Regarding the issue surrounding the Wendy Davis debacle (AKA abortion and women’s rights)

I am very hesitant to post this as I’m not fond of entering into Internet debates about any topic, particularly political ones.  However, I think it’s time to discuss this issue frankly.  I’m quite certain most of the feedback I receive for this will be negative, but that’s okay.

Since 2010, I have been a part of a growing Internet subculture called the Nerdfighters. Nerdfighter groups are made up of loyal viewers of the vlogbrothers channel on YouTube. (For those who don’t know, Nerdfighters don’t fight nerds; they fight for nerds and for awesome.)  I watch the vlogbrothers and several other YouTube channels run by Nerdfighters because I find most of them funny and insightful.

I will admit that Nerdfighters are, generally speaking, liberal in their political leanings.  There are a few of us who are conservative, but we are vastly outnumbered.  As a result of this slant toward the left, I have been exposed to far more positive commentary on this whole Wendy Davis filibuster thing than I would have been exposed to prior to joining this group.  I am glad to have been privy to the thoughts of those whose view is different than mine.  But, it’s time to address some things.

When it comes to women’s rights and abortion, particularly regarding the Wendy Davis debacle, the attitude that I have seen displayed by those who lean to the left is that there are Those For Women’s Rights (which includes, but is not limited to, being pro-abortion to some extent) and Scumbags Who Want to Oppress Women and that’s it; you fit into one of those groups.

As you can imagine, this makes life quite awkward for those of us Texan women (and non-Texan women) who are anti-abortion.  Personally, it feels as if I’m opposed to my own gender, even though I know there are millions of women who hold similar values across the nation.  When one divides the abortion issue into Women’s Rights and The Opposition, it makes it sound as if The Opposition hates women and just wants to oppress them for all eternity.

Let me first say this: while I’m sure a few hold that idea, by-and-large, this is not true.

When this topic is broken down into Pro-Women and Anti-Women camps, it is skirting the actual issue at hand and insulting a large portion of the population in the process.  There is no reason not to address what is actually going on rather than sweeping it all under the broad title of Women’s Rights and washing our hands of it.  This debate is far more complex than that.

It’s time to call a spade a spade.  The fact is, most anti-abortion advocates don’t want government regulation concerning what women do with their own bodies.  This is not, in fact, an issue of women’s rights but of semantics.  The main area in which we differ with those who want access to abortion is on the definition of where the woman’s body ends and a child’s begins.  We don’t differ on how women should be treated or what rights they should have…just on where their bodies stop and another person’s starts.

I’m for women being treated equally as men.  I’m for women’s rights.  But I am opposed to abortion, and I’m incredibly irritated by those who act as if those of us who are anti-abortion are also anti-women. It’s not true and it’s an uneducated, dangerous, and offensive misconception.

I look forward to reading insightful comments, but please know I personally will not be engaging in debates beyond the scope of this very limited post.  

Dear #OccupyDallas

Dear #OccupyDallas

To adapt a worn-out Internet meme: Protesting: you’re doing it wrong.

I absolutely agree that the outsourcing of jobs and various other practices commonly performed by corporate America are unfortunate and have certainly contributed to our hardships as a country. However, I am concerned with your lack of proposed direction.

A protest generally works in this way: A hates the way B does something, so A lets B know that he isn’t going to take it any more. A tells B that he should change in ways which will make A happy.  B may or may not comply.

For instance, people protesting the current war might do something like this:

A protest village in London, June 2010

You’ll notice that their signs plainly state what makes them unhappy and what changes would make them happy.  This is where you have failed miserably.

There are hardships.  The American economy has been poor for years. Companies are sending jobs overseas because they can’t seem to see beyond their shareholders.  This is all very true, and it might even be something to get worked up about.  However, declaring yourself the 99% and marching with no demands helps no one, including your own cause.

The problem here is that no one knows what you want.  We all recognize that you hate that the 1% controls things.  We know that many of you haven’t been able to find jobs or have had to suffer without cable for two years.  We understand that corporate greed seems to run our country.  However, you have come to the table with a thousand complaints and not one solution.

How in the world do you expect to get what you want when even you don’t know what that is?

There is no way to make your current movement happy.  Every movement should have an objective of sorts and the only one yours seems to have come up with is, “The majority of us does not agree with the minority, but the minority has more money!” which is less of an objective and more of a rambling T-shirt slogan.

The fact of the matter is that you will never succeed if you continue on in this manner.  The success of a movement is determined by the reaching of certain goals.  You lack discernible goals and will therefore find it difficult to ever feel that this movement was successful.  As of right now, it just sounds like you’re a group of people whining about first-world problems while you secretly hope for government-mandated wealth redistribution (which, by the way, never works out quite the way people think it will).

Please stop protesting until you can intelligently define your terms.  After that, you may proceed in your demonstrations.  This is, after all, the land of the free, where people can speak, write, act, protest, run their businesses and make money in just about any way they please.

Sincerely,

Chelsea

Dear Weather in Texas

Dear Weather in Texas,

I don’t know if you quite realize this, but you are not, in fact, the weather in Chennai, India, the Sahara Desert, or the surface of the sun.  You are in Texas.  Now that I’ve cleared that up, I hope there is no more confusion.

Please revert to non-broiling-my-skin-while-I’m-still-alive-and-kicking weather.

Sincerely,

Chelsea

Dear Blankets

Dear Blankets and Other Assorted Bedding,

The ways in which you came into the possession of my roommates and myself vary greatly. Some of you were given to us, some were made for us, some were purchased at Ross: Dress for Less, some are so old I honestly have no idea where you came from and are currently being held together with safety pins, and some magically appeared in our house, your origins being a mystery to us.

However you came to us, I am entirely grateful for you all. Right now, since our heat is out in a drafty, old house and Dallas is experiencing the third day of a blasted ice storm, you have come in handy in more ways than we could have thought.

To those silk sheets that were given to M.: thank you for covering our kitchen and living room windows to keep the drafts out. This nearly makes up for the fact that you are too slippery to actually be used as sheets.

To the mystery sheet: you appeared out of nowhere, matching absolutely nothing. No one claimed you and no one loved you. But, now, as you block the drafts that come into the living room via the front door and the rest of the house, we appreciate you greatly.

To the afghan that T. dislikes severely: you are no less appreciated than the mystery sheet, as you are blocking out the cold air from the hall.

To the pillows under the afghan that T. dislikes severely: you materialized when M. and I shared a room. We looked in the corner of our room and there was a mysterious pile of pillows that belonged to both no one and everyone. After cleverly naming your group The Pillow Pile, we promptly forgot about you. Until last night. You are currently taking up the afghan’s slack, blocking the drafts in places where the afghan falls short.

To the foam bed toppers: you’re doing a great job insulating us from that sliding glass door. Keep on doing what you’re doing.

And, finally, to the millions of blankets that covered us last night as all five of us huddled in front of the fireplace attempting to not contract hypothermia and die: thank you, thank you, thank you.

On the behalf of the roommates, I say: we are entirely appreciative of all of you and wouldn’t have been able to insulate the living room and survive without you. I thank you profusely. Let’s hope this ice storm doesn’t last much longer so you can return to fulfilling your intended purposes.

Sincerely,
Chelsea

Dear Inhabitants of North Texas

Dear Inhabitants of North Texas,

I do understand that many of you are unaware of the joys of snow. If you were around for the freak snowstorm of February 11, 2010, you probably realize that snow is white, fluffy, soft and fun to play with. Personally, I spent about an hour last year flinging snowballs at my friends and enjoyed snow’s presence very much.

I do not, however, enjoy ice. Ice is slippery, hard and makes life entirely difficult. Though I probably could make balls of ice to throw at my friends, that joyful activity wouldn’t last long as my friends would either abandon me or be knocked unconscious. Ice makes just the task of walking not only frustrating but dangerous. It is a menace and should not be celebrated.

Now that this issue has been clarified, I hope you understand where I’m coming from when I say the following: Today is not a snow day; it is an ice storm. Though schools have been closed and all of my roommates have been able to skip work, the weather has not brought the fun activities that typically come along with a snow day. Though I’m sure this day will be relaxing for most, it cannot in good conscience be called a “snow day” when snow is nowhere to be found.

Fix your semantics. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Chelsea

Dear Tuesday

Dear Tuesday,

I’m sure Texas is blackmailing you or has some other way of getting you to torture its residents. However, a high temperature of 80 degrees in the middle of December seems a tad extreme. Please change your plans for the temperature post haste.

Sincerely,
Chelsea