The Personal is Political.docx

The Personal is Political.docx

《The Personal is Political.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Personal is Political.docx（9页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

ThePersonalisPolitical

ThePersonalisPolitical:

ThinkingThroughtheClinton/Lewinsky/StarrAffair

JulietA.Williams,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara

 TheClinton/Lewinsky/Starraffairunearthedafaultlineincontemporaryfeministtheory,anunresolvedtensionbetweentwogoverningideals:

“thepersonalispolitical”andtherighttoprivacy.Sincetheearly1970s,bothofthesesloganshavefiguredprominentlyinfeministscholarshipandfeministpolitics.ButastheClintonsexscandaldraggedon,manybegantoquestionthemeritsofpoliticizingpersonalmatterssuchasintimaterelationships.Inthescandal’swake,itistemptingtoretiretherallyingcry“thepersonalispolitical,”andtodistanceourselvesfromwhatnowappearstobeaquaintleftoveroftheboldbutnaïvefeminismofthe1970s.Intheend,Starr’sMcCarthy-esque[i]probeseemstohaveenhancedthepubliccommitmenttoprivacy.Nolongertobetakenforgranted,therighttoprivacyiswidelyaffirmedasanessentialshieldagainstofficialcoercion.

Whilerecenteventssuggesttheneedtoreevaluatethemeaningandpurposeof“thepersonalispolitical,”Ibelieveweshouldcontinuetoembracethisembattledbutworthyfeministmotto.Overtimethemeaningofthesloganhasbeenclouded,facilitatingopportunisticmisappropriations.Byclarifyingitsmeaning,Ihopetoredeemitbothasananalytictoolandasanactivistimperativeinthestruggletoovercomegenderinequality.Ibeginwithabriefstudyofthewayfeministsunderstandandinvokeboththeideaofarighttoprivacyandthenotionthatpersonalchoicesareintrinsicallypolitical.Whilethesetwoideassometimesseemtoconflict,Iarguethatunderstoodproperly,theyarecomplementary.Inthesecondpartofthisarticle,IillustratehowfollowingthemandatetomakethepersonalpoliticalcanhelponemakesenseoftheClinton/Lewinsky/Starraffair.Understandingthatpersonalactionshavepoliticalsignificanceimpelsscholarstomovebeyondscandal-minutaeandtobeginexplaininghowAmericansocietycouldhaveengenderedandsustainedsuchaspectacle.

TheFeministCaseforPrivacy

Therighttoprivacyispartoftheideologicallegacyclassicalliberalismhasbequeathedtofeminism.Indeployingthelabel“liberal”asanepithet,conservativeshavestrategicallydownplayedliberalism’soriginsinatheorythatholdsindividuallibertyastheparamountpoliticalvalueandthepreservationoflibertyasthehighestpurposeofgovernment.Forliberals,therighttoprivacystandsasanessentialbulwarkagainstwhatisperceivedastheever-presentthreatofexcessivegovernmentalcoercion.Typically,liberalshaveconstruedfreedomintermsof“negativeliberty,”astheabsenceofgovernmentalinterferenceinprivatelife.AsIsaiahBerlinfamouslyexplainedin“TwoConceptsofLiberty,”libertydemandsthat“afrontiermustbedrawnbetweentheareaofprivatelifeandthatofpublicauthority”（[1958]1969,124）,andacentralpreoccupationforliberalphilosophershasbeentodeterminewherethatfrontiershouldbedrawn.[ii]

Theassociationbetweenliberalismandfeminismislongstandingbutuneasy.Inthepastfewdecades,feministtheoristshavecontestedvigorouslythevalidityandmeritsofthepublic/privatedistinction.Ontheonehand,feministshavearguedthatnegativelibertyignoresthesignificanceofnongovernmentaloppression.Withoutdenyingthatpatriarchyandgovernmentaremutuallysupporting,feministshavedrawnattentiontotheproblemofthesubordinationofwomeninthe“private”spheresofthefamily,theworkplace,andcivilsociety.Feministshavearguedfurtherthatwhileignoringoppressionintheprivatesphere,liberalshaveexaggeratedthedangertolibertyposedbypublicpower.Thus,whileliberalshistoricallyhaveemphasizedtheimportanceoflimitedgovernment,manyfeministshavedemandedgreatergovernmentalinvolvementintheeverydaylivesofcitizenstocorrectforpervasiveinequalities.Advocatesforgenderequalitycontinuetofightforincreasingwelfarebenefitsandtheminimumwage,preciselybecausewomenaredisproportionatelyrepresentedamongstthemosteconomicallydisadvantagedinthissociety.Further,feministshavedemandedtheextensionofstatepowerintotheso-calledprivatespheretoaddressproblemslikedomesticviolenceandfailuretopaychildsupport

Recognizingthatthepublic/privatedistinctioncancreateasanctuaryforoppressionbypreventinggovernmentalregulationofactivityintheprivatesphere,manyfeministshaveendorsedprivacyrightsonlyprovisionally,acknowledgingthatitisnecessarytospeakintheliberalidiomofrightsifprogressinaliberalsocietyistobemade.Nowherehasthefeministwillingnesstoembracethetaintedbutusefulidealofprivacybeenmoreevidentthaninargumentsforreproductive“rights”or“choice,”liberalconstructsthatfeministshaveproblematizedfromaphilosophicalstandpointbutwhichmanypeoplecontinuetovaluehighlyinthecontextofcontemporarypoliticalstruggles.

Significantly,theClintoncontroversyhashelpedmanyfeministsovercometheirsqueamishnessaboutprivacy.Whateverinadequaciesprivacydoctrinesuffersintheory,Starr’sprobewasaforcefulreminderofthedangersofallowingpublicofficialstojudgeprivateconduct.Throughouttheepisode,feminists–amongmanyothers–defendedClintononthegroundsthattheprivatelifeofpublicfiguresshouldnotbesubjectedtopublicjudgment.Ofcourse,oncepresentedwiththefacts,evenmostpro-ClintonfeministsdidnothidetheirdisappointmentthathehadhadsexualrelationswithasubordinateintheWhiteHouse.Nonetheless,manyconcludedthattheimportantpointtoemphasizeinthiscaseistheneedtorestorerespectforprivacy.

 ThePersonalisPolitical

Thesteadfastnessoffeministsupportforprivacyrightsisdifficulttosquarewiththeavowedcommitmenttotheideathat“thepersonalispolitical.”Thesloganfirstbecamepopularinthe1970sasawaytoconveytowomenwhoweresufferinginsilencethattheirindividualexperienceswere,infact,instancesofwidespreadsexism.Thespiritofthesentimentwasperfectlycapturedbyconsciousness-raisinggroups,whichpromotedsolidaritybyprovidingaforumforindividualwomentoseehowmuchtheyhadincommonwithothers.Intheefforttopromotegender-consciousness,theprivacyethicunderstandablyappearedtobeanimpediment,encouragingsilenceaboutjustthekindsofexperiencesfeministswantedtobringtothepoliticalfore.

Thequestionofthecompatibilityofdualcommitmentstoprivacyandtopoliticizingpersonalexperienceshasrarelybeenbroached.Whenithas,commentatorstendtoberesignedtothenecessityofatrade-off.Forexample,inPrivacyandthePoliticsofIntimateLife,PatriciaBolingmadeacompellingcaseforprivacy,buterredinassumingthatsupportingeffortstounderstandpersonalactionsaspoliticallymeaningfulentailsarenunciationofprivacyasacorevalue.Infact,theycancoexist.Whenfeministssay“thepersonalispolitical,”theyarechallengingtheliberalconceptionoftheprivatesphereaspower-free.Insubjectingprivaterelationstopublicscrutiny,someworrythat“thepersonalispolitical”opensthedoortogovernmentregulationofeveryprecinctofprivatelife.Butthisinterpretationrestsonaconflationbetweentheterms“political”and“government.”Tosaythat“thepersonalispolitical”istosayonlythatprivatelifeisimplicatedinnetworksofpower,leavingopenthequestionofunderwhatcircumstancesitisappropriateforgovernmenttointervene.

Therighttoprivacyisbestunderstoodasaclaimagainstgovernment,ratherthanasatotalizingtheoryabouttheproperexerciseofstatepower.Commitmenttothelegalnotionofarighttoprivacyinnowayentailsadenialofthepervasivenessofpowerintheprivatesphere.Onceweunderstandthatitreferstoalimitongovernmentalregulationbutdoesnotimplytheabsenceofpower,therighttoprivacybecomescompatiblewiththeunderlyingpurposeof“thepersonalispolitical.”Thespiritof“thepersonalispolitical”liesinanacknowledgementofpowerwithoutpresumingtosettlethequestionofwhatrolegovernmentwillplayinfeministstruggles.

Feminismstandsforthepoliticizationofpower–thisisthetruemeaningof“thepersonalispolitical.”Thismeaningislostwhentheideaisviewedfromthenarrowperspectiveofliberalism,whichtreatspoliticizationastantamounttoacallforinterferencebygovernment.Butthereisnoreasonforfeministstoendorsesuchanimpoverishedconceptionofpolitics.Powercanbepoliticizedwithoutauthorizinggovernmenttopublicizethedetailsofintimatelifeoreveninvolvinggovernmentinprivatedecisionsatall.Asanexample,feministscandefendreproductivefreedombyclaimingthatsuchdecisionsareprivateandalsoworktoeducatethepublicaboutthekindsofconsiderationsthatleadindividualwomentochooseabortion,considerationswhichmayhavetodowiththeeconomy,thestructureoftheworkplace,andthesocialstigmaattachedtosinglemothers.Politicizingpersonalchoicesdoesnotmeaninvitinggovernmenttoregulateorproscribe. 

TheClinton/Lewinsky/StarrAffair

ThroughoutthelongsixteenmonthsdominatedbycoverageoftheClinton/Lewinsky/Starraffair,feministvoiceswereconspicuouslymissingamidsttheprodigiouschatterofpubliccommentary.Intheplaceoffeministperspectives,theputativephenomenonoffeminist“silence”itselfbecameapopulartopicofconversationinthemedia（Zabra,1999）.[iii]Inreality,ofcourse,feministswerefarfromsilent.Unfortunately,whensomefeministcommentatorsdidriseinClinton’sdefense,theywereattackeda