clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2008-10-21 09:09 am
clevermanka) wrote2008-10-21 09:09 am
Entry tags:
Free expression
Yesterday I had a brief exchange with someone on someone else's LJ that made me think about our tendency to think for other people. OK, and I needed to rant about it a little bit.
It's becoming sadly commonplace for others to legislate (or shame) adults into behaviors that are believed to be "for their own good." Smoking bans, helmet laws, the "war" on drugs...and those are just the big legal issues. The list goes on to include even the most petty things like those ridiculous black blinders that our local Dillon's grocery store puts over the cover of Cosmopolitan.
We need to protect people from themselves and their worst base instincts, right? Adults shouldn't be allowed to decide what is and isn't appropriate activity. And if something is legal (in most counties), like, oh, say...a woman taking her clothes off for money...well, that woman should be made to feel bad for doing it, right? And if another woman has the audacity to say that her friend should have the right to take her clothes off for money, that woman should be shown the error of her ways, right? Goodness knows she shouldn't have a right to her own opinion, much less the right to do what she wants to with her body. She should most certainly be told that oppression is wrong (and directed to a helpful Wikipedia article in case she's uncertain about a definition of oppression).
Many years ago, I read a book called Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do. It helped form my opinions on some major issues that I'd sort of waffled about. It also formed my opinion that everyone has a right to their opinion (even if I disagree with it--which I often do). In the exchange I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I preemptively said "it's likely that our opinions differ." Instead of a "Yeah, we totally disagree on this one. I think..." response, it was implied that I'm wrong! wrong! wrong! and aren't I ashamed of myself for supporting oppression? Well...why? It's not like I'm advocating drowning puppies, here. I just said I think it's OK for a woman to take off her clothes for cash. I'm not telling other people to be ashamed of their beliefs (unless you're one of those people who believe ketchup is an appropriate seasoning for steak, in which case you should be totally, totally ashamed).
Now, I'm a fairly liberal gal with fairly liberal views--and I use the term "liberal" in the non-political-party sense here. It never fails to amuse/frustrate me that many people who call themselves liberal (meaning Democrat) want to control my actions and castigate my opinions--usually because I'm being too liberal.
A long time ago, my mother (who is anti-abortion) shared with me her opinion on why abortion should not be made illegal: "You can't legislate morality." But people continue to try. And when something isn't illegal (yet), it's common to call in the morality police. It might be legal do something, but you should feel really bad about doing it!
This is terribly rambly, I know, and I do apologize for that--the style, if not the content. I needed to vent about it, but I don't have a lot of time to go back and edit this. If there's confusion, I hope it can get cleared up in the comments.
As a side note: Here's the Feminists for Free Expression website. Until yesterday afternoon, there were only two people on all of LJ who listed Feminists for Free Expression as an LJ interest. I was one of them.
It's becoming sadly commonplace for others to legislate (or shame) adults into behaviors that are believed to be "for their own good." Smoking bans, helmet laws, the "war" on drugs...and those are just the big legal issues. The list goes on to include even the most petty things like those ridiculous black blinders that our local Dillon's grocery store puts over the cover of Cosmopolitan.
We need to protect people from themselves and their worst base instincts, right? Adults shouldn't be allowed to decide what is and isn't appropriate activity. And if something is legal (in most counties), like, oh, say...a woman taking her clothes off for money...well, that woman should be made to feel bad for doing it, right? And if another woman has the audacity to say that her friend should have the right to take her clothes off for money, that woman should be shown the error of her ways, right? Goodness knows she shouldn't have a right to her own opinion, much less the right to do what she wants to with her body. She should most certainly be told that oppression is wrong (and directed to a helpful Wikipedia article in case she's uncertain about a definition of oppression).
Many years ago, I read a book called Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do. It helped form my opinions on some major issues that I'd sort of waffled about. It also formed my opinion that everyone has a right to their opinion (even if I disagree with it--which I often do). In the exchange I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I preemptively said "it's likely that our opinions differ." Instead of a "Yeah, we totally disagree on this one. I think..." response, it was implied that I'm wrong! wrong! wrong! and aren't I ashamed of myself for supporting oppression? Well...why? It's not like I'm advocating drowning puppies, here. I just said I think it's OK for a woman to take off her clothes for cash. I'm not telling other people to be ashamed of their beliefs (unless you're one of those people who believe ketchup is an appropriate seasoning for steak, in which case you should be totally, totally ashamed).
Now, I'm a fairly liberal gal with fairly liberal views--and I use the term "liberal" in the non-political-party sense here. It never fails to amuse/frustrate me that many people who call themselves liberal (meaning Democrat) want to control my actions and castigate my opinions--usually because I'm being too liberal.
A long time ago, my mother (who is anti-abortion) shared with me her opinion on why abortion should not be made illegal: "You can't legislate morality." But people continue to try. And when something isn't illegal (yet), it's common to call in the morality police. It might be legal do something, but you should feel really bad about doing it!
This is terribly rambly, I know, and I do apologize for that--the style, if not the content. I needed to vent about it, but I don't have a lot of time to go back and edit this. If there's confusion, I hope it can get cleared up in the comments.
As a side note: Here's the Feminists for Free Expression website. Until yesterday afternoon, there were only two people on all of LJ who listed Feminists for Free Expression as an LJ interest. I was one of them.
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