--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While liberals appeared to be safely in…" description: "\"While liberals appeared to be safely in power, feminists could perhaps afford the luxury of defining Larry Flynt or Roman Polanski as Enemy Number One...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/ellen-willis-14968_defining_while-liberals-appeared-to-be-safely-in_2227192.png" --- # While liberals appeared to be safely in power, feminists… ![“While liberals appeared to be safely in power, feminists could perhaps afford the luxury of defining Larry Flynt or Roman Polanski as Enemy Number One. Now that we have to cope with Jerry Falwell and Jesse Helms, a rethinking of priorities seems in order.” quote by Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/ellen-willis-14968_defining_while-liberals-appeared-to-be-safely-in_2227192.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/ellen-willis-14968_defining_while-liberals-appeared-to-be-safely-in_2227192.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/ellen-willis-14968_defining_while-liberals-appeared-to-be-safely-in_2227192.png) > “While liberals appeared to be safely in power, feminists could perhaps afford the luxury of defining Larry Flynt or Roman Polanski as Enemy Number One. Now that we have to cope with Jerry Falwell and Jesse Helms, a rethinking of priorities seems in order.” [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques shifting feminist priorities, suggesting earlier focus on cultural figures gave way to confronting political conservatives. **In simple terms:** Feminist focus shifted from cultural icons to political conservatives. Key Takeaway Reevaluate activist priorities over time. Themes politics feminism culture priorities strategy Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - activist planning - media criticism - policy advocacy Key Concepts social movements historical analysis political theory Questions to Reflect On - How should movements balance cultural and political battles? - What drives shifts in activist focus? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex political landscapes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Feminists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminists/) [Helm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helm/) [Jerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerry/) [Larry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larry/) [Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals/) [Liberals Appeared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals-appeared-4995442/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Power Feminists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-feminists-4995443/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Rethinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rethinking/) [Rethinking Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rethinking-priorities-4995444/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) ## Related quotes > [“All great companies have passed through bad years that forced soul-searching and rethinking of priorities. 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By continually pushing the message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/mass-consumption-advertising-and-mass-art-are-a-corporate/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [My education was dominated by modernist thinkers and artists who taught me that the supreme imperative was courage to face the awful truth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-education-was-dominated-by-modernist-thinkers-and-artists-who/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The public's continuing ambivalence about cultural matters is all the more striking given that the political conversation on these issues has for 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-public-s-continuing-ambivalence-about-cultural-matters-is-all-the/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Music that boldly and aggressively laid out what the singer wanted, loved, hated — as good rock ’n’ roll did — challenged me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/music-that-boldly-and-aggressively-laid-out-what-the-singer-wanted/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Individuals bearing witness do not change history; only movements that understand their social world can do that. Movements encourage solidarity; the moral individual is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/individuals-bearing-witness-do-not-change-history-only-movements-that/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Whatever their limitations, Freud and Marx developed complex and subtle theories of human nature grounded in their observation of individual and social behavior. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/whatever-their-limitations-freud-and-marx-developed-complex-and/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The drug war has nothing to do with making communities livable or creating a decent future for black kids. On the contrary, prohibition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-drug-war-has-nothing-to-do-with-making-communities-livable-or/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I was a 'Big Brother' fan. 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What it wants are the "legitimate" votes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-democratic-power-elite-on-some-level-feels-delegitimized-by-its/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [On one level the sixties revolt was an impressive illustration of Lenin's remark that the capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/on-one-level-the-sixties-revolt-was-an-impressive-illustration-of/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) [Explore all 44 Ellen Willis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## More Defining quotes > [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/good-history-is-a-question-of-survival-without-any-past-we-will/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [ I never left my roots. You can identify me as someone that didn't become high and mighty. Humility is a defining \[trait\] all of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/i-never-left-my-roots-you-can-identify-me-as-someone-that-didn-t/) [Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/) > [I think the word 'soul' - it depends on what you define by 'soul.' If you're defining it as a mystical aura that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-nicolelis/i-think-the-word-soul-it-depends-on-what-you-define-by-soul-if-you-re/) [Miguel Nicolelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-nicolelis/) > [“There are no defining moments. There are only your moments to define.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-dowd/there-are-no-defining-moments-there-are-only-your-moments-to-define/) [Thomas B Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-dowd/) > [My journey has been a long one and has still got a long way to go. I think we are so used to defining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/my-journey-has-been-a-long-one-and-has-still-got-a-long-way-to-go-i/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [“Defining the Renaissance Man “A man can do all that he will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-griffiths-and-eric-elfman/defining-the-renaissance-man-a-man-can-do-all-that-he-will/) [Scott Griffiths and Eric Elfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-griffiths-and-eric-elfman/) > [The defining aspects of westerns are still pretty much in place - namely landscape and conflict. In other books the conflict can be internal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/the-defining-aspects-of-westerns-are-still-pretty-much-in-place/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [Our concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world and how we relate to other people. Our conceptual system thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lakoff/our-concepts-structure-what-we-perceive-how-we-get-around-in-the/) [George Lakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lakoff/) > [It's imprecise and insufficient, defining the homosexual as a person whose gender expression is at odds with his or her sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/it-s-imprecise-and-insufficient-defining-the-homosexual-as-a-person/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. 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It was wrong. You don't nationalize private - it was wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/i-think-tarp-was-the-most-defining-vote-since-i-ve-been-in-congress/) [Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/) [Browse all 544 Defining quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While liberals appeared to be safely in power, feminists could perhaps afford the luxury of defining Larry Flynt or Roman Polanski as Enemy Number One. 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