Feminists are bigots...

While driving to work this morning I followed a minivan covered with bumper stickers, most of which were ostensibly "Christian". The one that initially caught my attention was:

Feminists are Bigots
Get a Life Sweet Babe

I have a passing acquaintance with the Bible, having attended parochial schools my entire life - including four years of manditory Bible class in high school. My first thought when I read the sticker was, "man, that's gotta piss off more than a few woman commuters," especially that cheeky second line. My next thought was to recall the second half of the last chapter of my personal favorite book of the Bible: Proverbs 31.

Everyone knows that the Bible was written from a patriarchal point of view. But, Proverbs 31 really flies in the face of the misogynistic way that many self-described conservative "Christians" interprete the Bible. It was actually my mother who I've always thought of as a moderate feminist that pointed this Biblical description out to me.

The description is of "a wife of noble character who... is worth far more than rubies." She's a business owner and property owner... in her own right. And she buys property with her own money.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

She's kind, compassionate (dare I say, Liberal?) and highly respected by the society in which she lives. And her husband is highly respected because of her! All of which is the antithesis of the mousy, servile, and fawning caricature of a wife that misogynists portray as the "Godly ideal" for a woman.

I got a quick glance at the guy driving the minivan as he peeled off the 405 to I5 South while I peeled off to take I5 North. It wasn't quite dawn yet and I only got the quick glance. But, he looked a lot like the picture posted at this website which another of the bumper stickers contained the URL to.

Interestingly enough, he's running for President. About half way down the page is his platform. LOL what a piece of work. He has a few positions that I find actually pretty reasonable. But, as a whole his professed belief systems is full of inherently contradictory claims. Earlier on the page he rants against being judgemental and also advocates teaching critical thinking skills in public schools. Yet one of his political planks is that Bill and Hillary Clinton ought to be jailed on the basis of some rightwing movie.