tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post6791674051944890812..comments2024-02-07T11:31:44.141+03:00Comments on On Life in St. Petersburg: Punch in the GutElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-41045437028907564402017-01-11T00:22:57.700+03:002017-01-11T00:22:57.700+03:00There is definitely a huge political aspect to it....There is definitely a huge political aspect to it. I wasn't indifferent before but I felt attacked as a Christian when it was frowned upon to say Merry Christmas, so I tried to say it anyway. It was more of a DEfensive approach, if you know what I mean, but now I realize that people see it as offensive. Does that make sense? I can't explain the "punch in the gut" thing any more than to just say that it made me try to put myself in someone else's shoes.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-59073469023527529432017-01-08T02:07:54.849+03:002017-01-08T02:07:54.849+03:00Frankly, I think if someone feels "punched in...Frankly, I think if someone feels "punched in the gut" because someone wishes them Merry Christmas, then it is their problem. Are they ashamed of their religion? If someone wished me Happy Hanukkuh, or "Holy Ramadan" or something, I's either say "Thanks, same to you!" or if I actually had an ongoing relationship explain that I'm not actually Jewish/Muslim, sorry for any miscommunication. A greeting isn't intended to be insulting! It isn't even intended to be proselytizing. In fact, probably most of the time a person who says "Merry Christmas" (at least in the US) isn't really a Christian - just a present-under-the-tree-opener. <br /><br />I do think that "correctness" is "catchy". I am planning to have the teens do a program in a few weeks that puts guys and girls in different small groups for sessions entitled, "True Beauty: Becoming the Woman God Created You to Be". and "True Strength"...etc. for the guys. I surprised myself by thinking that it wasn't quite right for women to be "beautiful" while men must be "strong". So, I cut the first part off both the titles in my email to parents, flinching while I did it. Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623179886908222942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-11035301418332453842017-01-02T22:16:57.634+03:002017-01-02T22:16:57.634+03:00Yes, I had to go back again and rethink my origina...Yes, I had to go back again and rethink my original thought-process. Obviously I probably had the same reaction as you, it initially. I don't want to defend the people who protested as I felt like it was kind of a lame, hypothetical argument. Just like you were saying-why invent offense on behalf of someone else, when it doesn't even fit the original context? But I made myself think of a real-life woman who'd had an abortion and how it might make her feel, and if I heard from an actual person that would make me react differently. I think I would feel compassionate. I also think there can be some passive-aggressive behavior on either side.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-47235866395470795942016-12-31T00:26:21.838+03:002016-12-31T00:26:21.838+03:00Sorry, I get pretty opinionated on this topic and ...Sorry, I get pretty opinionated on this topic and I think I'm coming off a little intense. 😉 It's good to think these things through. 😊Calliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177545285954715021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-73867148705009465132016-12-30T23:59:58.877+03:002016-12-30T23:59:58.877+03:00A lot of the people with Downs in that particular ...A lot of the people with Downs in that particular ad were speaking for themselves, of things they could still do even with a disability. We are talking about the ad that the French banned right? Did you watch it? It was meant as an encouragement for women who have children with Down's syndrome, to show that their children can live full lives and do amazing things, and it wasn't exploitive because these people were speaking for themselves. The issue of abortion was not even mentioned in that ad or addressed in any way, the French government inserted that themselves. The ad was meant to inspire and honor the value of people with disabilities, but apparently we can't even portray the lives of people with Down's syndrome in a positive way, using their own stories as examples, because some people don't want to think about them that way? That is discrimination, and offensive to people with Down's and their families. Why does their offense count for nothing here? I know there was a lot of heartache from that community when the ad was banned.Calliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177545285954715021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-37210817241519575212016-12-30T00:31:55.834+03:002016-12-30T00:31:55.834+03:00I started that post so long ago that I forgot what...I started that post so long ago that I forgot what my initial reaction was! I definitely think there is a fine line between advocating and manipulating people emotionally. We shouldn't be afraid of offending anyone, but is it okay if we are TRYING to shake them up? I'm thinking about graphic anti-abortion posters and things like that. Is it exploitation to post cute photos of kids with Down Syndrome? I've given this a lot of thought more in the context of orphan advocacy. Anyway, I think I agree with you! Defending the rights of the helpless is a good thing!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-73832192353425835252016-12-27T21:10:40.426+03:002016-12-27T21:10:40.426+03:00Well, I will say that on the ad with children with...Well, I will say that on the ad with children with Down Syndrome - I was upset that France banned it because in that instance they were actually alienating people with Down's Syndrome. No one wants to add to the pain of a woman who has had an abortion, but the ad didn't say anything to those women at all, one way or another. It didn't attack these women or judge them at all. There is no way for the government to create an environment where there is no chance of a painful reminder of that past choice, even if that was the government's responsibility. That ad was upholding the inherent value of people who have disabilities, and it was actually discriminatory toward THEM for France to decide that a different (and presumably "more important") group of people somehow has a right not to see them.Calliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177545285954715021noreply@blogger.com