People say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Politics is no exception to that rule. The rise of the 24-hour news cycle may have contributed to the downfall of public discourse, but leftists were embracing empty theatrics many decades ago. Deep in the Phyllis Schlafly Archives, there is a hilarious story that should both inform and challenge today’s conservatives.
You may have heard before how Phyllis waged a successful ten-year battle against the feminists to defeat the phony Equal Rights Amendment. However, what you may not have heard is that a group of seven feminists instigated a forty-day hunger strike to protest Illinois’s refusal to ratify. When Phyllis was asked to comment on the hunger strike, her wit was as sharp as ever. She went on the record saying “It is a good idea if you are overweight.” Then she proceeded to point out that none of the seven strikers were actually from the state that they were striking against, which quickly deflated their demonstration.
The end of this story is not what you might think. Several weeks into the strike, one of the strikers approached Phyllis in the rotunda of the Illinois state capitol. She came not to heckle, but to ask for Phyllis’s autograph. Even though they were on opposite sides of the issue, the striker acknowledged that Phyllis would “be in the history books.” Phyllis gave her the autograph, and the two reportedly conversed without any harsh words being exchanged.
While the theatric shenanigans employed by leftists are still alive and well today, something is different. Sadly, in a world where everyone who disagrees with you must be a racist bigot, there is no room to come together like Phyllis and the striker did. Conservatives should take note. We must always be ready with an answer to defend what is right, but we must never let our differences cloud our ability to see the opposition as being worthy of respect. All are made in the image of God, even liberals. Who knows? Your choice to be steadfast but kind may give you allies you never knew you had.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/family/feminism/steadfast-but-kind-phyllis-schlafly-the-feminist-and-the-image-of-god/
