Letters to the Editor
FemmeJr
Published Letters: 61 Editor's Choice: 8
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Hey KitchenGirl, good luck in your pursuit of the WoW Guy
[Read the article: What is your literary deal breaker?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I know many girls who are in wonderful relationships with gamer boys, myself included.
I'm a chick who plays World of Warcraft and table-top RPGs. For all intents and purposes, I ought to be single and receive wedgies constantly, but alas, none of these vices tend to be deal-breakers. Then again cute nerdy girls tend to be magnet for like-minded men.
To the rest of you, I realize this has nothing to do with the post -- or Ayn Rand -- I realize, but I really don't like talking or thinking about Ayn Rand.
Yup. Deal-breaker.
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AKA Smith
[Read the article: What is your literary deal breaker?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Don't advertise your ignore list! Doesn't that defeat the purpose?
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Welcome to The Republic of Gilead!
[Read the article: This week in repro-rights rhetoric]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The House Judiciary and Public Safety Committee passed Senate Bill 1878. Rep. Pam Peterson, the House author, said the legislation would give women as much trouble information as possible before having an abortion.
Really? What kind of information?
It also would protect the integrity of medical professionals who do not wish to perform abortions" by "affirm[ing] health workers' right to refuse to perform abortions.
I didn't realize that becoming an abortion doctor was mandatory! Do we really need such a superfluous law on the books... or does this mean that they plan on redefining the word "abortion" to mean anything from Plan B to condoms?
More broadly, actually, it says that employees of healthcare facilities may choose not to participate in an activity they find objectionable on moral or religious grounds; it provides them with immunity for any consequences of their (in)actions.
This is just a disaster waiting to happen. Forget about just birth control... can you imagine going to a doctor or a pharamacist who was Scientologist and refused to give you medicine? Or some holistic guru type who advised you to eat lemon grass instead of taking heart medication and ended up killing someone? Have these people ever heard of Hippocratic Oath... or do they think it's a "Hypocritcal Oath"?
It would require that posters be placed in clinics informing mothers of [their] rights [not to be coerced into an abortion] and requiring clinics to verbally tell minors that having an abortion is their decision alone.
The only kind of coercion going on at abortion clinics are the anti-choice hecklers outside calling women murderers.
I swear to you that if this bill passes I am going to relinquish my current career in favor of insurrectionist pro-choice activism.
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No, we shouldn't just ignore this.
[Read the article: Rape is like force-fed chocolate cake?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Even if the BNP is an extreme group akin to the Klan, statements like this -- from a group that does have followers, few as they might be -- just show you that these attitudes still exists, even in places like Britain that are "enlightened" and "civilized."
To add a personal anecdote, I knew a guy (who I thought was rather nice and reasonable) who, when a topic rape came up, said, "I don't know why women don't just sit back and enjoy it."
I'll leave my reaction to your imagination.
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Isn't it sick that some people need to be reminded what rape is?
[Read the article: Rape is like force-fed chocolate cake?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The repugnant misogynists who post on Broadsheet are proof that there are many many men who claim to think that rape is wrong, but will justify it as the product of repressed male sexual urges.
Rape is not about sex, it's about degredation and power. It's an act intended to demonstrate that the rapist is entitled to a person's body despite his or her feelings. It's a deprivation of another's free will, which is the most egregious sin possible.
Reading some of the vapid responses to this article makes me feel like I've been force fed chocolate cake... filled with maggots.
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I've always found the term "spousal rape" troublesome.
[Read the article: Rape is like force-fed chocolate cake?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In any healthy relationship, there are days when one partner (male or female) will indulge the erotic whims of the other partner even if he or she isn't feeling up to it. At the same time, in a healthy relationship, either partner can refuse. The partner who was turned down might grumble a bit, but that's it.
The moment threats or force are employed, it's rape. Adding the word "spousal" implies that the act is somehow different and/or legitimate in nature.
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@Shonkin
[Read the article: Rape is like force-fed chocolate cake?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is similar to a discussion I had with people about violent hate crimes. The idea of classifying the murder of a human being differently just seemed absurd. For example: "Evil psychopaths are evil psychopaths. What does it matter they killed someone cause they're homophobic/racist or if they killed someone who didn't give them exact change at the grocery store?" The response I received to this argument is much the same as yours: "Because hurting these people wasn't considered always recognized as a crime."
Therefore, I understand the need for the term "spousal rape" but it just disturbs me that people just can't fathom it. I understand that, legally, it might be harder to prove but there are just way too many people (like Nick Eriksen) for example, who think spousal rape is as unbelievable as the Tooth Fairy.
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"I had an abortion" vs. "I was raped T-shirt"
[Read the article: T-shirt: "I was raped"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't particularly care for either of these T-shirts, but the "I was raped T-shirt" much more meaningful in its message than the "I had an abortion" T-shirt. The reason being is that the act of wearing the rape t-shirt can be a demonstration of the woman's refusal to be ashamed of herself because of the rape, and also raises awareness of just how common rape is on.
The "I had an abortion" t-shirt bothers me for this main reason: The Roe vs. Wade decision was made on the constitutional basis of Right to Privacy, which means that an abortion is a woman's private matter that she should only have to discuss with her doctor and no one else can or should be able to interfere with that decision. The t-shirt is offensive because it implies that society at large should be privvy to a woman's reproductive choices, which flies in the face of Roe vs. Wade. It's just not anyone's business!