Saturday, January 21, 2017

The March

I'm absolutely positive that the vast majority of the women marching today were sincere in their thoughts and were intent on stating their determination regarding women's equality.  The turnout was record breaking and I saw many, many women who were ecstatic or gleeful that they had that forum to have the opportunity to specifically state their demands.

But there is always another side to every story.  When I saw the images I was struck by the vulgarity of the signs.  Not only a few F-words but really nasty, vulgar, repulsive and embarrassing epithets.  Is that the theme of the movement?  Really?  I'm no prude, but it was pretty off-putting.  And the fact that there were a lot of kids there made even more disturbing.  I mean, wasn't part of the point to protest Trump's vulgarity?  So was it tit for tat?  I'll see your pussy grab and up you a Fuck You?  Not sure.

I also think it was pretty one sided.  No pro-life people need apply.  Now I'm not some anti-abortion nut, but I thought this was about women's rights.  But I guess it was really about abortion.  Because that was a major theme.  The idea that Planned Parenthood is about to lose federal funding was front and center.  Of course, since the days of Reagan PP has either been funded or not, depending on the President and party in power.  So it's nothing new.  And unless you've been living under a rock, you know that they were caught last year doing some pretty despicable things.  And there is no denying that they aren't the only game in town.  There are plenty of women's health clinics to serve anyone who needs it.  So to me, that issue is a lot more about politics than women's issues.

And of course there is the manipulation.  The celebrities, the media, and the organizers were all involved.  Check the article out here.  That one of the organizers is a major proponent of radical Islam and promotes Sharia law is a bit shocking.  That seems pretty far from empowering women.  And check out my blog post right before this about the vulgarity of Ashley Judd.  Is that what empowers women?

Finally, while I was watching, I just couldn't help but think of how all that energy could be better focused if they were demonstrating about women's rights where it is really needed.  It's pretty easy and low risk to whine about rights in the U.S., the most free country, by far, in the world.  Put on your pink hat and go along with the crowd.  Complain (safely) about your lack of freedoms.  Okay, that's fine.  But let's face it.  It's rather cowardly.  It would be so much more useful to decry the war on women in places like Tehran, Baghdad, Riyadh, Caracas, Beijing, or a host of other places.  Because as the graphic says, that's where the real war on women is.

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