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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 9, 2024

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Nothing in the author's writing implies that they are in the group of people thinking of what is being aborted as a "baby". Both sides regularly fail theory of mind over this - blues can't imagine someone actually thinking that an abortion is anything like killing a human (and therefore conclude that pro-life must be mental gymnastics for wanting to punish women who have sex for fun), and reds can't imagine someone not thinking that fetuses are human (and therefore think pro-choice is mental gymnastics for cynical murderism).

If there's any implied argument, it's just something like "you can't commit to ruining the life of some dumbasses just to make concessions to the outgroup" - like most people, the author has sympathy and there-but-for-the-grace attitude for way more dumbasses than outgroup members. Forced motherhood = ruined life incidentally is yet another blue outlook that reds often don't believe is real.

Forced motherhood = ruined life incidentally is yet another blue outlook that reds often don't believe is real

I believe that's real. And I believe that basic human moral obligation means that you ought to care for the child. 1) It'll probably give you purpose and meaning. 2) If you don't want to accept the consequences, don't take the action. Nobody ever dies from not having sex.

If you don't want to accept the consequences, don't take the action.

How much of the "forced motherhood" narrative revolves around the idea that she didn't take the action--her male partner did and she was just a passive participant who now has to deal with the consequences?

At least in Texas, that's entirely possible.

Yes, rape is uncommon. But we're down here because some pundit blamed Walz for eight infant deaths. Surely there's some justification to plan for edge cases?

And at least in the entire US, underage boys are responsible for their children even when raped. What's your point? Forced fatherhood isn't seen as a problem in the slightest. "That sucks, but you're still responsible for the child." is the response we give men who are raped. Why should we treat motherhood differently?

Gross. Maybe we shouldn’t treat men like that.

Problem solved?

The problem is only solved when we stop treating men like that. Can you give a plausible path to that? I don't see one--one side wants both men and women to be held to the same shitty standard while the other only wants to fix it for women. I refuse to support either. I tolerated the status quo under Roe, and now I tolerate the status quo under Dobbs.

EDIT: Rewrote last sentence for clarity.

There's a certain pattern I notice when activists for male rights only seem to bring up male rights issues when they want to take similar rights away from women, and rarely to advocate for granting those rights to men.

No one wants to listen to those dragging others down with them.

There's a certain pattern I notice where gendered issues affecting men are dismissed by framing any support for fixing them as taking away women's rights. Odd how that seems to be designed to cause the pattern you "noticed" isn't it?

There's all sorts of "natural" consequences we've gotten rid of thanks to technology and science. Why is pregnancy different?

I still believe in God, gauche as that may be in our circles for the last few hundred years.

Right, just like how Samuel Colt got rid of the negative psychological consequences of holding a grudge. Progress!

Human life.