I'm crossposting this from rantspace on the feminists group. This has been my day today;
So today, I've been engaging in a facebook debate on the Catholic bishops not agreeing to the Obama compromise that would allow them to not pay for contraception services. The first people who chimed in were women who felt as though their religious freedom was being violated by being "forced to pay for contraception and abortion". When I pointed out that they pay taxes that support wars they said it wasn't the same thing. When I pointed out that under the compromise "they" wouldn't have to pay for any of this they changed it to an argument about the necessity and dangers of contraception. Others from their side have jumped in and so far I've held my own. But It's disheartening to me that others aren't jumping in to help me defend this.
I've pointed out that employers have no right to tell an employee what they can and can't do with any of their employment compensations like retirement funds and direct pay. I've pointed out that there are non-contraceptive benefits to contraception and that the only people who should be deciding whether something is necessary or not is the woman and her healthcare providers. And yet they keep saying its unfair to them. To me this is the height of the victimhood attitude that some religious people are trying to foist upon the rest of us. I do want to emphasize that it is some religious people and not all. But I am tired. Flat out exhausted from fighting this fight alone today. Part of the problem is that this was clearly a coordinated attack on the original post which came from the director of Media Matters, who happens to be a former neighbor of mine. Media Matters has been getting alot of coordinated attacks in the past week over this. So I stepped into it and have not felt comfortable stepping away. A few women have "liked" my posts, but noone else has chimed in and I suspect that may be because people are afraid of inviting the wrath of nutjobs. I can understand that. It's a calculation that I make often too. And that bothers me. Are we ceding the ground because we're afraid to deal with the lunatics? To be fair, the people I've been arguing with today have been for the most part respectful and I've treated them respectfully. I've merely pointed out the flaws in their arguments and when their sources have failed to give the full story. But dammit I am tired. I've been holding in my anger and my snark and trying hard to take the high road only to have them bring up points I've already addressed.
Over the past week I've truly felt as though we are in a war for the rights of women. It's been building for my whole life and now we are seeing the horrible results of our...I don't know, complacency? lack of organization? failure to educate? I don't know. I only know that I'm emotionally wrecked from this but I can't not continue.
So today, I've been engaging in a facebook debate on the Catholic bishops not agreeing to the Obama compromise that would allow them to not pay for contraception services. The first people who chimed in were women who felt as though their religious freedom was being violated by being "forced to pay for contraception and abortion". When I pointed out that they pay taxes that support wars they said it wasn't the same thing. When I pointed out that under the compromise "they" wouldn't have to pay for any of this they changed it to an argument about the necessity and dangers of contraception. Others from their side have jumped in and so far I've held my own. But It's disheartening to me that others aren't jumping in to help me defend this.
I've pointed out that employers have no right to tell an employee what they can and can't do with any of their employment compensations like retirement funds and direct pay. I've pointed out that there are non-contraceptive benefits to contraception and that the only people who should be deciding whether something is necessary or not is the woman and her healthcare providers. And yet they keep saying its unfair to them. To me this is the height of the victimhood attitude that some religious people are trying to foist upon the rest of us. I do want to emphasize that it is some religious people and not all. But I am tired. Flat out exhausted from fighting this fight alone today. Part of the problem is that this was clearly a coordinated attack on the original post which came from the director of Media Matters, who happens to be a former neighbor of mine. Media Matters has been getting alot of coordinated attacks in the past week over this. So I stepped into it and have not felt comfortable stepping away. A few women have "liked" my posts, but noone else has chimed in and I suspect that may be because people are afraid of inviting the wrath of nutjobs. I can understand that. It's a calculation that I make often too. And that bothers me. Are we ceding the ground because we're afraid to deal with the lunatics? To be fair, the people I've been arguing with today have been for the most part respectful and I've treated them respectfully. I've merely pointed out the flaws in their arguments and when their sources have failed to give the full story. But dammit I am tired. I've been holding in my anger and my snark and trying hard to take the high road only to have them bring up points I've already addressed.
Over the past week I've truly felt as though we are in a war for the rights of women. It's been building for my whole life and now we are seeing the horrible results of our...I don't know, complacency? lack of organization? failure to educate? I don't know. I only know that I'm emotionally wrecked from this but I can't not continue.
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Also, thank you for your comment. There is no sadness remembering Yataiki, only wonder and gratitude. I was one of the fortunate few who were directly touched by his life and grace.