Wendy Kaminer
Full Name and Common Aliases
Wendy Kaminer is an American lawyer, author, and public intellectual.
Birth and Death Dates
Born in 1949, there is no record of her death.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Kaminer is a United States citizen and has worked as a lawyer, author, and public intellectual.
Early Life and Background
Wendy Kaminer was born in 1949. Her early life and background are not extensively documented; however, it is known that she pursued higher education and developed an interest in law and writing.
Major Accomplishments
Kaminer's professional accomplishments can be divided into several areas:
Writing: She has written numerous articles for prominent publications such as The New Yorker, The Nation, and The Atlantic. Her book, "A Fearful Freedom: Women's Flight from Equality", was published in 1990.
Law: Kaminer worked as a lawyer specializing in civil liberties and family law. She has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Public Intellectualism: As a public intellectual, Kaminer has contributed to discussions on various topics including feminism, civil liberties, and cultural politics.Notable Works or Actions
Some of her notable works include:
"A Fearful Freedom: Women's Flight from Equality" (1990)
"I Am Obsessed with Obama: And Other Lesser Observations" (2011)
Kaminer has also been involved in several high-profile cases, including TWA v. Hardison*, which was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Impact and Legacy
Wendy Kaminer's impact on society can be attributed to her work as a public intellectual and lawyer. Her writing has helped shape public discourse on various topics such as feminism and civil liberties. Her involvement in high-profile cases has contributed to significant changes in laws and policies affecting women's rights and civil liberties.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Kaminer is widely quoted or remembered due to her influential work as a lawyer, author, and public intellectual.
Quotes by Wendy Kaminer
Interactivity has the virtue of democracy, conferring upon everyone with access to a computer the right and opportunity to be heard, but it’s also saddled with democracy’s vice – a tendency to assume that everyone who has a right to be heard has something to say that’s worth hearing.
If all issues are personalized, we lose our capacity to entertain ideas, to generalize from our own or someone else’s experiences, to think abstractly. We substitute sentimentality for thought.
Give the FBI unchecked domestic spying powers and instead of focusing on preventing terrorism, it will revert to doing what it does best – monitoring, harassing, and intimidating political dissidents and thousands of harmless immigrants.
In this climate – with belief in guardian angels and creationism becoming commonplace – making fun of religion is as risky as burning a flag in an American Legion hall.
The dissemination of pseudoscience, including such things as the fascination with near-death experiences and the growing belief by Americans – 34 percent of them – in reincarnation are dangerous. They help to break down the standards of reason.
We don’t cut off the hands of thieves or castrate rapists. Why must we murder murderers?
Tolerance is thin gruel compared to the rapture of absolute truths. It’s not surprising that religious people are often better protected by atheists and agnostics than each other.
The phenomenal success of the recovery movement reflects two simple truths that emerge in adolescence: all people love to talk about themselves, and most people are mad at their parents. You don’t have to be in denial to doubt that truths like these will set us free.
As Camille Paglia’s success has demonstrated, what is most marketable is absolutism and attitude undiluted by thought.
I don’t spend much time thinking about whether God exists. I don’t consider that a relevant question. It’s unanswerable and irrelevant to my life, so I put it in the category of things I can’t worry about.