Why Western Women Are What They Are
The stream of articles never seems to stop; western-woman hating submissions. They’re fat, ugly, pretentious, but most of all, they have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to dealing with western men. I have made my views known on this subject a couple of times, and been castigated for them hundreds of times, but it just seems to me that for every obnoxious, fat pig of a feminist I meet, I meet ten others who seem like perfectly nice people. Some, even though on in years, are still drop-dead gorgeous. My next door neighbor for instance, blonde-hair, blue eyes, out-going personality, late 40’s, whom my 20-something sons would kill to get cozy with. Anyway, I still believe that this idea of most western women being feminazis is way overblown. Though it might come as a surprise to some of you, I am no sniveling liberal. I voted for Reagan and HW and consider myself a “true” William F. Buckley and Peter Viereck conservative. So, it is with great hesitation that I again wade into these turbulent waters. The reasons I do so now are some recent developments in America that may explain why some women, not the majority, may be feeling more threatened than usual.
A little background for those not currently living in America. In recent years, we have experienced an up-tick in the political battle over abortion. Right now, a woman can get an abortion in her first trimester pretty much on demand. Then, it becomes harder and harder as the pregnancy moves on, until it is almost impossible. Also, if the baby is still born or the birth would put the mother’s health at risk, abortion is an option, as it is in cases of rape or incest. This was the compromise made by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade in 1973. Women were mostly satisfied with this ruling as it gave then control of their own bodies, although with some restrictions. But for a lot of people, including women, abortion today seems like a drastic step; much better to practice proper birth control or as is happening more and more, become a single mother.
Some politicians, sensing a change in the mood of the people, have become much more aggressive in their opposition to abortion. Many of them, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, have not stopped there. They are trying to restrict access to all forms of birth control, except the wildly popular “aspirin between the knees” method. This really worked for Sarah Palin’s daughter, didn’t it? But if you’re a sensible American woman these days, it seems like there are a lot men in high places trying to take back control of your reproductive and sexual functions. I don’t know about you, but if I thought a lot of female politicians and church leaders were trying to limit my sexual activities, I would have one massive chip on my shoulder as well.
Preposterous you say. Well here are a few examples.
A unique way to discourage abortions – the vaginal probe!
http://www.washingtonpost.comopinions/even-with-watered-down-ultrasound-bill-virginia-gop-overreaches/2012/02/29/gIQA14aAjR_story.html
Banning birth control by the Church for all Catholic women, but also not providing medical insurance for birth control for women who work for Catholic organizations:
http://www.washingtonpost.comnational/on-faith/catholic-hospitals-reject-obamas-birth-control-compromise/2012/06/15/gJQA2lhgfV_story.html
But it’s not just the Catholic Church; mainstream politicians are also getting on the anti-birth control bandwagon:
http://www.washingtonpost.comnational/health-science/appeals-court-allows-texas-to-ban-state-funding-for-planned-parenthood-pending-trial-over-law/2012/08/21/48089cfa-ebf3-11e1-866f-60a00f604425_story.html
As most people believe that abortions for women who were raped are acceptable, some believe this is a mere “excuse” for an abortion. So, these politicians decided to define different “types” of rape to further restrict abortions:
http://www.politifact.comnew-jersey/statements/2012/aug/22/john-wisniewski/paul-ryan-and-todd-akin-co-sponsored-bill-limiting/
And lastly, this politician merely spoke what he thought was true; women who are raped can “prevent” themselves from getting pregnant:
http://www.washingtonpost.comblogs/the-fix/wp/2012/08/19/todd-akin-gop-senate-candidate-legitimate-rape-rarely-causes-pregnancy/
Some may accuse me of bringing politics into a discussion about gender but that is far from my objective. It is merely to point out that if you are an American woman keeping up with the headlines, there are some real reasons to think men are trying to subjugate you, especially in areas of your personal health and birth control. Certainly, there are cases of reverse-discrimination and other artifacts of human injustice against men, but these are for another discussion. I am not interested in involving myself in the gender warfare that is going on between rival extremes; save your emails, they are wasted on me. Consider this instead: if you believe my caution that trading western women for Asian ones may not be the bargain it seems, then maybe it’s time to give western women another try, only this time with a little more empathy.
Even though Thailand is experiencing a similar political situation with two rival political parties locked in a death grip, neither side has advocated a change in the status quo. The Thais, of course, have found a unique Thai way to deal with these issues. Abortion in Thailand is legal in cases of rape or incest and life or health of the mother. It is illegal for all other reasons. But as we all know about rules in Thailand (made to be broken) this law is rarely enforced, especially in rural areas (source: United Nations). Contraception and sterilization are widely available, such that the size of Thai families has shrunk from about 6.5 children in the 1960’s to about 1.8 children today. The Buddhist sangha frowns on abortions but embraces contraception as the best way to prevent them. In other words, through the use of laws, some enforced and some not, and a common sense approach to the problem, Thailand has avoided the gender wars so prevalent in the west.
Thus, Thai women can walk the streets of Bangkok in control of their own bodies, such that they can greet the horniest of western men with a smile and wai. I suspect that even if Thai men or monks did propose that Thai women give up their rights to control their own sexually, they would not adopt the same rude behavior some western women have. They would merely apply a birth control method that has proven invaluable over the years, feeding the soi dog. Personally, I think I would prefer to put up with the occasional feminazi.
