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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Women for Obama?

I think not.

Lately I've been seeing more and more evidence that election season is indeed upon us, and on our cute little block of suburbia, a curious phenomenon is occurring. In every 5th window or so up and down our block, a little blue placard proclaiming 'Women for Obama' has popped up, and I'm just a leeetle bit confused and a lot concerned.

You see, I find the whole idea of being labelled a constituent of that oh-so-desirable demographic 'the women's vote' a bit offensive. Yes, I'm a woman. But I'm also a unique and complex human person, and my chromosomal makeup sure doesn't determine the way my politics swing. As if having breasts confines me to membership in a voting block that will or won't cast a ballot dependent upon receiving freebies from Uncle Sam in the shape of little pink pill packs?

Hardly.

I find it deeply offensive that 1. the entire spectrum of women's 'health' has been reduced down to two fundamental issues: abortion and contraception, and 2. that women are somehow perceived as being primarily concerned with their vaginas and related areas over, say, the economy, foreign policy, school quality, the poverty level, excruciating tax rates and other such worrisome issues of the day.

Are we to assume that those stuffy old issues are best dealt with by the menfolk, and we ought not to worry our pretty little heads about such big, serious matters, but just keep filling our prescriptions for birth control and the federal government will foot the bill? (Pat, pat, there, there, little lady.)

Hi, I'm a 21st century woman and I am offended.

And my sexual behavior? That's my own responsibility, not the government's, thank God. (For now, at least.) I don't need the contraceptive equivalent of food stamps every month to help me 'get by,' and it sure as hell isn't going to sway my vote this November if I can count on a federal kickback for toxic chemical ingestion.

Even for women who lean leftward in their politics and ideals, I cannot fathom how such an approach can be anything but deeply offensive to them on a primal level. Can't they see the ironic, blatant anti-feminism behind such tired rhetoric?

Can't they see that keeping women carefully, consistently sterilized and thereby 'freed' for economic contribution is so much of the same tired old system of repression and degradation that we are supposedly evolved beyond?

And don't they expect more from a president than the condescending promise of free pills and continued government-funded access to the woman-hating mega-business Planned Parenthood?

I suppose if they are indeed members of that mythic 'women's vote,' whose only apparent common thread is an ugly, rose-colored shade of apparent self-loathing, they don't mind much at all.

I, for one, prefer to be seen as more than a sexually-active baby-maker. Because those are things that I do, they don't solely define who I am.

Think I'm totally crazy? Remember this excerpt from Obama's Planned Parenthood promo tour last time around. How's that for a vote of confidence for the fairer sex?

I'm totally making a new sign for our front window this weekend:

Grown Ups for Romney.


21 comments:

  1. Oh. My. Gosh. THANK YOU. I hope you don't mind if I share this post on my Facebook wall and my own blog. Fist-pumping after every paragraph. You rock.

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  2. Yet you have no problem when the GOP pats you on the head and dictates ten times as many aspects of women's reproductive lives. Yeah, they don't see you as a simple babymaker at all. I love it when morons tie themselves in knots to justify their hypocrisy. You are no feminist, unless you are the most ill-informed of all time.

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    1. Oh Anon, your covert contributions just consistently make my day. You must be a Clint Eastwood fan...

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    2. That's funny, Anonymous, I don't see the GOP forcing her to go out and have sex or breed children. Exactly how are they coercing women to do anything? Since when is the "right" to rip children apart in utero and have it paid for by everyone's taxes a right at all?
      Is it sooo hard to expect women to pay for their own choices, i.e. birth control? Those mean, mean old white guys...

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    3. Oh darn. I just wrote so many things and then erased them. Snarky comments. Legitimate questions about how the GOP is ruining my life. Puns using the Shakespearean version of Anon.

      I'll settle for praying for you.

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  3. Um, sharing this on the blog. Stat.

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  4. This was really great, Jenny! <3 you!!!

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  5. You are my lost twin. (Really. We even have the same name, though I spell it -ie.) I LOVE THIS POST! Amen to every single blessed syllable. Shout it from the rooftops, sister! :)

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  6. "Hi, I'm a 21st century woman and I am offended."

    Yes! Thank you! How do more people not see how incredibly degrading it is to assume that all women want out of this election are free birth control and abortion on demand? I want a "Grown Ups for Romney" sign too! Well said :)

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  7. Um, when you make Grown Ups for Romney signs, can you please sell them and make lots of money and keep writing things like this? I will buy one. This made my day! Sharing :)

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  8. Well said. Loved the "stuffy old issues are best dealt with by the menfolk" line. And as a freudian slip just typed "stuffy old men" trying to tell you. :)

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  9. Love this. It's kind of scary how women are following him like robots.

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  10. How about "Humans for Romney" because even my five children want him to win :-)

    Oh yeah.....that's how we Steubie grads roll!!

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  11. I appreciate what you say, and I was also offended by a lot of what went on at the DNC and bothered by the current way dems are talking about "women's issues". They certainly aren't talking about my concerns.

    Your statement of "that women are somehow perceived as being primarily concerned with their vaginas and related areas over, say, the economy, foreign policy, school quality, the poverty level, excruciating tax rates and other such worrisome issues of the day" rings really true to me. However, it leads me in a different direction then where it leads you. It is the reason why I can't vote for Romney, although I am really upset with the dems right now. I haven't seen a concrete economic platform, commitment to improving the lives of those in poverty, or a concern about the tax rates of anyone but the rich from the republicans. I totally respect what you are saying, and see where you are coming from, just wanted to share that when looking at the other issues, one can come to a different conclusion.

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  12. O my gosh. I just had the most epic convo about this article on fb. Some of my Obama-y friends jumped all over it. Turns out we actually all agreed with the sentiment of this. They agreed begrudgingly. Here is the thread:

    https://www.facebook.com/CallHerHappy/posts/523092264371433?notif_t=share_comment

    We might have to be friends for you to read it. I won't be creeped out if it strikes you to. I also won't be offended if you have other things to do like have a life :)

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  13. I just stumbled upon your blog and I just wanted to say, HEAR, HEAR!! I have been trying to express these same points for YEARS (all four since Obama became president). Brilliant post.

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Is your email linked to your comment? I'd love to respond to you directly, but I can't if it's not!