Dear 21st Century USA

Words rarely fail me, but this is something that I still don’t know how to properly articulate. As a woman. As a mom. Mom to girls. As a human being.

What we’re witnessing here in the USA is appalling, to put it mildly.

We have the party of self-proclaimed pro-lifers go above and beyond themselves to block any and all measures that would make (the forcefully-born) life actually livable. With dignity.

If life matters so much, let the women decide on her own how to live hers.

If life matters so much, let the women receive the best prenatal support.

If life matters so much, let the women rest and recover after birthing, adopting, or losing a baby.

If life matters so much, let the new baby and the momma have access to best medical care.

Provide her with childcare.

Afford the child the best education.

Afford the mom & dad (when in the picture) paid maternity, sick, and vacation leave.

If life matters so much, let whatever threatens and destroys it to be regulated (ahem, gun control).

Moreover, this so-called party of life just voted, unanimously, against any and all measures that would expedite the production and replenish the supplies of baby formula! So much about pro-life!

Except, it’s not really about caring for life.

It never was.

And it’s also not about religious freedom. First of all, the Constitution calls for the separation of Church and State.

Secondly, the Constitution guarantees religious freedoms — so their argument implies that religion of one person shall dictate how 300million people live?

And third — the Constitution doesn’t even mention “women” in the first place, which is a whole other argument altogether.

What this is about, is control. And power.

Let’s be clear on one thing — this is not just the Republican thing. Indeed, for decades they have been working hard to create this alternative reality with distorted information and propaganda, to put everything in place, on every level, to now be here. And, they were very clear and vocal about it every step of the way.

It’s just as much a Democratic thing. And their complicity that results in a so-called ratchet-effect. For decades, they have had many opportunities to take proper actions to prevent these events form happening. But they never really bothered to stretch themselves beyond the talking points.

Why? Power. Control.

See, the roll-back of women’s rights to her bodily autonomy… and discrimination against the minorities… Sexism, misogyny, bigotry, racism, homophobia… and “othering” and “what-about-ism”… and tolerating white supremacy… It’s all the System working exactly the way it’s been designed to.

It’s all actually a mechanism of control. It’s how mediocre [cis-white men] get to hold onto power that they do not deserve to wield.

When you dehumanize a group of people, take away their rights.

When you force this group out of workforce (to care for the forcefully-born children).

When you remove access to education.

When you restrict access to healthcare.

When you get away with murdering them in broad daylight.

When you bring the livelihood down to such lows, you create a modern-day slavery.

It’s not much different than what the Capitalism has already evolved into. Remember all the fear-mongering about what socialism would look like? Empty shelves, people locked into mindless jobs, and starving children? Oh, the irony. And clueless blindness…

Well, when you entrap people into jobs that do not pay enough to even live.

And lock them in with the only means to access (affordable?) healthcare, you minimize mobility.

When you make access to education prohibitively expensive, you can continue to brainwash and fear-monger. Clueless blindness…

When you only find schools from property taxes, you deliberately perpetuate closed loops of desperation.

Ultimately, you create such unbearable conditions that people will willingly fall in line with whatever the “dear leader” commands out of sheer self-perseverance.

From there, anything and everything can and will happen.

By then, it’s already too late.

Just look at history. And you don’t even have to dig deep or look far!

And it’s not just women. It’s immigrants. It’s the BIPOC. It’s the LGBTQ communities. Basically, anyone and everyone who is not an Evangelical cis-white man.

And no, this is not some “third-world country far away a long time ago.”

Welcome to the 21st century USA… The “greatest country in the world.”

Dear USA… welcome to Fascism and totalitarianism. Weren’t your grandfathers proudly fight against it? Mine gave their lives… Isn’t this kind of freedom against centralized power what the Founding Fathers fought for? So much for patriotism… Oh, the irony.

Now, what do we do?

From where I see it — we roll up the sleeves and fight! We are so fucking powerful, when we join our forces, when we unleash our powers. Together, when we want to. This won’t happen by us pleading and trying to persuade those is power because they don’t actually have a problem. They have what they want.

Last but not least… Yes, this is a lot.

Yes, this is tiring.

And yes, the easy way out is to say and do nothing. (And to keep sending love and light and focusing only on good thoughts. Looking at you, toxic Spiritual & Wellness folks).

“I was all for abortion right, but when I held my baby for the first time, something shifted and now I just can’t imagine…” is a copout.

Great, we’re happy for your experience! Now stay out of other people’s decisions that are best for them. Better yet — fight for their freedom to have that choice. Because sooner or later, it will be your turn and your freedoms.

“You know, I really don’t know all that much about it, I’ll stay out, it’s draining me” is another copout.

No, I don’t think you need to be an expert on all-things. And not all of us are meant to march the streets. Some educate. Some fundraiser. Some legislate. Some hold space. We need all hands on deck! But if you bother to vote, you need to bother to educate yourself. And it you don’t vote when you could, then you are just as complicit. Because sooner or later, it will be your turn.

Sounds harsh? Welcome to the 21st century USA.

Sara

P.S.: To quote Emily Weltman, “When you defend White Supremacists, police brutality, military invasions, TERFs, sexual predators, rapists, xenophobic racists, C-suite billionaires, book banners, vaccine conspiracists, and climate deniers, you out yourself. Every single time.”

Originally published by Sara Oblak Speicher at https://www.linkedin.com.