Mallory Millett published a fascinating essay this past week in Front Page Magazine. Entitled “Marxist Feminism’s Ruined Lives,” it’s about how her sister Kate Millett, author ofSexual Politics (1970) went about organizing a totalitarian movement which she labelled as a form of “feminism.” Mallory describes how Kate invited her to a meeting with about a dozen other women in the late 1960’s. Here’s an excerpt:
They called the assemblage a “consciousness-raising-group,” a typical communist exercise, something practiced in Maoist China. We gathered at a large table as the chairperson opened the meeting with a back-and-forth recitation, like a Litany, a type of prayer done in Catholic Church. But now it was Marxism, the Church of the Left, mimicking religious practice: “Why are we here today?” she asked.“To make revolution,” they answered.“What kind of revolution?” she replied.“The Cultural Revolution,” they chanted.“And how do we make Cultural Revolution?” she demanded.“By destroying the American family!” they answered.“How do we destroy the family?” she came back.“By destroying the American Patriarch,” they cried exuberantly.“And how do we destroy the American Patriarch?” she replied. “By taking away his power!” “How do we do that?”“By destroying monogamy!” they shouted.“How can we destroy monogamy?” Their answer left me dumbstruck, breathless, disbelieving my ears. Was I on planet earth? Who were these people? “By promoting promiscuity, eroticism, prostitution and homosexuality!” they resounded. They proceeded with a long discussion on how to advance these goals by establishing The National Organization of Women.
You ought to read the whole thing. At this stage of her life, Mallory, having seen the hurt and cruelty pushed by the agenda of her sister, says she's come to identify with the daughter of Joseph Stalin in speaking out against the harmful work of a family member. It's strange indeed how a small coterie of privileged women like Kate Millett (educated at Columbia and Oxford) would go about ruining and trying to control the lives of everybody else. In fact, I find it hard to believe such women -- so enamored of totalitarianism -- really look down at all on the idea of patriarchal domination. More likely, they've adopted the mindset they pretended to abhor, and have now become that patriarchy.
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