It’s apparently a thing where people are panicking over The Handmaid’s Tale and saying how “relevant” it is and “we’re living it now.”
What an utter piece of crap.
The whole thing is based on two, and exactly two points:
- Some folk think abortion is morally wrong and should, at best, only be allowed in extreme circumstances (with considerable disagreement on what extreme circumstances would qualify)
- People should not be forced to pay for other people’s birth control.
Really. That’s it.
Nobody is suggesting that women should not be allowed to work. Nobody is suggesting that women should not be allowed to own property. Nobody is suggesting that women should not be allowed to read (a feature of The Handmaid’s Tale).
You might find a few fanatics who would want to actually prohibit birth control or criminalize sex outside of very narrow bounds (and, again, quite a bit of variation where those bounds are, usually “within marriage” but sometimes with further strictures within). You’ll find more people who think those things are wrong but few of those people actually want to criminalize them. I know. I know. It’s a strange idea to disagree with something, to think it’s morally wrong, and yet be willing to let other people do it anyway if that’s their choice.
It’s called “Freedom”. It’s a provocative concept, I know.
But there’s a flip side. It’s called “Responsibility.” It’s up to you to take care of your own wishes in that side. If you want to have sex without risking pregnancy, then it’s up to you to provide your own birth control. It’s up to you to ensure that you’re not bringing children into the world that you cannot provide for. It’s not like birth control is expensive. Even the expensive birth control pills are on the order of two McDonald’s meals per week in price or less than one daily Cafe Latte (Tall) at Starbucks. The cheap ones are like one McDonald’s meal a month. Then there are plenty of places that hand out free condoms. (Hint: unless you’re in a committed monogamous relationship and can trust that your partner is also monogamous, then use a condom. It’s safer that way.) And they do it with private money.
You’re not going to lose your birth control. You may have to make some choices if you want it, but you’re not going to lose it. Those choices? That’s part of that “responsibility” thing.
But if you must worry about something, consider the following scenario:
- All women must have a male guardian and they need the guardian’s permission for
- Marriage and divorce
- Travel (if under 45)
- Education
- Employment
- Opening a bank account
- Elective surgery
- Special police to ensure that women are properly covered (everything except hands and eyes)
- Women forbidden to drive cars
- Women must have a man to swear for them in a court of law
- Must have guardian’s explicit permission to work outside the home.
Sound like what you think Conservatives want for women in the US? Well, actually, it’s what women face today in Saudi Arabia. And yet, the UN just elected Saudi Arabia to the Women’s Rights Council.
If you’re worried about The Handmaid’s Tale becoming reality, then rather than building illusionary fantasies about the Republican Party, you might want to take a look there. It would seem a more productive approach.
The Writer in Black 
That last line, of course, is why they won’t take your suggestion. Too much like work to fight real injustices, and too dangerous to do so in many of the places said injustices happen.
LikeLike
I’m short on time so I didn’t read the entire piece: I just want to mention the irony I see that the left is equating the stupid show with Trump when the left has gotten fully in bed with Sharia law which in fact DOES advocate for this treatment of women.
Everything progressives accuse others of being is an admission of what they actually are. I really wish people would get this.
LikeLike
It’s called projection and the left has it down to a science.
LikeLike
Great, reasonable, rational thought. Funny how I feel like I have more freedom, autonomy, and even downright success than most women today – and I didn’t worship for years at the altar of higher education. Just used my brain, relied on common sense, and found that a good work ethic covers the lack of degree quite nicely. Obviously doesn’t work well if you’re going for a science, medical, or law degree – but for many mere mortals, just recognizing and using the talents God gave ya will take you far.
LikeLike
You sound like my little sister, who is one of the few who is smarter than me. As for formal degrees, the greatest philosopher in history, John Locke, who invented no actual philosophical “system,” was actually a physician who never went to medical school but was considered an outstanding practitioner of the healing arts, mostly because he did not subscribe to the conventional wisdom of his day. And Abraham Lincoln had about 1 year of formal schooling but managed to become a successful lawyer. I think “school” has always been more about mind control than learning and education since the beginning of it.
LikeLike
Absolutely! If you don’t believe it, talk to most any medical professional in medical terms. Their first question is “are you a nurse?” and when you respond that no, you just read a lot, they immediately chalk you up as a hypochondriac that has been reading too much Dr. Google. God forbid you take enough interest in your own health or that of your children to have a bit of common sense with regard to what *could* be wrong. I do research before I do anything. I usually have a pretty good idea of what is wrong with my car before I take it to a mechanic – keeps me from being taken advantage of – so why wouldn’t I do the same in most any situation? Learning isn’t just to pass exams – it should be for life!
LikeLike
But without Republicans the Left would be out of Strawmen
LikeLike
Nah, they’d invent them out of thin air. A lot of them are generally failures in life, and they try to compensate for it by manufacturing [excrement] to excuse away their own failings as someone else’s fault.
LikeLike
They’d also turn on each other once they ran out of “enemies”, due to their need to be ideologically pure, and any disagreements would immediately be blown up into life-or-death conflicts. See the New York Times’ Bret Stephens and what happened to him when he commented about climate change.
LikeLike
Good luck getting through to the ‘Miss the point to the grave’ brigades.
Remember: ALL life is a movie, with glorious, good-looking heroes, like me, and evil monsters who must be destroyed, like that 17 year old Chrstian girl in the red hat. Do I know why or what for? Who cares, my heroes do, so that’s all I need to know.
And a happy ending is inevitable. I know, because I am owed it.
LikeLike
I think you left out a “not…” Nobody is suggesting that women should be allowed to read
LikeLike
Yes, thank you.
LikeLike
Well, I did say it might be a good idea if women were not allowed to read, but it was only a suggestion. I was just thinking out loud.
LikeLike
Did you leave a “not” out in reference to reading?
LikeLike
As long as the left act as continual apologists for Islam, their pronouncements on anything having to do with the value and rights of women are garbage.
LikeLike
They don’t want to be productive. They just want to get rid of Republicans.
LikeLike
. . . . Add to that Polygamy, halal wife/sister/daughter beating and paedophelic marriage for girls, and you’ve got the full trifecta. What’s more, the people who oppose the importation of this ideology are invariably Conservatives (with the possible exception of Bill Maher), while the people who act as it’s protectors and apologists are invariably Progressives. One final irony: remember when the magazine Charlie Hebdo received the presitious PEN award for having it’s entire editorial staff assassinated by muslims for violating islamic blasphemy laws? Some kooky liberal writers objected because – although Hebdo made fun of EVERYONE – they considered its criticism of islam to be (you guessed it) racist and islamophobic. Chief among these brave objectors? MARGARET ATWOOD.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Typical.
LikeLike
The Left can’t criticize Islam because it’s a 1 billion+ member oppressed minority in the world.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for this.
I happen to fall in the category of, “I think certain things are wrong, but do not wish to criminalize them.”
I’ve read the Handmaid’s Tale. No Thanks.
Having been raised with (Christian) religious folk in the rural USA, I can say that even the strict ones do not resemble that maudlin dystopian fantasy. I keep waiting for some of these people to talk to veterans who’ve been where this does happen, and hear what they have to say.
LikeLike
women sure seem infatuated with instituting tyranny in america.
even when they shed fake tears about it, it’s just an attempt to institute it themselves.
LikeLike
I did a meme to this effect using that picture of some Pussy-Hatter holding up a sign saying, “I dream one day women will have the same rights as guns”. Captioned it, “There’s a legal system wherein they already do. It’s called ‘Sharia Law'”.
LikeLike