Gloria Steinem and Naomi Klein at Rutgers: Feminism, future, media discussed

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WATCH: How men can empathize with women, according to Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinman discussed how men can empathize with women’s feelings about body invasion at a public dialogue hosted at Rutgers University on Friday, Sept. 21.

Jenna Intersimone, MyCentralJersey.com

NEW BRUNSWICK – Almost 100 years to the day Douglass College of Rutgers University became the first public college for women in New Jersey, the university hosted a public dialogue Friday between global thought leader Naomi Klein and feminist, journalist and social political activist Gloria Marie Steinem.

The dialogue, moderated by journalist Farai Chideya, focused on the ways information technology and new media are reshaping culture and power relationships and the challenges ahead for U.S. and worldwide progressive movements.

Touching upon issues surrounding unequal pay, Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump, the 2016 election and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, to name a few, the dialogue between Klein, who was recently selected as Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies, and Steinem brought in a full house of 300 people, a crowd that began the talk with a standing ovation for the two women.

READ: Naomi Klein named Rutgers’ inaugural Gloria Steinem Chair

READ: Local Muslim feminists use art to tell their story

Among the attendees was Karena Virginia, a women’s empowerment guide and motivational speaker who was invited by Steinem to attend the dialogue after being the 10th woman to claim Trump had inappropriate sexual contact with her.  

“Gloria has been an inspiration to me for many years and especially over the past two years when we’ve been feeling a lot of pain,” Virginia said. “Being here makes me feel emboldened to be around so many like-minded people.”

Virginia said in previous news reports that she first encountered Trump in 1998, as she was waiting for a car service to pick her up after the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, New York.

In the news reports, she said Trump was with a few other men when she overheard him talking about her. He allegedly said, “Hey, look at this one, we haven’t seen her before. Look at those legs,” and then walked up to her and grabbed her right arm, then his hand touched the right inside of her breast.

Virginia, who spoke with Steinem before the dialogue began, said, “Gloria held me and looked me in the eyes and welcomed me to the group with such love and kindness. Her energy was motherly and nurturing … soft and accepting … and at the same time, so very strong.”

She continued, “She holds a fierce love for humanity, and she truly walks her talk. I think seeing how incredibly supportive everyone was of each other at the private reception was the best part. I dream of a world where women truly support one another and lift one another up. It hurts me so much when women turn on one another. Gloria and her tribe gave me such hope.”

On masculinity, femininity, tech

In the opening of the dialogue, Steinem discussed how she feels masculinity and femininity are invented concepts that can also be un-invented.

Continued Klein, “It’s a confusing time to be living in a woman’s body. A woman’s perspective is what this world needs. There are new opportunities to express those perspectives in really bold ways. But it’s impossible to be a woman right now and not feel triggered by the news.”

The pair went on to discuss today’s world, which is “inundated with technology,” and how disconnecting from technology for a few hours or even a whole day “could be something radical,” said Klein.

Steinem continued, “We’re spending 11 hours a day in front of a screen and part of what we’re concerned with is balance.”

However, as Klein and Steinem discussed, technology can be polarizing, since in areas of Asia and Africa, as well as other regions, there is a lack of readily available technology due to a lack of electricity, which puts people living there, literally and figuratively, in the dark.

“It should be the intent of technological groups to fund the school fees for every child,” said Steinem.

On inequality

Klein and Steinem then moved onto the widening of inequality as a global phenomenon, which, according to Klein, has been largely ignored by all of the major political parties.

“It is an angry moment that we’re living in,” she said. “The Populist Party has really come along and tapped into those angry feelings. Progressives should ask, ‘Why aren’t we?’ The task of progressives is to speak to that.'”

Klein said political parties have made it seem like voters need to choose between economic justice and race and gender, but that isn’t the situation.

“A white man will say, ‘That black woman took my job,’” said Steinem. “And I say, ‘Who said it was your job?’”

Steinem said economists often talk about the need for an economic stimulus, however, she thinks that the single most effective economic stimulus would be equal pay. Part of the way of achieving this, Steinem said, would be for the United States to invest in caregiving careers by creating tax deductible or tax refundable incentives, since a third of American employment is a form of caregiving, including teaching, nursing and daycare services.

“If we invest in the caregiving economy, we could really have that labor force that we need to push for change,” she said.

However, according to Klein, “the goal can’t be equal representation in a world on fire. I don’t believe that just getting the representation will fix these issues. We will find the meta narratives that will get us out of this. We are not all the same but we can find common ground on these issues. Get in front of someone and talk to them face-to-face. Talk to someone you don’t know already.”

Steinem’s ending of the talk offered some hope and lightness to the crowd.

“Don’t go any place where they don’t let you laugh,” she said. “Laughter is the only free emotion.”

Judith Stark, a Seton Hall University professor of philosophy, the environment and the feminist movement, attended the talk since she often uses Steinem’s writings and enjoys her work on climate change.

“My greatest takeaway is hope in this era of anxiety,” she said. “I see it in my students, and they feel that there isn’t anything they can do. I try to walk the line between realism and giving them some hope.”

Joanna Malinowski, a journalism and media studies student in her senior year at Rutgers University, attended the talk due to her interest in looking at situations through a feminist perspective to achieve new viewpoints and after spending years reading Klein’s work.

“My biggest takeaway from the talk was about how we, as people, can make a difference in strength in numbers,” she said. “We can just be ordinary people, but it starts with us.”

To watch the two-hour dialogue, visit livestream.com/rutgersitv/gloriasteinemendowedchair. 

Staff Writer Jenna Intersimone: 908-303-8390, [email protected]