Analysis Of Echols's Essay 'Nothing Distant About It'

The “Personal is Political” is a feminist term popular during the second wave of feminism used to explain that personal problems come from political and social sources. In her essay “Nothing Distant About It,” Echols writes, “[The SDSers] reconceptualized apparently personal problems…as political problems” (Echols, 40). Rather than believing that challenges in their lives, such as exclusion from college campuses, lack of career opportunities, and domestic expectations were exclusively personal problems, these feminists believed that these problems stemmed from an unequal distribution of power in society. For example, a woman might have more difficulty finding a job not because she is unqualified for the work, but because society believes women’s roles are in the home doing reproductive labor and that they are inferior to male employees. Instead of a personal question of ability, the lack of women in the workplace is a political question of biased hiring practices. In ways such as these, personal lives are shaped by the politics of the time, and in order to create change society’s views must be targeted rather than the individual. …show more content…
In consciousness-raising participants are able to analyze how politics and society have shaped their lives by sharing their personal experiences with others, often through publications. Colonize This! is one of these publications, a compilation of personal essays of numerous women telling their stories and analyzing them through a political lens. For example, in her personal essay after which the book is titled, “Colonize This!” Cristina Tzintzún describes her parent’s marriage and how her father’s politics and prejudices shaped the relationship. Tzintzún describes how her father exploited her mother,