Monday, May 08, 2006

Pointless Essay number (previous plus one): Abortion Ideology

I recently discussed the issue of abortion with somebody, and I was left with the distinct impression that he had made up his mind about me and my opinions and my reasons for holding the opinions that I do well before the conversation started. I suspect he had made up his mind about me well before he even met me. In response to this person, all I have to say about abortion is this:

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Quick. Tell me your opinions on abortion. Go ahead. Right now. Tell me. Are you pro-life or pro-choice? Pro-death or anti-choice? Which is it? Make up your mind right now and tell me. Quickly. Let me know. It’s easy. All you have to do is say whether you think abortion ends a life or whether you believe it is just a ball of lifeless flesh that a woman should be able to get rid of without provocation from outside influences. It’s a simple decision, really. Do you believe that killing babies is ok or do you want to force women into pregnant servitude? It’s not a big deal. Just make up your mind which camp you want to be in and relay that information to me so I can conveniently compartmentalize your entire thought process into a simple box which I will lovingly and gently smash into teeny tiny little pieces for being the exact polar opposite of everything I believe. You are wrong, whichever decision you make, and I will ridicule you forever for your stupidity and heartlessness and small mindedness. So make your decision. Go ahead. But remember, whichever decision you make, it is wrong. Because you are a bad person no matter who you are, and I don’t really care about abortion, women’s rights, the life of the child, the people involved, the emotional impact, or the far reaching societal consequences of this momentous decision. All I care about is how much I hate you. So make your decision. And do it quickly.

There is a lot more blood to spill after yours.

2 comments:

Suzanne said...

I sympathize. I don't think it's fair to box people like that before the conversation. People have all kinds of opinions about abortion, and a discussion doesn't obligate one to change the other's mind. Just seeing what the other has to say can be useful.

The Sasquatch said...

I think its more than useful. I think its essential. I once knew two people who had a strong dislike for each other because one considered himself a democrat and the other considered himself a Republican. The Democrat was a huge proponent of enviornemntal issues and beleived strongly in women's rights and racial equality and diversity and all that, but his economic ideas were decidedly conservative. The Republican was an economic nut (he was working towards a masters degree on the subject) and held closely to generally conservative economic principles, but he also believed the enviornment and equal rights were good things. So, for those of you keeping score at home, they basically agreed on every major political issue, but because of their subjective interpretations of what it meant to be a conservative or a liberal, they could hardly be in the same room.

Strange.

Thanks for writing! Sorry for the rant.