I am a black woman, who was the first balck woman and third woman to graduate from my PhD program. Old is not the new "nigger". But priviledge and projecting anger are not acceptable, ever. Refusing to empathize with women of color and poor women's problems is also not acceptable.

The biggest problem second wavers always have ad is trivialization, navel gazing, and a relentless focus on the problems of elite women. Not the problems of daycare for poor women, not the problems of caregiving for older parents and young kids, not the problems of negotiating a world were sometimes the people who are the most evil to you ARE second wave elite white women who want you to act like them (in a mannish corporate way). If you want to flex time, no way. They didn't. You were supposed to be grateful to act like a man, neglect your kids, etc.

The worst treatment I've experienced has come from second wave rich white women. Yet, they also treated poorer, working class white women even worse. I made bridges with secretaries and janitors at one job to get ahead.

Today I work with a large number of 50ish white women who come from working class backgrounds and bootstrapped, as I did. We marvel at the entitlement of this large group of complainers who actually wind up stabbing women in the back (as this group of irredentist Clinton supporters will if they vote for McCain). The irony is that the women screaming loudist that they are feminist and people should be grateful also tend to be the ones to make it hardest for other women in their age group or other age/ethnic/gender groups to succeed.

So stop feeling sorry for yourself and actually think about how to help the other women. Stop nitpicking language and start working for scholarships.

In other words, think about someon other than you. Being as selfish as a 1970s male is not equality I'm tired of this craziness, and so are many of my 50ish white female colleagues. The less than 7 million people (365 of 18 million Clinton supporters) who claim to represent all women over 40 really don't. They are the very small, loud, shrill group who always looks for attention and tends to get int he way of the women who actually DO stuff.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way. ANd stop whining.