Dragaera

OSC on the virtues of writer's block

Talpianna at aol.com Talpianna at aol.com
Thu Dec 4 22:44:29 PST 2003

In a message dated 12/4/2003 11:21:30 PM US Mountain Standard Time, 
gomi at pollywog.com writes:
>>>>>>>>> and the idea that sex is somehow naturally sinful, and  that 
"fallen 
> women" should suffer social sanctions, underlies opposition to 
> contraception and blanket vilification of mothers on welfare.

You cannot be serious.
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I'm perfectly serious.  I don't know how old you are, but I remember the 
sexual revolution of the 60s very well (though a noncombatant); and the outrage 
that women could, thanks to the Pill, have sex whenever and with whomever they 
pleased, without the punishment of producing a bastard and being frowned on by 
respectable society.  I'm not advocating promiscuity, or denying the existence 
of welfare fraud; but it was religious/moral outrage that fueled the flames.  
Not unlike the present attitude to AIDS and gay marriage.  And what on earth, 
other than moral judgment, would justify the government, or anyone else, 
telling other people, even married ones, that they should not practice 
contraception if they choose?


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>>>>>>Right. And Islam has been used to bolster such respected traditions as
using high explosives to drive high-speed nails through small children
and killing your own daughter when she won't commit suicide after being
raped.

I suspect, however, that you would not be so swift to heap opprobrium on
that particular religion thereby. Affirm/deny?

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Deny absolutely.  I chose Christianity as an example because I was 
considering religious effect on Western, not Middle Eastern, policies; and there has 
been entirely too much Muslim-bashing lately.  I tend to agree with a lot of it, 
but it's lost a lot of its effect because of repetition.  Also, there is some 
evidence that the "honor killings" are based on tribal culture rather than 
religion--not that that makes them less abhorrent.  I hold no brief for Islam, 
largely because the supposed moderates do not denounce the killings you mention 
the way decent Protestant and Catholic leaders do with respect to the similar 
atrocities on both sides in Ulster; but there are different varieties of it, 
and some do not agree with the extremists.

How could you possibly think that I, as a woman, would be less appalled by 
the extremities of Sharia law, knowing that it is women who suffer the most from 
it?

                                        talpianna