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.
In a few hundred years, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time - literally - substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it.
If we all act together - business, governments, NGOs and citizens and, especially, the young - just imagine the good we could create.
You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.
We want to try to galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change.
When I was maybe eight or nine years old, I first learned about the climate crisis in school. My teachers taught me about it and we saw films and pictures of plastic in the ocean and extreme weather events. Those pictures were just stuck in my head; I thought, there is no point in anything.
The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.
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