Neanderthals and Stepford Women

During the months leading up to the presidential election, I intentionally avoided watching news reports. Unfortunately, that did not protect me from being inundated with campaign hype and propaganda, from Facebook posts to phone calls. I hate politics. I distrust politicians… all of them. However, I did exercise my right to vote, which is my duty as a citizen and something I don’t take for granted.

In reviewing our choices, I shudder at the current state of our government and the American culture.

When did we turn the clock back to the dark ages? Naively, I thought we were making progress in achieving a more diverse representation of the population in our ruling class, but when I look at who ran for office, the only ones who seemed to make the news were the ultra-conservative, Bible-thumping, middle-aged, Neanderthal white men and their counterpart Stepford women supporters. America became an ignorant, arrogant and prudish nation when I wasn’t looking.

These über-conservative zealots have the audacity to state (and sadly, vehemently believe) that a “legitimate” rape and it’s resulting pregnancy would be the will of God. I have several issues with that. First of all, it’s not God’s will; it’s man exercising his own free will that God gave him. Secondly, if it was God’s will, why would a loving God want to inflict such a traumatic event upon an innocent woman? To prove a point? To instill a lesson? Merely to create a life? Procreation is a result of love – a couple’s love for each other and indirectly for the love of the entire human race – it should never be forced upon someone as a result of an act of violence.

This is not to say that any child born as the result of rape could not or would not be loved. A child is the most precious gift someone can offer another. Taking that into account, does this mean that the rapist bestowed such a generous gift upon his victim, that she should then thank him and be continually reminded of his crime against her for the rest of her life – oh, I mean grateful for such a kind and thoughtful gift? It is the woman’s right to say no, not only to aggressive acts against her, but also to a resulting pregnancy. It is the woman’s body, the woman’s psychological well-being, the woman’s right. Period.

To add further insult to injury, I understand that it may be legal for a rapist to sue for custodial rights. If a woman decides that she will raise her child and love it despite the manner in which it was conceived, why should she have to give up or share her parental right with the person who violated her? This makes the child nothing more than a hunter’s trophy and might as well be stuffed and displayed upon the wall along with all the other wild game that the mighty man has conquered. A child is not a prize to be won.

Clearly, none of these ignorant Pleistocene throw-backs have ever been raped themselves or have ever had a loved one become a victim of such a brutal crime. Perhaps they themselves have been the perpetrators of rape and therefore would naturally believe through a warped view that there is nothing wrong with creating life in such a manner.

Finally... Yes, you read that correctly: I said, “innocent.” No one asks to be raped, let alone begs for it, no matter how they act or how they dress. Trash is trash, but no still means no. Force is force. Against a will is against a will. There is no gray area.

It upsets me to think that we as a nation still hold women is such low regard that those pompous “leaders” feel justified in defending and propagating aggression, violence, objectification, and discrimination of women in our society. However, what saddens me most of all is that there are voters who supported them in this election. This is something to think about the next time we are called to vote.