We continue with part 2 of Big Betrayal | Erica Jong Daughters Ice Sex & Women’s Rights.

Beverly Dale

When the sexual pioneer who wrote Fear of Flying and broke barriers about women being sexual now actually reacts to our excessively sexually-obsessed culture by suggesting we retreat into romantic, unconsummated fantasies, we are in deep trouble!

Erica Jong asks if there is a future for sex? Basically she wants to know if we have been too public with it?

This question makes the mistake of assuming that we have only two choices. We either participate in America’s blatantly sexual hookup culture, accepting its mutual objectification or we embrace romance (as opposed to sex) with limited, little or virtually no public discourse.

There is a middle ground that is possible although almost completely unexplored. We can teach people how to be better, engaged lovers! Yes our culture is woefully ignorant about sexual intimacy and sexual fulfillment but — sorry Erica — living only with fantasies are not the answer.

I want to see pastors, priests and rabbis apply the moral framework found in both humanism and the major faith traditions to what everyone is afraid to talk about: authentic honest-to-goodness sexual intimacy.

Beverly Dale: Consultant for Body Justice and Sexuality Ministries

“Reconnecting the Spirit and the Body” @BeverlyDale.org (website)

“Wisdom calls in the streets and raises her voice in the public square.” Prov 1:20

Susana Mayer

One of my icons truly disappointed last night, and based on ladies room conversation after the event, I was not the only one that felt this way.

The panel’s comments were helter-skelter and often not grounded in scientific facts. X-Y commentary contained a multitude of errors, based on research from the last decade. For example, it’s true that women don’t like the word ‘pornography’ but our digital footprints indicate that women are very active online and not just reading cookbooks.

Just because we now have electronic communication doesn’t mean we can no longer be romantic.

I have suggested using Skype for long distance romance liaisons, and my clients often become very creative making love. Yes, Molly — I mean making love using technology. Texting and emailing during the day is a wonderful way to keep the erotic alive in a relationship.

What is the qualitative difference of texting a sensual message and pinning a note on a tree? I am clueless.

As one member of the audience said “I love your idea of posting notes on trees, Erica, but what does it have to do with 21st century life? ” To hear the Victorians held up as an idealized vision of female sexuality and human sexual relations by Erica Jong herself leaves me speechless. The entire night looked backwards with longing.

In our “women are noble, men are not evening”, the younger women spoke of the difficulties living up to porn images created for men? There was no mention of men having difficulties living up to romantic novel images created for women.

As for being disappointed that none of her lesbian authors wrote about loving women, I don’t buy her lack of action. She’s an editor for a reason, with an obligation to readers and the general public, and not only her writers. Jong should have said “sorry, you ladies figure out which essay (or two) won’t be in the book, because I must cover one of the most important topics in current female sexuality trends: bisexual experiences and women loving women.

I truly hope Erica’s last statement concerning keeping feminism and what we stood for and worked hard for in the 70’s alive, is not just lip service. I want to know specifics; what is her plan of action? Honestly, I came to hear Erica Jong expecting to purchase the book and came away from the evening saving my money.

My icon has fallen off the shelf. She will redeem herself by waking up her daughter — demanding respect for herself and all the women who fought to have her daughter and her generation of women be given choices. Choice of procreation, choice of career, join the military, become a cleric, raise foster children.

We are struggling to keep those choices and Erica’s younger circle is blind to what life is like without them.

Erica’s daughter can blame her mother for whatever she wants. I would think that four marriages could be a challenge, but which ones actually affected her upbringing? How many times must we hear this commentary as Erica’s explanation for why our daughters are ready to turn in our rights, with no concern for their own daughters and sons — our grandchildren.

At some point in a woman’s evolution towards adulthood, taking responsibility for life should be part of her maturation process. Sorry, Molly reads like a spoiled brat living off her mother’s success.

Susana Mayer, Ph.D | sexologist and founder Philadelphia Cultural Salons | The Erotic Literary Salon

Anne Enke

I asked Erica Jong about her daughter’s comments that the world’s women are liberated enough in the closing minutes of the event. Erica’s reply was: 1) Molly is always prone to satire; and 2) Erica remains the good feminist, calling for renewed activism.

If Erica Jong was a guy, I’d say that her daughter Molly Jong-Fast has her by the balls and is squeezing real tight.

Poor, Poor American Rich Girls

Quite frankly, I am nauseous reading the victimized stories of the daughters of feminism, these woman who are delivering available contraception, Planned Parenthood and Roe vs Wade back to the conservatives on a silver platter.

Let me remind you that this is a uniquely American phenomenon. The Scandinavians aren’t in retreat; nor are France, Italy, Germany or Spain. Argentina, Brazil and Colombia are on the move for women.

The “poor me” generation of feminist daughters is uniquely American, with years of therapy, self-help books and more bad feminist mommy books in the pipeline.

If you read Molly’s assault on sex education, explaining the trauma she experienced learning and buying condoms for class— her uninspired contribution to Sugar in My Bowl’ — you are relieved that she didn’t grow up in Pakistan or Afghanistan or Haiti. I’m sorry; this is literary, intellectual drivel.

Our America girls can’t see to find the inner stamina to carry on, finding any redeeming qualities in a positive sexuality or a women’s movement that sought to give them independence. Perhaps we are American-girl princesses at heart, good little women with our religious super bosses, keeping us in line.

Molly is so convinced that a return to orthodoxy is needed to undo the ravages of feminism, that she says the women of India are doing just fine. The terrible facts are that bride burning is on the rise and the high rate of aborting girl babies— even among the elite — promises an explosion of sex trafficking, kidnapping and also polygamy or bride sharing in India’s future.

These issues don’t enter Molly’s world, because she chooses to ignore them. Saying my mother did enough for both of us is a cop out. Reality is that Molly isn’t ‘inactive’; she is undermining of feminist principles. I’ve negotatiated enough large business deals to know when the person sitting across the table is neutral versus undermining our objectives.

These women are the opposition, just as the Republican Right wing is the oppostiion.

Advanced Minds Solve Complex Problems

Molly says global warming is the big deal. I say why can’t complex, educated, adult minds deal with two challenges at once. Most of these issues are intertwined, with a major movement convinced that concern for the environment and female-centric values coexist as part of the same philosophy.

Today, women like Susana, Beverly, Charlotte, Dvora and I feel surrounded on all sides, caught between the Republican Right wing and the poor-me daughters of second wave feminists. Those loud voices insist that Mayberry was actually better for women, and Donna Reed had it all.

Bachmann would be saluting the flag last Thursday night; Palin jumping up, shooting her rifle sky high; and Schlafly raising a high-five.

For a women who believes she has led a discrete, sincere, high-intergrity sensual life with good values and concern for humanity, this is a sad moment.

A daughter of the exact family that Molly Jong-Fast fantasizes about, my life was total hell. Unlike Jong-Fast I haven’t created a career embarrassing a mother — who is my ticket to being a writer in the first place — publicly undermining the important 21st century values that Erica Jong stands for.

Was Erica Jong excessive? Probably. It’s the nature of being a trailblazer. Did Molly suffer? Presumably. Does the country need a total rebalancing act back to Mayberry because of her childhood?

Not on your life! Over my dead body, and I am not alone.

While we have no interest in the individual sex lives of Jong’s sexually-uptight, sex is icky panelists or her daughter —who could never spread her legs again in life for all we care — holding these women up as the future of female sexuality is damn scary for the whole country.

There is room for all of us, and the elevated discourse that Beverly Dale calls for.

These Boots Are Made for Walking

Before leaving for Washington on April 7, to march for Planned Parenthood, I wrote The Republican War on Women Gives Me Nightmares.

The daughters of America’s feminists aren’t alone in having nightmares, except that mine are for all women worldwide and not my boo-hoo life, which I have dealt with. Molly should get a grip on people who genuinely suffer endlessly in life.

Sitting in her $5 million Upper East Side apartment, she clearly has no grip on the reality of women worldwide. A smart woman would refrain from commenting on topics which she knows nothing about and no feeling for.

Erica’s explanations of Molly’s creative, satirical wit don’t resonate. We take her at her endless published words.

I’m from the Midwest, and we don’t coddle our youngsters out there like educated liberals do in New York and California. I’m on record saying my mother would slap my fact in public, if I disrespected her as Erica’s daughter does her. That’s no joke.

The women of America need you, Erica Jong. Your Erica-Molly act isn’t funny. This Erica-Molly Freudian psycho drama is undercutting women, men and human relationships. If you’re not careful Erica, this will be your final, lasting legacy.

I repeat for us all, there was nothing amusing, educational, actionable or inspiring about last week’s Erica Jong ‘Sugar in My Bowl’ sex talk. Erica’s daughter and her friends are a danger to women, men, loving relationshps, happy children and good marriages — in ways that feminism could never imagine.

No matter what you ladies believe, no single group has the answers, and that includes you. The country is drowning in statistics and evidence that the current generation of kids raised by these perfect mommies may be the least prepared kids to lead America ever.

We’ll see just how well-adjusted and talented these children are in the final analysis. Don’t take your grand bow ladies, before the evidence is confirmed that your devoted, selfless, endlessly-publicized maternal goodness and high values have paid off.

On the subject of morality, we do not want you to reset America’s values and stay away from talking about sex ever. You hate it; there’s not a sensual bone in your body. We’ve got the message loud and clear.

The Republican Right is devoted to the demise of freedom and feminism in America and defining our values the old-fashioned way. They don’t need your collusion. Henceforth, we’re calling you out as you do us; the boxing gloves are on.

Many of us are working in earnest to create a better America. We ask the generationally-traumatized ‘Erica Jong Daughters’ to get off our backs before women’s rights are totally turned back in this country.

That’s my positon, and I’m sticking to it. How about an old-fashioned, 2012 debate on this subject?

All I want is to publicly debate the facts and not feelings of feminism — the old-fashioned way. Be prepared; second negative is my spot. The premise is Molly’s statement about women worldwide: