Inhuman Swill : The choice

The choice

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04 November 2008 @ 09:00 am

The choice

If you're an American voter and you're still undecided today, please read this New Yorker editorial and think hard about it before you go to the polls:

The Choice

And to those of you for whom opposing abortion is the most important issue in this campaign, please ask yourselves honestly why protecting a horde of merely potential human beings who are more likely than ever to be born into crushing poverty is more important to you than ensuring that there is a clean, prosperous, and stable world for them to live on.

If you don't like abortion, don't have one, but please, for the sake of us all, don't let that get in the way of dealing with the real problems we face here in the real world. Real, feeling people are suffering in real, horrendous ways now. You are part of the world economy, and you are without doubt feeling the pain yourself.

If you vote only with the goal of ending access to abortion in mind, you may call yourself "pro-life," but in reality you are voting against life—against the lives of the real, breathing, thinking, suffering people who are your friends, family, and fellow humans.

Think hard.

Tags: abortion, ecology, economics, elections, environment, politics, war

Current Location: Chicago, IL

10 comments | Leave a comment

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asphalteden on November 4th, 2008 04:25 pm (UTC)

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kraorh on November 4th, 2008 05:22 pm (UTC)

Awesome!

Oh, and Mr. Shunn: I'm actually voting for Bob Barr, for what it's worth. I did, in fact, "think hard," but at the end of the day, politicians are mostly just clowns who lust after power. And the choice, typically, is over who you think will do the least harm. People who are voting for McCain, presumably, do so because they don't think he'll be as bad as Obama. And vice versa.

And I'm inclined to agree with you on abortion. They don't say that libertarians are "pro-choice on everything" for nothing. That said, though, I don't think pro-lifers will find your argument terribly persuasive. Presumably they believe in a wide spectrum of values that may lead them to the pro-life position on abortion, but probably also includes other positions that lead them to conservatism. Your argument, though, makes it sound like if it weren't for abortion, these people would all be liberals. I've known, in my life, of one or two people for whom that might be true, but they are rarities.

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shunn on November 4th, 2008 06:06 pm (UTC)

I'm obviously indulging in rhetoric; for most people, the pro-life position is not independent of other beliefs, but is part of a certain broader worldview. Which doesn't mean the label shouldn't be called out for the empty lie it is.

I'm realist enough that I didn't expect to change any minds with this post, though one or two would be better than none. I try to vote from a position of optimism, though, not one of cynicism.

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kraorh on November 4th, 2008 10:59 pm (UTC)

Well said. I think that's essentially what people should do - vote their principles. Doing so would help us avoid the usual dilemma of trying to discern who is the lesser of two evils. And not to mention, make American politics more interesting.

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shunn on November 4th, 2008 06:01 pm (UTC)

Klaatu barack nikto?

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silk_noir on November 4th, 2008 04:40 pm (UTC)

It means a hell of a lot to me that you posted this. Thank you.

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quixote317 on November 4th, 2008 04:42 pm (UTC)

You've fallen into the trap of thinking that the anti-abortionists are interested in saving babies' lives. They're not - they want to make sure that women are appropriately punished for daring to have sex. Suffering is the whole point.

Edited at 2008-11-04 04:42 pm (UTC)

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silk_noir on November 4th, 2008 05:36 pm (UTC)

You got that right.

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shunn on November 4th, 2008 06:09 pm (UTC)

I think it's about control more than suffering, but whatever the true reason behind the justification, I think it's helpful to point out the contradiction behind the labeling.

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