Do Unto Others as I Would Have Them Do Unto Me...
I listened to the speech Barack Obama gave in Cairo and something caught my attention. He did not say, what you normally hear, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
What he said was, "Do unto others as I would have them do unto Me."
"I do - unto others - as *I* would have - *them* do - unto Me." Not the ubiquitous "you"... he used the personal pronouns I and Me. He takes responsibility for his words and his actions and what he puts out there.
dasubergeek had a fabulous post Here on an article written about a woman coming to the decision to have an abortion. And there was some good back and forth arguments made for and against the concept.
But it dawned on me as I was reading the discussions - that at no point during the debate, was the idea that men should take any responsibility for this issue. And I realized, as I was reading, that the phrase "I do unto others as I would have them do unto me" was just missing. Not because the debate was anything other than civil, but that there is no consequence to men as a gender. There is nothing for them to loose or gain by this argument other than civil discourse on an idea.
And I think, as long as this is the case, then - with all love and respect to men - this is not their topic for debate. This is a topic that women should debate. Until men bear the weight of the responsibility for their part in conception, I'm starting to think that they should have no voice in the outcome of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read the article that he posted about. Found here: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/choosing-not-to-keep-the-baby/
And I was both appalled and saddened by the young woman who was having to make this decision. Her confession that the masters program she was entering into was deliberately harder on pregnant women made me want to vomit. Just vomit. That "education" should come at the cost of a child or a family is vulgar and barbaric. That women are having to make these choices - the rest or their lives or a family - is vulgar and barbaric. I had no idea. I had no clue. And it makes me want to take a blow torch to the institutions of knowledge. Because they're fucking hypocrites. And it gave me insight into the people that are running our country and our companies. All of those "Masters" candidates... no wonder they have no compassion. It's literally taught out of them.
Why is this allowed to stand? Why are THEY allowed to get away with that barbaric behavior and then bitch and moan about women who get abortions?
FUCK YOU.
As for the young woman, she also saddened me. She had all these resources that were made available to her. People willing to pay for her health care, and her doctor's appointments - making sure she had means to keep her baby safe... they all go down the tube. And a family who might love her child won't get it. But she didn't feel like she could carry a baby to term only to hand it over to someone who might want it. But she didn't feel like it was enough of a support system to get her through what she needed to go through.
...and personally, I really disliked her for this attitude. In this case she could have had a whole support system looking out for her - and rather than risk getting attached, she's just going to get rid of it? That's a pretty piss poor attitude. Suck it up and take responsibility for your actions. And maybe, take the opportunity to say Fuck You to institutions who put women through the shit you're going through. You think you really make one damn bit of difference in the field you're going into? That you are SO important? Maybe your opportunity was to be a light for other women struggling to get educations while being pregnant. Maybe your gift to others was to be the person who made their stand against institutions who put women through this shit.
And I'm sad because she's as weak and flawed and human as the rest of us. She had the courage to put herself out there and ask for options. She had some courage to look and be ridiculed for her choices. But she made her choice. And as much as *I* don't particular care for it, it IS her choice to make.
What he said was, "Do unto others as I would have them do unto Me."
"I do - unto others - as *I* would have - *them* do - unto Me." Not the ubiquitous "you"... he used the personal pronouns I and Me. He takes responsibility for his words and his actions and what he puts out there.
dasubergeek had a fabulous post Here on an article written about a woman coming to the decision to have an abortion. And there was some good back and forth arguments made for and against the concept. But it dawned on me as I was reading the discussions - that at no point during the debate, was the idea that men should take any responsibility for this issue. And I realized, as I was reading, that the phrase "I do unto others as I would have them do unto me" was just missing. Not because the debate was anything other than civil, but that there is no consequence to men as a gender. There is nothing for them to loose or gain by this argument other than civil discourse on an idea.
And I think, as long as this is the case, then - with all love and respect to men - this is not their topic for debate. This is a topic that women should debate. Until men bear the weight of the responsibility for their part in conception, I'm starting to think that they should have no voice in the outcome of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read the article that he posted about. Found here: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/choosing-not-to-keep-the-baby/
And I was both appalled and saddened by the young woman who was having to make this decision. Her confession that the masters program she was entering into was deliberately harder on pregnant women made me want to vomit. Just vomit. That "education" should come at the cost of a child or a family is vulgar and barbaric. That women are having to make these choices - the rest or their lives or a family - is vulgar and barbaric. I had no idea. I had no clue. And it makes me want to take a blow torch to the institutions of knowledge. Because they're fucking hypocrites. And it gave me insight into the people that are running our country and our companies. All of those "Masters" candidates... no wonder they have no compassion. It's literally taught out of them.
Why is this allowed to stand? Why are THEY allowed to get away with that barbaric behavior and then bitch and moan about women who get abortions?
FUCK YOU.
As for the young woman, she also saddened me. She had all these resources that were made available to her. People willing to pay for her health care, and her doctor's appointments - making sure she had means to keep her baby safe... they all go down the tube. And a family who might love her child won't get it. But she didn't feel like she could carry a baby to term only to hand it over to someone who might want it. But she didn't feel like it was enough of a support system to get her through what she needed to go through.
...and personally, I really disliked her for this attitude. In this case she could have had a whole support system looking out for her - and rather than risk getting attached, she's just going to get rid of it? That's a pretty piss poor attitude. Suck it up and take responsibility for your actions. And maybe, take the opportunity to say Fuck You to institutions who put women through the shit you're going through. You think you really make one damn bit of difference in the field you're going into? That you are SO important? Maybe your opportunity was to be a light for other women struggling to get educations while being pregnant. Maybe your gift to others was to be the person who made their stand against institutions who put women through this shit.
And I'm sad because she's as weak and flawed and human as the rest of us. She had the courage to put herself out there and ask for options. She had some courage to look and be ridiculed for her choices. But she made her choice. And as much as *I* don't particular care for it, it IS her choice to make.