Paglia on Sotomayor's "wise Latina" comment, and feminism

Ligon Duncan

After indicating her support for the nomination, commenting on Sotomayor's outstanding academic credentials and predicting that she is a "shoo-in" for the Supreme Court, Paglia makes this passing comment about her famous "wise latina" bloviation:

"But Sotomayor's vainglorious lecture bromide about herself as "a wise Latina" trumping white men is a vulgar embarrassment -- a vestige of the bad old days of male-bashing feminism when even the doughty Ann Richards was saying to the 1988 Democratic National Convention: "After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." What flatulent canards mainstream feminism used to traffic in! Astaire, idolized even by Mikhail Baryshnikov, was one of the most brilliant and peerless dancers and choreographers of the 20th century. The agile but limited Ginger Rogers, a spunky, smart-mouthed comedian, is only a footnote. Get real, girls! This is the kind of mushy balderdash I doggedly had to plow through for five years in trying to find a good feminist poem for my collection, "Break, Blow, Burn." I never found one. Rule of art: Cant kills creativity!"

You just have to love Paglia. By the way, the whole article is good.