The women's movement hit my neighborhood like a freight train. Everybody got divorced. You wonder what would have happened to women if the suburbs hadn't been built.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the transformative impact of the women's movement on traditional family structures in suburban America.
Susan Faludi's quote highlights the rapid societal changes brought about by the women's movement, particularly in suburban neighborhoods where traditional marriage and family roles were challenged. The metaphor of a 'freight train' conveys the overwhelming and inevitable nature of these changes, suggesting that the construction of suburbs provided both physical space and a social context that facilitated this transformation in women's roles and relationships.
In practice
In discussions about the evolution of gender roles, this quote can emphasize the impact of social movements.
Feminism's agenda is basic: it asks that women not be forced to "choose" between public justice and private happiness. It asks that women be free to define themselves-instead of having their identity defined for them, time and again, by their culture and their men.
The media and the rest of popular culture weren't recording people's reactions to 9/11; they were forcing made-up reactions down people's throats.
The system of heroism depends on women to be weak so men can be strong.
As it turns out, social scientists have established only one fact about single women's mental health: employment improves it.
When the enemy has no face, society will invent one.
Feminism's agenda is basic: It asks that women not be forced to 'choose' between public justice and private happiness.
The repossession by women of our bodies will bring far more essential change to human society than the seizing of the means of production by workers.
When the Taliban was ruling Afghanistan, women were not allowed to go to school, to work, or even leave the house without a male chaperone. The greatest moment was when that ended.
Hope is the foundational quality of all change, and encouragement is the fuel which keeps hope alive.
There are three ways to correct our faults:We can change through behavior We can change through understanding We can change heart
Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.
If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.
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