All aboard the rant train! ::train whistle::
Wow.
I certainly didn't expect the kind of response I got to my rant. And what intelligent, well thought out responses, too.
I'll respond to you all, I promise. People who have been with me a while realize I'm a tad... well... lacking in speed and manners about LJ responses. I mean, I do have to actually WORK sometime... and eat... and sleep....
Also, if you're new to me, please understand I rarely get into politics or feminist issues or anything of the sort. I really tend to keep that off the record because it is such a divisive issue. You're going to mostly find here discussions between me and my internal organs, painstakingly scary and precise (almost restraining order worthy) plans and descriptions of what I'd like to do to Orlando Bloom if I ever got his hands on him (He'll be okay with it once the carpet burn heals and the Stockholm Syndrome sets in. I PROMISE. SRSLY.), frank discussion of my sex life and vibrators, and mostly humor based stuff. I don't like to do memes much, and I'm not a real regular updater. I won't be insulted if you jump off the love train. (Also, I am weird about friending back. I like to 'talk' to you first a few times.)
And now, in complete and utter opposition about what I just said above about not getting into feminist discussions, I have to continue the train of thought from my last entry.
I answered someone over in raphaela's LJ (Have you read her? She's sweet and fluffy and incredibly smart. She has a mommy blog and a fashion blog and an LJ and each one is different and great.)
So I'm CCing my answer over here because maybe some of my thoughts were lost in how strident my rant was.
Someone said:
Is it unhealthy for girls to, as Crevette says, have sex whenever they want without consequences? Oh hell yes.
My answer:
In your opinion, that is. I didn't say girls. I said women--meaning grown, adult females of the human persuasion. There is no proof that adults having consensual, protected sex is harmful in any way.
Let me further define my arguement, because really there are two totally different subjects in my rant.
1--the abstinence training my daughter is receiving (besides being paid by my tax dollars after being proven that it does not have any measurable result--another rant for another day) is giving a twisted impression that my daughter should be working her entire life for her wedding day. That her day in her pretty white dress should be her highest achievement. What about the day she gets her PhD? The day that men walk on Mars using her reusable rocket design? The day she wins the Nobel Prize in physics? Why should the day she offers up her hymen on a platter to some man (that you know I'll never think is good enough for her--HEE!) be the day she works her whole life to achieve? (Do you see what I'm saying here?)
Abstinence is merely one facet of what our children should be taught. See, I'm not saying that Abstinence is bad. In some cases, it is the best choice. But how many of us always make the best or the right choice? More likely they should be taught to make good, intelligent decisions.
I cannot reasonably expect ANYONE, not even my daughter, to wait until she is in her 30s to have sexual relations. If she chooses to wait, that is her perogative, but it certainly is not my right to expect that from her. Once she is an adult, that is her decision as it is her body. All I can do is raise her to make good decisions and to protect herself accordingly.
2--the statement from Janice Crouse. It infuriates me that there is a group of people who feel that they have some kind of God-given right to tell me what to do with my body. Not only do they feel they have the right to tell me, they feel they have the right to enforce their religious beliefs on me by use of legislation of birth control or having pharmacists and doctors refuse to provide health care that is based on my physical needs but on their religious leanings.
Ms. Crouse and people like her can believe whatever they want. If they want to believe that children are a consequence and punishment for doing something as evil and perverted as having sex, that's fine. This is the USA and they have that right. However, they do not have the right to force me to live within their moral code.
It is my vagina, my body, my choice. Having healthy, consensual, protected intercourse with anyone I want is my choice. It is my responsibility as an intelligent being and as an adult (going back to the 'making intelligent decisions' part of my abstinence rant) to protect myself against unwanted pregnancy and disease. Hence the 'protected' part of the above statement.
Ms. Crouse and others like her want to take away contraception because they feel that women are not smart enough to realize that having all that sex without 'consequences' (ie disease and pregnancy) is BAD for them. And if they take away the things that keep us healthy and safe--like contraception and education--then we will be too frightened to have sex except for procreation. And if we dare to have sex for any other reason except for making more little God fearing Christians, then we certainly need to suffer the consequences. Because we are bad and stupid.
And that is just plain insulting.
Still probably not that clear, but I'm trying here....
And I think that is what insults me so much about the fundies and religious right. It's not that they want me to be 'Saved'. I'm sure that there are people who believe in their truest, deepest hearts that they are doing me a service. They really do think that I am going to suffer in eternity if they cannot bring me over to their way of thinking, and they care for me and they want me to be happy.
I can handle that. I really can. Good wishes and intentions and all that.
What INFURIATES me beyond words is the assumption by some of them that I'm stupid. I'm too stupid to know what is best for me and they have to force me to accept what I'm too entirely stubborn and ignorant what they know as the obvious truth.
I'm too stupid to realize Jesus is my savior. If they keep shoving it my face enough times, surely my eyes will open and I'll see the truth. And if not now, maybe next time when I'm dealing with a family crisis, or a depressive mood swing. Or maybe if they hit me early enough Sunday morning while I'm groggy. Or maybe at the bookshop while I'm discussing theology with my friends. Surely somewhere, sometime, there will be a chink in the armor of stupidity and stubborness that will let Jesus in.
And if not me, then your daughter. You're a horrible parent raising her to not be a Christian, you realize. You're stupid, stubborn and a bad parent. WE CAN HELP.
As my mother once said to me, "Well, when you're dying you'll be so afraid you'll be saved."
Gee... With friends like these....
Edit: I should note the adults/consensual sex not being harmful in any way should be amended to the "except for the small chance of pregnancy and STD transmission if the contraception is used properly'
Edit 2: His answer to my edit: There's no such thing as a 'small' chance of pregnancy and STD transmission. Considering the consequences of pregnancy and the potential lethality of STD's, I figure that'd similar to saying there's a 'small' chance of being hit by a bus if you cross against the light. I'd think that chance is enough to wait for the damn light.
I answered back with the CDC failure rates of properly applied contraceptive methods, which range from 95 to 99.9%, as well as discussion of proper condom usage. I guess I can see his point, but once again, isn't it my choice? (also, I did answer with the words "Bull and Shit" which probably was in bad form) ::ponders::
I certainly didn't expect the kind of response I got to my rant. And what intelligent, well thought out responses, too.
I'll respond to you all, I promise. People who have been with me a while realize I'm a tad... well... lacking in speed and manners about LJ responses. I mean, I do have to actually WORK sometime... and eat... and sleep....
Also, if you're new to me, please understand I rarely get into politics or feminist issues or anything of the sort. I really tend to keep that off the record because it is such a divisive issue. You're going to mostly find here discussions between me and my internal organs, painstakingly scary and precise (almost restraining order worthy) plans and descriptions of what I'd like to do to Orlando Bloom if I ever got his hands on him (He'll be okay with it once the carpet burn heals and the Stockholm Syndrome sets in. I PROMISE. SRSLY.), frank discussion of my sex life and vibrators, and mostly humor based stuff. I don't like to do memes much, and I'm not a real regular updater. I won't be insulted if you jump off the love train. (Also, I am weird about friending back. I like to 'talk' to you first a few times.)
And now, in complete and utter opposition about what I just said above about not getting into feminist discussions, I have to continue the train of thought from my last entry.
I answered someone over in raphaela's LJ (Have you read her? She's sweet and fluffy and incredibly smart. She has a mommy blog and a fashion blog and an LJ and each one is different and great.)
So I'm CCing my answer over here because maybe some of my thoughts were lost in how strident my rant was.
Someone said:
Is it unhealthy for girls to, as Crevette says, have sex whenever they want without consequences? Oh hell yes.
My answer:
In your opinion, that is. I didn't say girls. I said women--meaning grown, adult females of the human persuasion. There is no proof that adults having consensual, protected sex is harmful in any way.
Let me further define my arguement, because really there are two totally different subjects in my rant.
1--the abstinence training my daughter is receiving (besides being paid by my tax dollars after being proven that it does not have any measurable result--another rant for another day) is giving a twisted impression that my daughter should be working her entire life for her wedding day. That her day in her pretty white dress should be her highest achievement. What about the day she gets her PhD? The day that men walk on Mars using her reusable rocket design? The day she wins the Nobel Prize in physics? Why should the day she offers up her hymen on a platter to some man (that you know I'll never think is good enough for her--HEE!) be the day she works her whole life to achieve? (Do you see what I'm saying here?)
Abstinence is merely one facet of what our children should be taught. See, I'm not saying that Abstinence is bad. In some cases, it is the best choice. But how many of us always make the best or the right choice? More likely they should be taught to make good, intelligent decisions.
I cannot reasonably expect ANYONE, not even my daughter, to wait until she is in her 30s to have sexual relations. If she chooses to wait, that is her perogative, but it certainly is not my right to expect that from her. Once she is an adult, that is her decision as it is her body. All I can do is raise her to make good decisions and to protect herself accordingly.
2--the statement from Janice Crouse. It infuriates me that there is a group of people who feel that they have some kind of God-given right to tell me what to do with my body. Not only do they feel they have the right to tell me, they feel they have the right to enforce their religious beliefs on me by use of legislation of birth control or having pharmacists and doctors refuse to provide health care that is based on my physical needs but on their religious leanings.
Ms. Crouse and people like her can believe whatever they want. If they want to believe that children are a consequence and punishment for doing something as evil and perverted as having sex, that's fine. This is the USA and they have that right. However, they do not have the right to force me to live within their moral code.
It is my vagina, my body, my choice. Having healthy, consensual, protected intercourse with anyone I want is my choice. It is my responsibility as an intelligent being and as an adult (going back to the 'making intelligent decisions' part of my abstinence rant) to protect myself against unwanted pregnancy and disease. Hence the 'protected' part of the above statement.
Ms. Crouse and others like her want to take away contraception because they feel that women are not smart enough to realize that having all that sex without 'consequences' (ie disease and pregnancy) is BAD for them. And if they take away the things that keep us healthy and safe--like contraception and education--then we will be too frightened to have sex except for procreation. And if we dare to have sex for any other reason except for making more little God fearing Christians, then we certainly need to suffer the consequences. Because we are bad and stupid.
And that is just plain insulting.
Still probably not that clear, but I'm trying here....
And I think that is what insults me so much about the fundies and religious right. It's not that they want me to be 'Saved'. I'm sure that there are people who believe in their truest, deepest hearts that they are doing me a service. They really do think that I am going to suffer in eternity if they cannot bring me over to their way of thinking, and they care for me and they want me to be happy.
I can handle that. I really can. Good wishes and intentions and all that.
What INFURIATES me beyond words is the assumption by some of them that I'm stupid. I'm too stupid to know what is best for me and they have to force me to accept what I'm too entirely stubborn and ignorant what they know as the obvious truth.
I'm too stupid to realize Jesus is my savior. If they keep shoving it my face enough times, surely my eyes will open and I'll see the truth. And if not now, maybe next time when I'm dealing with a family crisis, or a depressive mood swing. Or maybe if they hit me early enough Sunday morning while I'm groggy. Or maybe at the bookshop while I'm discussing theology with my friends. Surely somewhere, sometime, there will be a chink in the armor of stupidity and stubborness that will let Jesus in.
And if not me, then your daughter. You're a horrible parent raising her to not be a Christian, you realize. You're stupid, stubborn and a bad parent. WE CAN HELP.
As my mother once said to me, "Well, when you're dying you'll be so afraid you'll be saved."
Gee... With friends like these....
Edit: I should note the adults/consensual sex not being harmful in any way should be amended to the "except for the small chance of pregnancy and STD transmission if the contraception is used properly'
Edit 2: His answer to my edit: There's no such thing as a 'small' chance of pregnancy and STD transmission. Considering the consequences of pregnancy and the potential lethality of STD's, I figure that'd similar to saying there's a 'small' chance of being hit by a bus if you cross against the light. I'd think that chance is enough to wait for the damn light.
I answered back with the CDC failure rates of properly applied contraceptive methods, which range from 95 to 99.9%, as well as discussion of proper condom usage. I guess I can see his point, but once again, isn't it my choice? (also, I did answer with the words "Bull and Shit" which probably was in bad form) ::ponders::