Now, I am anti-abortion, so I appreciate this sign for its cleverness (I gotta give it up, that's a totally awesome sign :) ), although not for its point. (All of my pro-choice friends, which is probably almost all of my friends, can take a moment here to just get over this inconvenient truth about me. I am reasonably sure life -- not just the biological individual life, which is scientifically undeniable but of questionable moral value to many people, but the personhood, the soul, the individual spiritual life, which is at least currently only anecdotally supportable but most people attach a heavier moral value to -- begins at conception, and from that basis abortion cannot be the right, or even the best, answer; it is morally equivalent to legislating a right to infanticide or other killing of dependent humans ... which is a set of answers to social and personal difficulties that different human societies have in fact explored at different times in different ways. I am pretty sure we need to find other, better answers; if we are lucky or blessed or both, the right one(s). I recognize that most of my world does not agree with most or all of what I just stated. I also expect that most of my world can honor the moral necessity of my stance from the basis of my considered belief that the individual human begins at conception.)
Anyhow, and no surprise: although she is (according to a cool and calm rebuttal article she penned after her sign went viral) a virgin and planning to stay a virgin for quite a while, many people were quite horrible and judged her to be a slut (and other such things) on basis of her sign (and supporting abortion rights). I didn't bother to read those comments ... I've seen that vitriol before, and I don't want to give them my eyeball-time.
But some of the comments supporting the girl's father (who levied a calm and determined social media response campaign) were sharply right-on, no matter which side of the abortion question one is on, and they also tied in with some of the Mrs Hall slut-shaming posts going around right now.
(My browser shows the page from which I cut-n-pasted these as "http://jezebel.com/undefined" ... .)
ad infinitum > Macabre Cadabra
"It's telling how they define the word "slut." Having sex isn't actually necessary; all that's required is being female, existing, and having opinions they don't agree with."
7/17/13 7:06pm
goodwifebrown > Katie J.M. Baker
"Jesus loved it when people called women sluts. He was all "throw stones at those sluts!" I think that's how the story goes."
7/17/13 7:36pm
Ossifrage > Katie J.M. Baker
"Stay classy, religious right."
7/17/13 7:00pm
DangerTitsjenbug
"But she has lost the right to be a young girl in their eyes. She is a slut, that's different and means that it's ok to say and do things to her you would never do to a young girl."
7/17/13 7:06pm
This one made me laugh out loud:
But this last thing is an important interesting, cogent, hidden, and, really, so intense point (my emphasis added) ... one of several comments/exchanges that made a similar point:
Nan Little > Katie J.M. Baker
"You know what bothers me about that? I mean, not from the dad's POV—he's been awesome throughout. But in general.
That line only worked as "shining a light on jerkdom" because it was
man talking about his female relative. If she had said, "I don't
understand why you are calling me a whore," a hell of a lot of these
people would have been more than happy to do it, in graphic terms. It's
only thinking of her in terms of another man that lets them see her as
human."7/17/13 pm
OWWWWWWWCH.
* * *
The dad in question got high marks from commenters for his cool and calm responses to what is quite reasonably portrayed as a "shit storm" ... here is his long-form commentary for anyone who wants to read it: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/22/proud-daughter-anti-abortion-placard.
So even though I don't agree with the "right" to abort, GO DAD! for being super-awesome as a parent and a person (and, according to Dad in that article I just linked, also GO MOM! ... per last quote, just above, I think it's interesting and sad that the Dad seems to get all the press :P :( ... ) , and definitely GO KID! for engaging intelligently and determinedly with her world!
That is all good news for humanity :).
.
(I just noticed that the link to the dad's article says "anti-abortion placard" ... oops, The Guardian!)
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