Rebecca Waring, Washing Dishes www.rebecca-waring.com

7:30
PM, Wednesday night, as I roll up my sleeves to tackle the sink full of
dishes, my head is stacked with all sorts of political questions: Am I
using too much water? Is the detergent environmentally friendly? Is the
municipality going to change the rates on water after the elections?
Did we feed the leftovers to the cat? Did anyone feed the Chinese
workers down the road?

The notion that our everyday decisions have political
implications is one of the great contributions of feminism. The phrase
“the personal is political” was coined by Carol Hanisch her 1969 essay
called "The Personal is Political" (Redstockings collection “Feminist
Revolution”, March 1969), that defends consciousness-raising against
the charge that it is "therapy." Hanisch states, "One of the first
things we discover in these groups is that personal problems are
political problems.” This is one of those amazing insights that make
you wonder why it had to be created in the first place. It is an
understanding of the world and life that continues to ring true on an
everyday basis, providing me with a profound framework with which to
makes sense of some of life’s most challenging encounters.

But I think that the idea of “the personal is political” is
sometimes misconstrued. Because actually, most of those nagging
questions from the kitchen sink fit better into the category of “the
political is personal.” That is, it’s the taking of a large political
issue and giving it an interpretation in every day life. That’s noble,
but that’s not the main point. I think a more accurate way to do “the
personal is political” is to ask a different question: Why the hell am I the one cleaning
up from dinner? When so many people ate, why am I doing this alone,
serving everyone else’s needs, while they all have an entitlement of
leisure? Why is my labor worth less? Why is my pleasure not valued?
What political forces promoted so effectively this notion that I, the
woman in the house, should take responsibility for everyone’s mess? Now
THAT is an example of where the personal is political. Of taking my
existing life and saying, there is an entire political structure that
takes shape in my everyday life. My personal life is a function of the
political order.

Helping other women –and men – in this consciousness raising is very
important to me, and I spend quite a bit of time and energy on it in a
variety of different forums. But it’s not always easy. Not everyone
wants their consciousness raised – even women, even if it will
radically improve their lives, maybe because it threatens to change
their lives. It’s a tough thing.

Once, I was told something like this: “You only like people who are
feminists. You make your personal decisions based on your politics”.
That was a very difficult accusation for me to hear. It’s the misguided
“the political is personal” notion. As if my personal decisions are
based on my politics.

This is not only untrue, but it’s actually the opposite of the way I
live my life. I don’t make my personal decisions based on my politics –
I make my political decisions based on my personal experiences.

I am a feminist because of life. I am a feminist because of all the
crappy things that I’ve seen women go through because they’re women –
some of it on my own skin. I live the life of a female, I know the pain
of the world, and feminism is a political response to human suffering.
It’s that simple. I don’t build friendships with reflective women
because I’m a feminist. I’m a feminist because watching women lead
oppressed and disempowered lives saddens and angers me. I am a feminist
because women’s inability to challenge their disempowerment is a
function of political processes that disempower women. Because women
who are in oppressive and abusive situations need a larger language for
support that will give them the power and wisdom to exit their bad
relationships – whether with parents, partners, bosses or even friends.
I am a feminist because my personal life dictates that either I fight
the political fight for change or dwell in a horrible world. I choose
to fight.

That’s what it means that the personal is political. I channel my
frustration with life’s pain and injustices into a larger political
effort to make change. I write this blog. Maybe someone will read it
and it may just make a difference.