Can we talk about Michelle Williams and the Golden Globes?

[FloralBunting]

I still have a lot of conservative American friends. In amidst their caveated glee about Ricky Gervais's roasting of Hollywood, they are all keen to tear into Michelle Williams, and I keep seeing "Women do have a choice. Don't want to be pregnant, dont have sex." as though pregnancy happens at random and the only person involved in the conception is the woman. The choice to engage in sex is all hers, apparently, therefore, she should have no say whatsoever in the aftermath.

Admittedly, many of these people are very religious, but I'm reading 'if you choose to fornicate or commit adultery, you should accept the consequences.' and lots of stuff about a pregnant woman 'declaring she is a murderer so she can get a trophy' and it hits me again that none of these people have really committed to reducing abortion, and that many of them will cry foul about the demonising of certain groups to control and silence, and yet here they are calling women murderers and taking no thought whatsoever as to why a woman might feel that abortion is the best choice for her.

I know escalated, angry invective is tempting when we feel frustrated, and I'm damned sure I have fallen into the trap myself at times, but blimey, I just felt freshly depressed at ever seeing polarisation end and people start talking to each other reasonably.

Funny how they never say to men, "dont want to pay child support, dont have sex". No, then it's all about the evil sperm stealing women trapping the poor men who shouldn't have to pay.

Exactly that. Consequences and responsibility only ever seem to be relevant to women. I'm still trying to articulate to myself quite why this reaction fucks me off so much.

I think it was the way it was described to, that 'Michelle Williams used her acceptance speech to shout her abortion', when what she did was calmly explain that she feels she has benefitted from being able to access abortion, and that she thinks this is a positive state of affairs. I know the 'shout your abortion' thing came from the pro-choice side of things, but it seems to me used about this as a way to characterize her comments as aggressive in a way in which they were not. Which obviously feeds into the 'murderous woman killing babies for trophies' thing. So frustrating.

I know the 'shout your abortion' thing came from the pro-choice side of things, but it seems to me used about this as a way to characterize her comments as aggressive in a way in which they were not.

how very dare she not be ashamed!

Well, she wasn't proud about it, either. She was quite matter of fact about something which enabled her to achieve the things she has. She made reasonable statements. Even if one were to disagree with her choices ( I might perhaps lament a structure in which a woman cannot achieve those things if she has a child at the 'wrong' time) how can anyone think that calling her a murderer etc. is a reasonable response to her statements?

What do we expect from the adherents to an extreme form of a religion in which there is the belief that a woman is literally the embodiment of sin and evil entering the perfect world God created.

And I say that as a somewhat lapsed, liberal follower of Christianity.

Should also add I don’t think that means we should just accept it and not challenge at it (or at times despair at the state of the world)

The idea that anyone would listen to the opinions of anyone who says words written for them by someone else for a living is a mystery.