liberated

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:49 PM -0800 2/24/07, James A. Landau wrote:
>I just saw a performance of "A Raisin in the Sun", which is a play
>that debuted (debued?) on Broadway in 1959.  In the play the word
>"liberated" is used in the same sense that it is used by Women's
>Lib, except referring to race rather than gender relations.  Now the
>word "liberated" has suffered considerable indignities in the 20th
>Century, but as far as I know the Women's Lib use was invented by
>Women's Libbers circa 1970.  Does anyone know
>
Neither "Women's Lib" nor "Women's Libbers" were invented by
feminists, as I recall.  They were used by those dismissive of or
resistant to the women's movement.  It was widely pointed out at the
time that nobody referred to "Black libbers" in describing the Black
liberation movement, which at least in terms of nomenclature was
(along with the National Liberation Front in Vietnam) the model for
"women's liberation".  The use of "Women's Lib(ber)" was regarded as
a message that the movement was not to be taken seriously.  Of course
my recollection may be faulty.

Larry

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