the Edinburgh Fringe is struggling to cast female roles, with 90 actresses rejecting parts, including those of Rowling and Emma Watson. The play, written by Joshua Kaplan and initially titled "Turf-Kunt," faces backlash and casting difficulties due to concerns over its critique of Rowling and the potential impact on future opportunities in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. A U.S. Appeals Court rejected the Biden administration's attempt to reinstate a directive requiring schools to allow trans-identified students to use facilities and join sports teams aligning with their self-declared gender identity, which have been blocked in 20 Republican-led states. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Department of Education did not follow proper procedures for implementing the guidance, and did not address whether federal law banning sex discrimination in education extends to LGBTQ students. A boat carrying over 200 migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia sank off the coast of Yemen, resulting in at least 49 deaths, including 31 women and six children, with 140 others missing. The International Organization for Migration reported that the vessel, which departed from Bessasso Somalia, capsized offshore province, highlighting the perilous migration route from Africa to Yemen, amid increasing migrant arrivals despite significant dangers. Judith Sunwatsaluka was sworn in as the first female prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Alongside 54 new government ministers, Taluka took office after her action program was approved by the National Assembly. She expressed pride in breaking the glass ceiling, and outlined plans to create 2.6 million jobs, establish an Academy of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, and focus on national security, economic diversification, and infrastructure. Taluka, who holds a master's degree in applied economics, previously served a state minister for planning. Despite the recent election of eight women in the Solomon Islands' 2024 general elections, women's political representation is still low. Armed institutional measures have had limited success, but new initiatives like temporary special measures or reserved seats for women are being discussed to improve this. Kazakhstan has taken a significant step towards zero tolerance for violence against women and children, with new legislation signed by President Qasem Jamartokayev. The law introduces criminal liability for minor assaults and intentional infliction of minor harm, alongside provisions for mandatory psychological correction for aggressors, and temporary restrictions on living arrangements in the exceptional cases. There is an alarming prevalence of femicide in Greece, where inadequate legal measures fail to protect women from male violence, illustrated by recent tragic incidents, including the brutal murder of an 11-year-old girl in the stabbing of karaoke-griven. Despite growing calls for legislative action and nationwide protests, femicide is not officially recognized as a crime in Greece, exacerbating the urgent need for legal reforms and enforcement mechanisms to address sex-based violence effectively. Access to long-active contraception methods in Africa, such as implants and injections, is increasing, providing women with more discretion and autonomy over their reproductive health. Improved education expanded contraceptive options and better distribution networks are driving this change, leading to tangible gains in women's reproductive autonomy and opportunities. One woman who receives a regular three-month injection said, "When I got pregnant at 18, it was not planned, family planning was not accessible like it is now. Had it been like now, I wouldn't have been pregnant, I'd have moved ahead in life, I'd have studied, I'd be a judge now, or a nurse." Several Kenyan women have accused British soldiers of rape, resulting in mixed-race children who often face ostracism and abandonment in communities near training bases like the British Army Training Unit in Anyuki, with ongoing investigations and legal battles seeking accountability and support for the victims and their children. Despite past dismissals of claims, recent developments allow for lawsuits in Kenyan courts, offering hope for justice. While women like Jenarika Namooru, who bore children from consensual relationships with British soldiers, struggle for recognition and support from both governments. The UN has agreed with the Taliban to prevent Afghan women from attending a UN meeting on human rights and Qatar. The Taliban also demanded that women's rights issues not be discussed at the meeting. Since 2021, women in girls in Afghanistan have not been allowed to attend school, work, or simply show their faces in public. Dutch Olympic organizers in the Dutch Volleyball Association stand by their decision to allow a convicted child rapist to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics. In 2014, Stephen Vandevelder traveled to the UK and raped a 12-year-old girl he met on Facebook. He spent just over a year in prison, and he started playing volleyball again in 2017. The Dutch Volleyball Association said, "When Vandevelder looks in the mirror now, he sees a mature and happy man, married, and the father of a beautiful son. He's proving to be an exemplary professional and human being, and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return." Riley Gaines, Martina Naratilova, Peyton McNabb, and other women advocating for women's sport in a spirit of Title IX spent the month of June on tour throughout the US. However, when in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Vandeveld spray-painted anti-women messages and profanity, but the tour continued and the women persisted. That concludes WLRN's World News segment for Thursday, July 4. I'm Mary. Share news stories, announcements, and tips with us by emailing info@wlrnmedia.com and letting us know what's going on. This is JoBru, and you are listening to WLRN. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] That was Whitney Houston with her rendition of America the Beautiful, a poem written by Katherine Lee Bates, a schoolteacher in the 1890s who went up Pike's Peak in Colorado in 1893 and got inspired by the beautiful expanse of our country she sold there. A fun fact about Miss Bates is that she never married, but she lived with a woman, also named Katherine, for 25 years. It's a lovely poem that was published for the first time on the 4th of July 1895 and became a popular patriotic anthem in 1910. Next up, we'll hear excerpts from an interview Thistle did with Liz Miller, a radical feminist activist in Chicago. She is the contributing editor of the Radical Feminist anthology titled Spinning and Weaving, Radical Feminism for the 21st Century, which he published in 2021 with contributions from over 40 radical feminists from around the world. She also appears regularly on WLRN and on Women's Declaration International's Radical Feminist Perspective series. Take a listen. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got interested in feminist politics? Sure. I live in Chicago, I'm a radical feminist. I was raised by a very feminist mother, and in a very liberal and diverse area of the city. So I've always really grown up with and had feminist values, without even really sort of questioning that, because my mother was in a lot of feminist groups and causes, and so it was just natural to me, it was sort of the water that I swam in. As I got older, like in graduate school I read Andrea Dorkin and Catherine McKinnon, and then started to, I guess, identify as a radical feminist. I don't think I had really heard the term radical feminist before that, but once I read their works about pornography and prostitution and how they hurt women, I became a radical feminist sort of distinguished in my mind from being a liberal feminist, you know, who are more sort of individual rights oriented. But even then, I think that I, over the years, sort of took the gains of feminism more for granted until maybe the last 10 years when the transgenderism fad took hold about 10 years ago, at which point I realized how much that was really eroding women's rights and how women's rights were being attacked and eroded by the left wing as well as the right wing in this country in different ways. So that's kind of, I guess, my feminist arc. Yeah, and you got so involved with feminist politics in recent years that you are the editor and contributing editor of the feminist anthology spinning and weaving that was such a great contribution to the works that are out there in our current era. So you're a very active feminist and we're so happy to have you on today to talk about patriarchal patriotism and what's going on with the American people today as we face another four year presidential election cycle. Where are the American people at spiritually, emotionally and ideologically in this election cycle? What do you think divides us and what unites us? Yeah, that's such a big and sad question. I think that Americans are really very sad and angry right now. I think we've really been battered in recent years, battered by four years of the Trump administration and all of the anger and mistrust and division that came out of the 2016 election and the 2020 election and their aftermath. We were battered by the whole COVID pandemic and then several years of really rampant inflation that's making it hard for most people to live, you know, other than sort of the 1%. And also a terrible job market for most people, despite what the official numbers say about unemployment, the numbers don't count people who've been unemployed for so long that they're not getting unemployment benefits anymore. They've given up on looking for a job or they're underemployed and even if they're in work, they can't make ends meet because of inflation. So a lot of people are really battered by that. And then the erosion of women's rights, I think American women are just so angry and disgusted about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and then we're more widely the increase in corruption on the Supreme Court, the corruption in the last two elections, the culture wars. And it's kind of ironic because those are things that divide us, but they're also things that unite us. We're sort of all united as Americans in experiencing the pain of this constant fighting over so many things about whether there was interference in the last two elections, whether COVID is quote unquote real and how the government should have responded to it, the fight over abortion rights, crime, what's causing crime, the need for gun control. And then culture war issues. So I think we're united in the pain of constantly fighting over all those things. And I could go on, but I don't know if you want to direct the conversation. Well, yeah. I mean, it is really sad that that is what unites us, but I mean, maybe common sense can unite us as well across these political lines that have been drawn. That's what I'm hoping for because I do think the positions that most people hold politically are meant to protect themselves and their families from harm. And everybody has that in common and it makes common sense, you know, to protect people from crime and to protect women from male takeover in our sports and in our private spaces. I mean, these are common sense things. I'm hoping that those types of values unite Americans and it's really a messed up system that we're dealing with and less of a problem with the American people. But I don't really know for sure. Let's move on to the next question. What is your take on the two candidates and where they stand on abortion, gender identity, and sex-based rights? Which candidate stands to do the most harm to girls and women's rights if elected? And do you know anything about their running mates? Do you have any predictions about what's going to happen? Before you answer that question, I just want to say I looked up an AP article today on the differences between Trump and Biden. And I scrolled down, they had 10 categories, you know, like immigration and the war in the Ukraine and Israel and LGBTQ was one of the sections. And it was all about transgender. It was not about the L and the G and the B at all. I mean, no mention of the L and the G and the B. But the title of the topic was LGBTQ. And it was all about how Biden affirms transgender and transgenderism and Trump is a opposed to it, that Trump, you know, he was quoted in this AP article saying that, you know, hormones and genital surgeries on children is immoral and not a good idea, you know? And I was like, oh my gosh, I really agree with that. And that was Trump on that position. So, you know, who is worse Biden or Trump? Well, you know, the place that I've come to, and I want to say, I have, I'm a lifelong Democrat. I come from a family of lifelong Democrats. I've never voted for a Republican candidate in my life. And I never will. I will never vote for Republican candidate. However, I have come to kind of dial out and take more of a like a global, like a view from above. And what I really realize, the more that I look at US politics and probably the politics of most other countries is that neither the left nor the right is good for women. Male politics are not good for women. They're all anti feminist. They're all sister, anti woman and anti children. And you know, in different, like different flavors, you know, it's like 31 flavors Baskin Robbins patriarchy, you know, but it's all ice cream. So I mean, you know, it kind of frustrates me when people are like, Oh, Biden's obviously the candidate for women. And it's like, no, Biden is horrible for women. Biden has on the first day he went into office, he issued an executive order attempting to rewrite or basically ordering all of the executive branch to rewrite all of federal law, which for one thing, they aren't allowed to do like he it's a legislature who's supposed to write laws and revise laws and amend laws, but Biden basically ordered the administrative branch to legislate by rewriting all of federal law to redefine sex as gender identity. So that's terrible for women. And really, honestly, the Democrats haven't done anything to protect abortion rights. You know, they could have they had decades to get a federal law passed that enshrines Roe v. Wade into federal statute and they never did it. And now they're lumping abortion rights in with bodily autonomy rights to mutilate to be mutilated. Yeah. And they're creating legislation that puts those two things together, which really ties our hands behind our backs because of course we're pro abortion, but we're not in favor of genital mutilation, you know, yeah, yeah, so I mean, I think, you know, it's obvious that the ways that the right is terrible for women, you know, they've been working on outlying abortion for decades. Now they're working to outlaw contraception. They also work against lesbian and gay rights. They want to overturn the right to same sex marriage. And many and like culturally, many people on the right are now pushing for acceptance of this idea of the trad wife and propagandizing women to be housewives who don't have careers and who rely on a so called good man to support them economically and protect them from the rest of the men, the bad men, which is something Andrea Dworkin talked about at length in her book Right Wing Women, which I recommend every American woman read because it really explains a lot about, you know, how women, why women, some women are right wing and what they, you know, reasonably feel they need to be protected from and how they see men, like an individual man, allying with an individual man as what's going to protect them. So you know, we all know those of us, you know, on the quote unquote progressive side, know how the right wing is terrible for women, but the left wing is also terrible for women. I mean, the left wing, left wing men are all about individual so called rights, which to them mostly mean men's rights to be sexual predators, you know, the their right to porn, including porn, you know, with children in it, the right for them to access prostitution and for prostitution to be decriminalized so that, you know, it's entrenched in society. And if we look at the examples of Germany and Holland, we can see what happens when prostitution is legalized, it becomes it increases the demand greatly. It makes prostitution much, much, much worse and more dangerous for women than it was before. What we should be following is the Nordic model, but that's not what the left pushes. And then the left of course is terrible on transgenderism, which is again, all about, you know, individual rights, like I have the individual right to mutilate my body. And that also means I have the individual right to groom children into believing that they should mutilate their bodies if they don't conform to general stereotypes. So the left is also really terrible for women. And I think that the solution is does not lie in male politics on either side of the eye of the solution. What do you think of what Kelly J. Keen is doing with her women's party? Well, I haven't looked into her party all that much. I don't know if she has any issues other than gender ideology. So I don't know, you know, how much political analysis she has, honestly, beyond being against gender ideology, which of course I agree with her on. Yeah, I don't know either, but I do like the idea of an independent women's party, political party, that is run by women, for women, for women's rights. I have participated in some let women speak events. And she seemed to be progressive on other rights, definitely pro lesbian rights. So I don't think it's just a gender ideology thing. And I think she's considering women's rights in general and having a political avenue for that. And we just don't have that because the Republicans and the Democrats, you know, basically they are male politics and they're for male political interests. Yeah, the US has a very, very strict siloed two party system and no other party has ever been able to get any kind of a foothold, a toehold or whatever the word is. So I don't know, you know, other European countries tend to have much more coalition based governments. And so I don't know whether a women's party in the United States would be able to gain any political power. I mean, it's certainly an option to think about, but I don't know how realistic it is in a situation where in a country where no other party has ever been able to get any real power. Yeah, thanks for that, Elizabeth, for that reminder of this great country we live in, you know, and that kind of brings me to the other question unless you wanted to continue with any predictions you might have of the outcome of these elections, you know, and what might happen to women and girls rights if one candidate or the other wins. Well, one thing is that we have to remember that the fall election is not just a national election. It's also many different local elections, both state and of course, electing representatives and senators to Congress. So I think we can make a lot of change at the local level. So we have to keep that in mind as well as just the election for president. I think it's going to be really close again, like it was the last two times. I think there's a very good likelihood that Trump could win. And I think, so I guess one thing I want to say is I want to issue sort of a warning to women who are like, well Biden's so terrible, I'm just going to sit this out or I'm going to vote for the green party or something. It's very dangerous to do that because that just helps Trump. Like you may think that you're making some kind of stand or statement for yourself, but if you don't, unfortunately, and I've just said how much I dislike Biden, but I'm going to vote for him because he's not Trump. Trump in a good little American way, right? I mean, it's the two evils, the lesser of two evils, and that has never been more true than when voting against Donald Trump. He is, I mean, not only is he terrible for women, but he will dismantle democracy. He has said that he will essentially dismantle the entire executive branch. And that would be incredibly bad for us, for all Americans in so many ways. It would dismantle the entire social welfare system, safety net, you know, the EPA fighting climate change, you know, every federal department does a lot of really important things. And should not be dismantled. I can't believe I have to say that. You know, gee, we shouldn't dismantle the executive branch. But Trump wants to. I mean, not just Trump, of course, but, you know, the people behind him. And so we have to vote against him. You know, it's an emergency situation to try to defeat this guy. So that's what we have to do. And then after that, we have to try to make democracy better and make the Democratic Party better. I mean, I'm enraged at the Democratic Party that they didn't come up with anyone other than Biden. I know. You know, like, is there literally no one under a piece of people in America? And it's the same two guys, it's just, yeah, right, like this is the best. These are the best and brightest, you know, people in our country who should, who should be our choice for president. I mean, that's it's just shameful. It's shameful. It's heartbreaking. And you know what? It's funny. It's kind of laughable in a way. I mean, if it wasn't so horrible, it would be kind of like a Mel Brooks comedy. Yeah. And, you know, we got to laugh otherwise we'll cry, but at the same time, let that laughter, let that feeling fuel us to win back the integrity of our country. And that brings me to the 4th of July. Give us your feminist analysis of the 4th of July and what it means for us as the American people. Well, I mean, we can say that the 4th of July is a celebration of war and that fire crackers, you know, represent bombs and that's all true. July 4th does celebrate war as a way to solve problems, which as a feminist and just like a thinking person who believes that human beings have a certain amount of higher intellectual capacity and we shouldn't be using blowing things up as the way to solve our problems. I don't celebrate war, you know, I'm the whole. I mean, some there are a very small number of wars that are necessary to prevent the destruction of civilization, you know, like World War II, but, you know, we had the allies had to get involved there, but in general, I mean, against war, again, I say these sentences and I'm like, I can't believe I have to say I love that people shouldn't go around killing each other to solve problems. But on the other hand, I do have somewhat of a soft spot for July 4th because democracy is the only political system that human beings have come up with that in any way protects, you know, both individual and class rights. So I do celebrate the development of a political philosophy and an actual political acting political system that is based on democracy and that was based on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and that tried to set up a form of government that was by and for ordinary people to replace monarchy. But it was by and for, it was by and for white men. Yes. Correct. So how is that democratic? That is absolutely correct. I was about to say, you know, the specific form of democracy that those white men, those slave owning, you know, enslaving white men created in the 1700s was very fraught with problems, just like democracy in ancient Greece, you know, which also did not give any, which, you know, who were also in slavers and also didn't give women any political rights. So yeah, it's got some big, big, big problems, but the political philosophy itself. Democracy itself is about one person, one vote. And if we carry that out correctly, it is better than any other system of government we have come up with as human beings. Okay, but we haven't really carried it out correctly. No, not fully, no, we still, I mean, we still don't, but it's getting better, right? That in theory, everyone who is an American citizen get an adult over 18 gets to vote, regardless of race, regardless of sex, you know, regardless of any demographic, anything. If you're a right to about in theory, sorry, people X prisoners or prisoners, do they get? Yes. No, if you've committed a felony, I believe you're prevented from voting for the rest of your life, which I also disagree with. Yeah, you're, you're totally correct. There are many problems, but it's still better than autocracy. It's still better than monarchy. It's still better than fascism. And so the political philosophy is still better. And we have made improvements in it since 1776. We still have a very, very long way to go. Absolutely. We have a long way to go, but I think that, you know, I really, well, I also want to say in terms of women's rights, women, I don't think can get all of our rights and freedom just through male led politics or male led systems of government. I think that however, I think democracy is, is necessary. It's but not sufficient. So democracy is a floor. It is certainly not a ceiling. But you, I don't even think that you can make any political gains for women or other oppressed groups without having a democracy. Like if you look around the world and you look at other systems of government and you look at Afghanistan, look at Iran, you know, women have no rights there because those are not democracy. So democracy is a floor. You have to have a democratic system in order to even get started in the project of equality and freedom for all people. Okay. And how do we achieve that democratic system? Because it's, I mean, you started out this interview by listing off all the problems that unite us and they're huge fundamental problems. It doesn't seem like it seems like we've lost our way a long time ago we lost our way that we have like this ideal from 1776 that in some improvements have been made as we go along. But now it just seems like you were going to talk about social media and the role that social media plays in democracy or the lack of democracy that we are seeing in our nation currently. I just, I worry about this election cycle. I feel like there's a lot of pundits, pundits out there that speak and people listen and they get led astray and their emotions are just running so high and there are a bunch of people who have a platform that take advantage of that. And it just results in chaos. Yeah. I know, I know I'm just like the future of our democracy and worry about the actual elections this year because they're shrouded in so much controversy and people are so disillusioned. Like could we get into a civil war again? I mean, and what would that look like? Or am I just getting too worked up? We could, I like to think that enough people are good-hearted and logical enough that that won't happen. You know, I like to try to have hope like the problem with talking about politics is it has to be, the conversation to be useful at all has to be so nuanced. And most people don't engage, aren't used to or maybe aren't capable of, but at least aren't used to engaging in nuanced conversation. Things are very black and white, social media and, you know, the 24-hour news cycle and political speeches make everything much more black and white and we need to stop doing that. So I think there's some, there's various things I can think of that I think would help. One is we need to talk to each other in person more, we need to listen more, we need to sit down with other people and try not to prejudge them and maybe just a bunch of, like maybe sit down with a bunch of random people that you live near without knowing in advance what their beliefs are and try to just talk and listen to each other because I do think, like you said before, we do have things in common. Everyone wants to be safe. Everyone wants to, you know, have loved ones and have their loved ones be safe. Everyone wants to be free to partner with who they want to partner with. Everyone wants to have a roof over their head and food and a good job. People don't want to feel physically threatened or to have their livelihood threatened or their basic existence threatened. I mean, those are things we can all agree on. And so the question becomes like where are the threats coming from and how do we solve these problems? How do we make life better for everyone? You know, I like to think that most Americans actually want life to be good for everyone. Unfortunately, I think there's some people who don't want that, but most people hopefully want that. And so one thing is, you know, social media really intensifies our tendency to just yell at each other and try to make points and try to speak over each other and not listen and assume that the other person has bad motives and that they're stupid and uninformed. We really have to work to get past all that and just listen to each other more and try to look for points of connection and points of commonality. I think if we could do that more, it would help. You know, that's one thing. All right, Liz Miller, Liz Miller, an adult human female with an emphasis on the maturity that we need to have as adults, because I think when we start talking about politics and the ability to have conversations, it really is that basic. Just being able to listen, trying to just impose our own desires or priorities on other people and just listen to them about what they need and try to try to really see other people as humans, you know, and I think being in person helps with that. I think being in groups, maybe volunteering with other people, like just go to your local soup kitchen and just volunteer with people, honestly, like we need to get back to very basic fundamental things like that. I agree with that. Thank you so much, Liz. I hope you enjoy whatever celebrations you are taking part in as we celebrate the fourth of July. Since 2016, empowering women to be the media and reclaim the narrative, your grassroots community radio station, by women, for women, W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N., W.L.R.N. Hey, sisters, your devoted W.L.R.N. collective has been invited to 2025's Philly Conference in Great Britain, and nothing would make us happier than to be able to attend and report back to you about all the goings on at the conference. The last conference took place in 2023, and next year's promises to be just as exciting and informative, with talks and workshops from current feminist minds and advocates. We're asking you for help, dear sisters, in getting to Philly in 2025. Your donation will go toward airfare and accommodations for Thistle, Jenna, and Aurora. Our press passes will get us in the door so we can give you access to the best of the weekend amongst radical feminist hearts and minds. If you'd like to help your grassroots, volunteer-powered, women's community radio station, make it to the Philly Conference in 2025, head over to W.L.R.N. Media.com and click on the donate button. Any amount you are able to donate is graciously appreciated. We are blessed to be able to do this work for you, sisters. Thank you, as always, for listening to W.L.R.N. [MUSIC] Given that all countries past and present are patriarchal societies, patriotism makes a little sense for women and girls. A certain amount of cultural pride and appreciation for home, sure. That's understandable, but a deep loyalty to a country run by men for men, simply because it's the country you were born in. How does that benefit you as a woman? We have to contextualize patriotism in the broader political landscape, whether we're looking at it in the present or the past. What purpose does patriotism serve? What is it built on? How is it used? And most importantly, why do men want us to be patriotic? Patriotism is not only the feeling of pride and belonging to your country, but the sense that your country is superior to all the others. And that sense of superiority is the first step toward believing your country is entitled to control others, destroy others, colonize others. Pain is a sentiment that has always been closely intertwined with militarism and war, which are ultimately about using violence to dominate other people, to seize land and natural resources, to kill and rape and enslave and destroy with the goal of forcing another group of people to submit to your group. These are male goals, male bonding activities, male pleasures. Pay attention to how patriotism is rooted in and serves the male desire for power over others. Pay attention to how patriotism at its peak intensity morphs into nationalism, into a blind faith in the male-dominated government, into widespread public support or at least apathy toward what the male-dominated military and federal government agents do abroad. Like rhetoric has always been an effective way for leaders to gloss over their crimes against other nations and even against their own people. Patriotism stupefies citizens into accepting their own struggle and suffering at the hands of their government and sucks them into supporting their nation's war crimes against other countries when they, the people, didn't even vote for the wars. Patriotism is what has us glorifying and honoring the men who raped, tortured and killed other human beings during their time in the military when in a different context we would label those men's psychopaths and criminals for the same acts. Instead we throw parades and observe national holidays that reinforce our sense of belonging and obligation to this group we didn't ask to be members of called a country. As for why men want us women to be patriotic, it serves the same purpose as racial loyalty, class loyalty, religious loyalty and heterosexual loyalty. Keeping women divided on the axis of sex and loyal to men along other axes just enough to prevent any real damage to patriarchy, any real feminist movement with fangs from occurring. At the end of the day whether we're talking about patriotism and nationalism or race or socioeconomic class or heterosexuality or any other identity group that includes men, female loyalty and cooperation bolsters male power on that axis of sex even while men fight each other for power and domination within their own hierarchy. If women dedicate themselves to supporting and increasing some form of male power over other men, they're not spending time, energy, money and thought on female liberation. Those women have their gaze set on the enemy group of men and women that their own men told them to fight and not on their own male oppressors. What do we as women have to be proud of when we think about the nations we were born in? Why should we be loyal to our countries of origin to the point of unconditionally supporting their militaristic actions against other countries? Why should we be loyal to our countrymen at all? But particularly to the point where we see women in other countries as our enemies should the men decide that they are. What's the prize women stand to win for belonging to one particular country over the rest for belonging to the supposedly best country in the world? Women obscure the fact that as women, we have always and will always have more in common with women in other countries than we do with the men of our own country, period. For all of our cultural and linguistic differences across national borders, the female experience has been consistent worldwide in all the ways that matter most. Logically, politically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually. We have been oppressed by males internationally in the same ways for the same reasons for literally all of history. Our experience of rape, murder, beatings, child sexual abuse, prostitution and sex trafficking, forced pregnancy and motherhood, prohibition of education, prohibition of financial independence, verbal and psychological misogynistic abuse, all at the hands of males is identical across all the countries of the world and always has been. Why should we feel more connected and similar to the males of our respective nations instead of to the women in other parts of the world? Why should we be proud of the men in our families who committed violence against women and girls abroad and within the military? Women have disgusted and horrified, all because they furthered our federal government's agenda. Why should we help the men of our country commit these crimes? Why should we suddenly be loyal to the males who oppress us within our group when another group of men show up to threaten them? True feminism is a global movement. The ideal feminist revolution is an international one. All unity shouldn't stop at erasing racial, sexual, class, religious and ethnic lines between women within countries. It should erase those lines between women across national borders along with the borders themselves. If we as women cared more about the women and girls being raped, abused, killed and exploited by men in other countries than we did about the men in our own countries and lives who commit those same crimes here and abroad and who bond with the males of other countries over their shared misogyny, imagine the blow to patriarchy worldwide. I've said before and will continue to say that the only nation I'm loyal to is the female nation. If an American male rapes or attacks or kills a woman or a girl of another country, he should be executed no differently than if he did it on American soil to an American female. I will never care about this country's success or failure in its militaristic and otherwise violent attempts to dominate and interfere with other countries. There is nothing to celebrate or grieve when it comes to international male politics beyond the grief for all the women and girls around the world who are doomed to be casualties of male violence committed with impunity in the name of national interests. Thanks for listening to WLRN's 99th edition podcast on patriarchal patriotism. And happy 4th of July. We hope you are gathering with friends and family today, barbecuing in the sun while striking up conversations about women's rights. WLRN would like to thank our guest this month for sharing her views on the presidential elections and politics in America. Thank you so much Elizabeth Miller for speaking with us. Until next time, this is Thistle signing off on another WLRN podcast. If you like what you're hearing and would like to donate to the cause of feminist community radio, please visit our website and click on the donate button, check out our merch tabs get a nice gift in exchange for your donation. And if you are interested in joining our team, we are always looking for new volunteers to conduct interviews, write blog posts, post to our Facebook and other social media pages and do other tasks to keep us moving forward as a collective of media activist women. Thanks for listening. This is Sekmet Shiawel signing off for now. Hi. Thanks for tuning into another WLRN podcast. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lola, the newest member of the WLRN team. I'm a passionate feminist advocate and a global citizen. I earned a BA for Skimmour College where I studied sociology, English, political science, international affairs and history. Although I was canceled by my peers for being a turf at a great undergraduate experience, where I had the opportunity to discover and explore radical feminism through various research projects on rape prevention, sexism, female genital mutilation and sexual liberation. I'm currently applying to graduate schools with the intention of getting a PhD. So if any sisters listening have tips for me on how to navigate academic censorship on finding solidarity in these polarizing times or just advice on being a woman in these male-dominated fields, please reach out to me. At WLRN, I will primarily be editing our content for our YouTube channel while also helping out in the crafting of the podcast. Next month, I will be interviewing the professor who introduced me to radical feminism. Dr. Victoria Brown will be talking to me about her research on women's health and chronic diseases, so make sure you tune in. And this is Aurora. Thank you for tuning in. Next month, we will focus our program on women's health and autoimmune disease. Our handcrafted podcasts always come out on the first Thursday of the month, so do look out for it on Thursday, the 1st of August. If you'd like to receive our newsletter that notifies you when each podcast, music show and interviews are released, please sign up for our newsletter on the WLRN WordPress site. Stay strong in the struggle and thank you so very much for listening. This is Mary, signing off on another edition of WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spinster, over it and SoundCloud in addition to our WordPress site. Thanks for listening. And this is Jenna. I want to take this opportunity to say I am super stoked to be heading to this year's RISE Festival on the land in Michigan. I haven't been since the final Mitch Fest in 2015, so yeah, very excited. I only just bought my ticket yesterday, so there are still tickets left. RISE coincides with WPI on the land, women playing instruments. From what I'm told, it's like band camp for women. Thistle has attended this one a couple of times and she highly recommends it. She raves about it. Those events are taking place the weekend of July 30th. Head over to WWTLC.org, that's we want the land coalition's website, WWTLC.org for more information on those and all the events taking place on the land this summer. This weekend, Thistle is heading down to San Diego for fists first-ever national conference called Our Radical Roofs. Either for that at feministstruggle.org, if you haven't already, that's feministstruggle.org. We want the women as a new event being held in the Pacific Northwest, as you heard in the beginning of today's podcast. That is happening the weekend of July 19th. Head over to WWTLC.org to check that out. I also wanted to follow up on something Donna every mentioned in our interview last month. Lisa Vogel, Mitch Fest founder and organizer for 40 years, has a book coming out called We Can Live Like This, a memoir of culture, and it will be available starting August 5th. It does look like she has a book tour planned, the first three stops of which will be on the land. Information regarding We Can Live Like This and the subsequent book tour is available on her website, LisaA Vogel.com. Our monthly podcasts are always crafted with tender loving care and in solidarity with women worldwide. Thanks for your support. I hope to see you on the land this summer, and if you see me or Thistle out there, be sure to say hello. We would love to hear from you, so please comment, like, and share this podcast widely. But how will we find our way out of this? What is the antidote for the patriarchal kiss? How will we find what needs to be shown? And then after that, where is home, tell me where is my home? Cause gender hurts. [MUSIC]