I hate sexism. I hate racism. Right now I'm also really not fond of ageism.

I was reading an online article about the political parties and their stances on abortion - it was partly for work, but mostly for personal "enjoyment" I guess you could say. The article didn't add any new insight on the topic: Democrats support rights, Republicans support life, all the buzz words and whatnot. The comments were to be expected as well; they were mostly biblical references, cries of baby-killing, and trolling. But there was one post that was mostly glossed over by other readers which really, really bothered me:

Most of us PUMAs (but not all) are too old to worry about the "Big A" [abortion] so we're not that worried about McCain's positions. I wonder when young women will wake up and realize that Obama is waffling on choice. (Feeling blue, girls?) He has yet to say anything about the egregious proposed HHS policies that would classify The Pill and the IUD, common forms of birth control as abortion. I guess he's just not that worried about it. Too bad for you kids who need to be. Like most Americans, I'm not pro-abortion but I realize the dangers of making abortion illegal. When Democrats understand that subtlety, then they'll make progress. The middle ground can be summed up this way. 'She's against abortion until she needs one.'

I can't get behind the PUMA party - if you are unfamiliar with the group, it stands for Party Unity My Ass - but I understand their frustration with the Democratic Party leadership. That being said, for a group that prides itself on disowning a political party for not being inclusive, specifically toward women, this statement packs a wallop. It might not have been the intention of the poster and I can't arbitrarily say that this individual speaks for the whole of PUMA, but jeez. The overall implication of this person's post, in my opinion, is that young women and their reproductive rights aren't as important as political sexism. Is it possible to be a defender of unity while simultaneously ignoring a portion of the demographic you claim to want to protect? Why the condescension? Not all young women voted for Barack Obama so why demonize all of us just because you are older - doesn't make too much sense to me. I'll admit that it's entirely possible I'm drawing conclusions from nothing, but it's the "subtle" hypocrisy of the poster that shows me that sexism cannot be our only concern, at least politically.

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July 31, 2008 1:59 PM

[0+|0-]  telarc11 said:

Check out this hopeful Obama video from Maria Muldaur’s “Yes We Can!” Tons of friends, too, like Amma, Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Holly Near, Phoebe Snow, Marianne Williamson, and more.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZLVXxGMG3Fw

http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/83672/

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