Never cry Wolf - Letters

Washington Monthly, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Susan M. Hagadorn

Stephanie Mencimer's attack on Naomi Wolf ("Broken-Fingernail Feminism," November 2001) is puerile and unjust and does The Washington Monthly no credit. I am not a fan of Wolf's, but after reading Mencimer's article I am even less a fan of Mencimer's.

It's apparently Mencimer's contention that Wolf--who is attractive, fortunate, gifted, and successful--can't possibly have anything relevant to say about feminism because her circumstances have protected her from sexist injustices. There is a small kernel of truth here in that fortunate circumstances can help to protect women from the crudest forms of sexual injustice (and equally, can help to protect African Americans from the worst racial injustices). As a general proposition, though, the idea is nonsense; discrimination and injustice at the upper end of the socio-economic spectrum may be subtler and less openly injurious than at the lower end, but they are still real.

SUSAN M. HAGADORN via email