On September 13, 2014, I received the email message below from Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. To make O’Neill’s glory addiction clear, I have separated her statements into two categories. Below the email I identify the meanings I saw as I read the email.
Statements that are about All other statements
O’Neill and NOW or include
we, us, and our in reference
to O’Neill or NOW
Email subject line: Haterade
I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but this
week NOW called on NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell to resign his post.
Since we released that statement, it
has been a whirlwind of press and action.
You might have seen or heard me on MSNBC,
CBS, ABC, NBC, or ESPN – or any of a
dozen other media outlets.
But if you saw me, that means the trolls
did, too; all week, we’ve been getting
barraged with hateful comments via phone,
email and on Facebook and Twitter.
Nestled in there –
often hidden in the muck –
are voices of solidarity.
These voices wish us luck in our
endeavor, many identify as football
fans or activists working in their
communities – all agree that we
must end the epidemic of violence
against women.
Contribute and help
us continue our work!
Sure, some of the trolls use the
old quip of demanding that I
“make them a sandwich” –
not the first time I’ve heard
that one!
I’ve been accused of being
“off my rocker”.
The truth is, that almost all
of these comments have
been outright and aggressively
misogynistic.
Since I became president of NOW,
I’ve received a regular stream of
hate mail.
Sadly, it just comes with the job.
But knowing I have your support
makes all the difference.
So a warning to the trolls:
We will not deviate from this
path.
I know that we can change our
culture – which is so permissive of
violence against women – and
change our laws simultaneously.
How do I know that?
Because we’re the National
Organization for Women and
this is what we do – especially
with supporters like you.
Thank you for all you do,
Terry O’Neill
President, National Organization
for Women
P.S. Thousands of you have
already shown your support
by signing our petition demanding
that Roger Goodell resign.
Can I count on your continued support
with a contribution today?
The Meaning Behind O’Neill’s Statements
Email subject line: Haterade
The focus of this email is not violence against women.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but this
week NOW called on NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell to resign his post.
O’Neill expects NOW members to be always focused on the words and actions of NOW. It is particularly important for NOW supporters to stay focused on the words and actions of NOW President Terry O’Neill.
Since we released that statement, it
has been a whirlwind of press and action.
NOW is very important.
You might have seen or heard me on MSNBC,
CBS, ABC, NBC, or ESPN – or any of a
dozen other media outlets.
Terry O’Neill is very important.
But if you saw me, that means the trolls
did, too; all week, we’ve been getting
barraged with hateful comments via phone,
email and on Facebook and Twitter.
The haterade has nothing to do with victims of domestic violence.
Nestled in there –
often hidden in the muck –
are voices of solidarity.
The voices are showing solidarity with poor, barraged Terry O’Neill and NOW, not for victims of domestic violence.
These voices wish us luck in our
endeavor, many identify as football
fans or activists working in their
communities – all agree that we
must end the epidemic of violence
against women.
The focus is supposed to remain on what NOW does.
Contribute and help
us continue our work!
NOW members should give money to NOW so Terry O’Neill can continue to feel important rather than give money to shelters so victims of domestic violence can feel safe.
Sure, some of the trolls use the
old quip of demanding that I
“make them a sandwich” –
not the first time I’ve heard
that one!
You should feel sorry for what Terry O’Neill has to endure because it is far worse than what victims of domestic violence endure.
I’ve been accused of being
“off my rocker”.
Another reason to feel sorry for what Terry O’Neill has to endure.
The truth is, that almost all
of these comments have
been outright and aggressively
misogynistic.
Misogynistic comments are far worse than real violence, especially when they are aggressive.
Since I became president of NOW,
I’ve received a regular stream of
hate mail.
You must always remember how important and brave Terry O’Neill is.
Sadly, it just comes with the job.
Terry O’Neill took the job knowing she would receive hate mail. I doubt any woman enters a romantic relationship with a man expecting to be beaten. It is obviously far sadder for O’Neill to endure the hate mail she knew would be coming than for women to find themselves beaten by men who said, “I love you.”
But knowing I have your support
makes all the difference.
Terry O’Neill needs your support more than victims of domestic violence do.
So a warning to the trolls:
We will not deviate from this
path.
Terry O’Neill and NOW will not deviate from anything that makes them feel important.
I know that we can change our
culture – which is so permissive of
violence against women – and
change our laws simultaneously.
Terry O’Neill wants you to believe that she and NOW are powerful.
How do I know that?
Terry O’Neill wants you to believe that she knows more than you do.
Because we’re the National
Organization for Women and
this is what we do – especially
with supporters like you.
The National Organization is important and requires your support because it is important.
Thank you for all you do,
Compared to what Terry O’Neill and NOW do, what you actually do is too unimportant to mention in detail.
Terry O’Neill
President, National Organization
for Women
P.S. Thousands of you have
already shown your support
by signing our petition demanding
that Roger Goodell resign.
Thousands? I’m supposed to be impressed that thousands of people have signed the petition for Roger Goodell to resign? According to its FAQS page, NOW has “more than 500,000 contributing members” in “more than 500 local and campus affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia”.
NOW has more than 500,000 contributing members but only thousands signed the petition?
(September 21, 2015 update: NOW’s website has changed its contributing membership numbers to “hundreds of thousands”. Thousands of people signing the petition is still pitiful for an organization O’Neill claims has the ability to “change our culture”.)
If Terry O’Neill is using the word “thousands”, I have to assume that the total number of signers is well below 10,000. Otherwise, O’Neill would claim that “close to 10,000 of you have already shown your support by signing our petition…”
Thousands means that less than 2% of NOW’s membership have responded to NOW President Terry O’Neill’s call to action. O’Neill is apparently too unsophisticated to realize that she again provided evidence of her ineffectiveness as a leader.
Can I count on your continued support
with a contribution today?
You are supposed to support Terry O’Neill, not victims of domestic violence.
This email has nothing to do with violence against women. It is all about Terry O’Neill and her glory addiction. NOW President Terry O’Neill probably does not know how to write anything that is really about ending domestic violence. Roger Goodell’s resignation would do little to change our culture and laws. For some victims, the violence would probably increase if Goodell resigned. Abusers who felt anger at Goodell’s resignation would take their anger out on the women they already beat regularly.
Terry O’Neill used female victims of domestic violence to create glory fixes for herself. This is just one way that Terry O’Neill and the National Organization for Women create inequality between women.
NOW’s Spin To Keep You Donating Money
If you want equality, if you are a member of NOW, if you want feminist leaders to be effective, you need to know how NOW spins reality. In other words, NOW uses propaganda to persuade you to believe that they know what they’re doing and deserve your money.
NOW claims “affiliates in all 50 states”. During the years I’ve been tracking NOW’s ineffectiveness, I have repeatedly researched NOW’s website to see if NOW does indeed have chapters or affiliates in all 50 states. I have always found states that do not have NOW chapters or affiliates.
Check this out for yourself. Go to now.org. Use the search link under “Find Your Chapter”. You will find “Sorry, no chapters found” for several states. As of September 15, 2015, these are the states that have “Sorry, no chapters found” notifications.
Hawaii
Maine
New Hampshire
North Dakota
West Virginia
Also, chapters in several states seem to be doing little if anything at all. I’ll give you several examples. You can look up your own state to discover how far its reality differs from NOW’s claims.
If it is still listed, click on the Facebook link for Mat-Su NOW in Alaska and you will go to the page of an individual, not of a NOW chapter.
When I first wrote this blog post, NOW listed 6 chapters for Alabama chapters. Now it lists 5. Tennessee Valley NOW shows no chapter activity at all. Click on the Facebook page for Montgomery NOW in Alabama and you will go to the page of an individual, not of a NOW chapter.
The most recent post for Indianapolis NOW is August 31, 2011.
NOW lists Kentucky NOW, the only chapter in Kentucky, but the page for Kentucky NOW has only a Yahoo email address, nothing else.
My state of Wisconsin lists 5 chapters.
The home page for Wisconsin NOW shows a calendar with only holidays on it, no chapter activity.
Milwaukee NOW has neither a web page nor a link to an individual’s Facebook page.
W Suburban Milwaukee NOW has neither a web page nor a link to an individual’s Facebook page.
Madison NOW shares the same holiday calendar as Wisconsin NOW.
Fox Cities NOW has neither a web page nor a link to an individual’s Facebook page.
Does NOW count “chapters” without web pages, Facebook pages, or chapter activities among the “more than 500 local and campus affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia”?
Look at what NOW lists for your state to see if a real chapter exists in your state.
The next question is, how did NOW count its “more than 500,000 contributing members”? If they can’t count the number of states with chapters accurately, why trust them to count contributing members accurately?
The truth is, almost all of Terry O’Neill’s comments in this email are outright and persistently egotistical. Why should Terry O’Neill let a few facts get in the way of her glory addiction? She is the president of the National Organization for Women, and satisfying her glory addiction is what she does.
~~~~~
Paula M. Kramer
Copyright 2015
All rights reserved.
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see The Zawadi Nyong’o Daily
~~~~~
As an American, I have freedom of speech.
As a woman, I have the right to express my opinion about anything the National Organization for Women claims to do for women.
In 2016, I started adding the section below to all of my new Feminist Leader blog posts. I also added it to all posts published before 2016.
The National Organization For Women
Silences Women
National NOW has blocked me on its Facebook page. I wrote comments based on my blog posts. All of my blog posts are based on a wide variety of evidence. Much of the evidence comes from National NOW’s website, emails and posts from NOW presidents, and emails from NOW staff members. I use no hostile language, no slurs, no profanity. I do use the phrase “glory addicts” in reference to NOW leaders. I also use “glory addiction”, “glory fixes”, and “a dedicated network of glory addicts”. Dr. Marsha Vanderford (Doyle) identified the glory needs of pro-choice leaders in her 1982 dissertation.
Feminist leaders have been silencing women for decades. bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, Urvashi Vaid, and Naomi Wolf got together for a conversation that was published in Ms. Magazine in 1993. The discussion included why women choose not ta call themselves feminists. Did these four feminist leaders working for women’s equality ask women who choose not to call themselves feminist to speak for themselves? Of course not! The four feminist leaders silenced millions of women by speaking for them without first requesting permission to speak for them.
Imagine a group of women who choose not to call themselves feminists getting together for a conversation to be published in a magazine about why some women call themselves feminists. Would hooks, Steinem, Vaid, Wolf, or Ms. Magazine agree with nonfeminist women denying them the opportunity to speak for themselves? Of course not! Would hooks, Steinem, Vaid, Wolf, or Ms. Magazine agree that nonfeminist women had the right to speak for feminist women without their permission? Of course not!
My feminist leader blog posts provide evidence that feminist leaders still create glory for themselves while relegating supporters to “secondary importance”. Dr. Vanderford used the words “relegated” and “secondary importance” in her dissertation. Eoin Harnett of University College Cork in Ireland used the same “secondary importance” phrase:
“Throughout the ages, women were frequently characterised
and treated as inferior and of secondary importance to men.”
NOW leaders even relegated two of their supporters to secondary importance. The supporters responded to my last two comments on National NOW’s Facebook page with comments supporting NOW. NOW leaders silenced those supporters by removing their comments along with my comments. Instead of creating equality, NOW leaders treat other women the same way patriarchal men treat women:
NOW leaders silenced at least three women on Facebook while posting claims to be creating equality for women. Secondary importance is the opposite of equality, as women throughout the ages could testify.
In-House Rhetoric of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Special Interest Groups in Minnesota: Motivation and Alienation
Dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1982
Marsha Vanderford Doyle, Ph.D.
(Now Marsha Vanderford)
Quoted words on page 350.
“Let’s Get Real about Feminism: The Backlash, the Myths, the Movement.”
hooks, bell, Gloria Steinem, Urvashi Vaid, and Naomi Wolf.
Ms. Magazine.
Vol 4(2) September/October 1993: pages 34-43.
“Multitext Project in Irish History: Movements for Political & Social Reform, 1870-1914”
Eoin Hartnett
University College Cork, Ireland
No date
This project is no longer available online.
Updated April 30, 2017.
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