Misogyny Overload

[game_byrd]

Sometimes I have to see something time after time for it to register with me. Today I've seen a bunch of things that I find upsetting.

Comments

[black_sluggard]

Just thinking about the fact that there are people out there who think there's nothing wrong with any of that literally makes my skin crawl...

[game_byrd]

Yeah. In good news, polling shows that the only group who approves of all this is Republican men. It has some of the political pundits upset because it's political suicide

[asmodesgold]

All of this makes me think of this:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-11-10/news/30384749_1_mexican-girl-abortions-young-mother

I quote:

"Mexican state laws say young moms are unable to have abortions unless a girl can prove she was the victim of sexual assault."

[game_byrd]

I can sort of understand the idea that some people regard a fetus as a life and want it to be born. After all, it seems that most people are hard-wired to think babies are the greatest, most precious little things. (I think mine were - but clearly I was/am addled by hormones and irrationality.)

However, that's not the vibe I get from most of this. Much more often it is as if the pregnancy is levied against the woman as a punishment for engaging in sex. Exceptions in the case of rape are an excellent illustration of that. If people fervantly believed in the fetus=baby point of view, then why would they ever imagine that an exception should be made for rape? That's like saying you should kill your cat because your house got robbed.

It's slut-shaming at a very basic level. It's punitive, saying that the woman had sex, so now she must be forced to bear the child. The whole 'punish the evil-doers' thing bothers me.

[asmodesgold]

Can't you just go to another state to have the abortion

[game_byrd]

Yes, you can go to another state. They're putting hurdles in front of it, making it more expensive, more time consuming, more difficult to navigate and figure out what you can do. For a young woman who probably isn't well-versed in her rights or medical options, a hurdle may well be mistaken for a wall. And I've known quite a few women who had plenty of access to men and were of fertile age, yet did not have easy access to cars or enough money to take a bus trip or whatever to another state (plus there's the difficulty in figuring out where the abortion services are elsewhere, and setting up an appointment when you may well be attempting to conceal this from significant others, employers, friends and relatives, who might judge you harshly for making such a decision).

[asmodesgold]

I didn't think it'd be that difficult to find information on the Internet but then again I'm having a hell of a time trying to find a graduate program. It's like wading through mud.

I can totally understand the cars/money part but I think I could rely on at least one set of grandparents who would help me out without revealing it to my parents or the rest of my family.

[game_byrd]

Not everyone has that luxury. For example, had I ever wanted an abortion and my ex was against it (or it was before I was married), I would have had *no one* to help me, and very little in the way of money. My parents have been very clear they wouldn't back an abortion, although they would take any child I didn't want. I'd still have to carry it, though, and know that the child would be in my life forever.

I had a scare before I married, which was stupid because we'd just jerked each other off, but I was ignorant and thought that maybe sperm could somehow get from point A to point B on its own. I did not see any possible option aside from severely poisoning myself - a topic that I was researching when I finally had my period.

I can't imagine that abstinence-only sex education prepares women any better.

[asmodesgold]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/17/dick-cheney-gay-marriage-maryland_n_1284727.html?ir=Gay+Voices

If you had asked me who was the Republican I thought least likely to support gay marriage I would've said Dick Cheney. But I'm completely wrong on that! Wow. O_O

[game_byrd]

His daughter is homosexual, so I figure that's had an impact.

[asmodesgold]

See, I'd forgotten about that, but even if I hadn't I wouldn't have thought it would make much of an impression on him; there are plenty of Christian and Right-wing parents who freak out and send their kids to summer camps, boot camps, among other disciplinary actions, to try and change their kids.

That Cheney isn't one of those actually gains him quite a bit of respect in my eyes.

[asmodesgold]

Ho, ho, ho

[game_byrd]

Every now and then I wonder if this is a good thing - because by fixating on this stupidity, they draw attention to it. They throw down the gauntlet and I'm *almost* certain they'll lose. Which means victory for the sensible. But then I worry what will happen if they don't lose.

[asmodesgold]

I can remember a similar thought process I had when Sarah Palin was chosen for McCain's VP candidate. McCain wouldn't have made a bad president either; I could've lived with him as our Chief but the thought of him being one heart attack away from having her be the head of state...*wrings hands*

[game_byrd]

Yeah. For a while there I figured Obama was a goner. Seeing the field the Republicans are putting out there ... I just can't imagine Obama not making it into a second term. I'm just, "is this the best you've got?"