angry blog commenting: yea or nay?

Probably nay.

But I was just reading the blog of a guy who I worked in Kolkata with, and I was really tempted to leave a comment that said something along the lines of, "Um, get fucked, Edward." Really not productive, I know.

Seriously. Edward's an ass. He spent the whole summer close-talking and leg-touching women volunteers, disappeared for a week and blogged that he was off at some priest-house deciding whether or not he's been called, came back convinced that God wanted him to take a wife, just in time to lecture me, before I left, on how I should really be more devoted to the Virgin Mary. Get fucked, Edward. Seriously. I know you want to. You know you want to.

(Note: When I've used the phrase, "Get fucked," before in conversation, I've not been clear enough that I actually mean something like, "Fuck you." In this case, I mean it both ways, I guess. I just didn't realize it until I got to the end of my second paragraph.)

In a post titled, "Sad. Sad. Mr. Barack Obama," Edward comments on Obama's remarks in this video. (His link, not mine, for the record). He takes issue with this statement:

"I've got 2 daughters 9 years old and 6 years old. I'm gonna teach them first of all about values and morals, but if they make a mistake I don't want them punished with baby, I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16."

He responds in his post, "If a baby is a punishment, then what are the elderly, the sick, the disenfranchised, the forgotten?"

First of all: Right, because that's the point Obama was trying to make . That babies are punishment. It would be convenient for you, motherfucker, if that's what Obama was saying. But all the simplifying that you'd like to do of the statement doesn't make Obama anti-life. What I see when I read that statement, is that Obama is seeing and validating the complexities of the pro-life/pro-choice dialogue. Yes, he's acknowledging, having an abortion might not be the ideal situation for any young woman; that said, he's also acknowledging that it's not ideal for a sixteen-year-old woman to have a child to care for, nor is it ideal for her to have an STI. He sees the moral dilemma that that hypothetical pregnant sixteen-year-old faces, and he empathizes with her. (Truthfully, I'm not a fan of the "punishment" and "mistake" wording Obama used. Pregnancy and STIs are not punishments; they are potential consequences. Punishment feels a little too judgment-day-ish, Barack. Sounds like something Edward would say.)

Second of all: While I'm pretty sure that the point you're trying to make is that "elderly, the sick, the disenfranchised, the forgotten" aren't a "punishment" either, but the way that you set them up with a sort of "Well if you think babies are bad, wait'll you see these guys!" is pretty wack. I know you're more into serving and converting than empowering, but seriously, Edward? Ever heard of person-first language? People who are sick. Not "the sick." I'm nit-picking here, it seems, but reading this little piece of condescending bullshit reminded me of how much I can't stand self-congratulatory and preachy assholes like you. Don't call people "the forgotten;" your phrasing contributes to the denial of agency that you purport to be decrying. I don't know much about your background, but I do know that you fly over to Kolkata, you work for, certainly not with, those poor people. You take a bunch of photos of the people you "help" like they're a fucking tourist attraction. You get to be that "one drop in the ocean" that your homegirl talked about. (No disrespect, Mother Teresa. I just think Edward's missed the day they talked about humility as a virtue, and needs a verbal ass-kicking.) It's handy for you, isn't it, that there are "the disenfranchised" out there for you to help? Moe used to say to a a pro-life guy went to high school with, "Call me when you have ovaries." Ha. Either that, Edward, or call me when you don't have access to funding to get yourself over to India for the summers. Then maybe we can brainstorm ways for a sixteen-year old girl to buy diapers, formula, bottles, blankets, onesies, child care, medicine, books for college.


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For the record, there are people who I like a lot more than Edward who are pro-life. While my protestations of his remarks stand, all the swearing and anger is more just about Edward and his nose in the air reminder of "the forgotten." Not that this rant indicates so, but I do think it's important for those of us who consider ourselves pro-choice to be in dialogue with people who consider themselves pro-life. We have a lot in common, I know, I just don't want to be Edward's conversation partner...