Unlimited Ignorance

Another piece from my old blog...

HPV, or the Human Papillomavirus, is the number one cause of cervical cancer in women – a disease that kills almost 250,000 women a year worldwide. Over half the American population – both men and women – have HPV at some point in their life. (1) In most cases it clears up on its own, and for men, the effects are minimal and curable. But for women it can lead to both cervical cancer and infertility.
Growing up in Christ Church, I remember praying for the end of a lot of different things – world hunger, political strife, feminism (not literally, but might have well since it was preached as "evil" from the pulpit), child abuse, Islam, AIDS (oh wait, can't pray for a cure for that either...God's judgement on the "Sodomites" dont ya know...)and finally cancer. However, it would seem that some Christians are never satisfied unless answer to prayer comes on their terms.
A couple years ago I heard rumblings about a shot that would prevent HPV and was extremely excited (as I figured everyone would be) that a prevention for this destructive virus was on the way. The FDA approved the vaccine in 2006, and Guardasil is now offered to females between the ages of 9 – 26. How wonderful – there's no reason (given the shot works like its supposed to, with a 95-100% success rate) families and friends should lose another mother, sister, wife, girlfriend, cousin, niece, granddaughter, or friend to cervical cancer caused by HPV. (2)
But some are not so excited about this cancer preventing vaccine. Since I didn't make it clear before, one important thing to know about HPV is that it is a sexually transmitted disease, and this is the reason various Christian organizations are not happy about it.
"Abstinence is the best way to prevent HPV," the FRC's Bridget Maher reportedly told New Scientist. "Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex." (3)
How interesting – it didn't even occur to me that preventing cancer and saving women's lives could be a negative or "harmful" thing – for any reason.
"We're going to be sending a message to a lot of kids, I think, that you just take this shot and you can be as sexually promiscuous as you want and it's not going to be a problem, and that's just not true," Dr. Hal Wallace, who heads the Physicians Consortium, said in a Focus on the Family news release. (4)
Call me crazy, but Guardasil is only known to prevent 2 kinds of STDs (HPV and Genital warts) and with proper sex ed (or common sense), I trust the American youth to understand that they CAN'T be "as sexually promiscuous as [they] want" just because of one shot.
I'll be reasonable though, I can understand parents not wanting their teens or pre-teens having sex (protected or not). I don't think most teens appreciate or completely understand sex, and I'm not going to be the kind of parent who encourages my kids to have rampant premarital sex. However, I am going to be a realistic parent who loves their child enough to 1) educate them about sex and their options and 2) do everything humanly possible to protect them from some of the ramifications of their choices (i.e. birth control, vaccines etc.)
The problem I have with these parents is that they are so concerned with their "Christian moral values" they are potentially harming their children. These parents need to face it that they can tell their kids to abstain until they're blue in the face, but in the end, when their teen has sex, it's a decision they'll make without their parents. I do not understand the type of parent that wouldn't want the safety net of a vaccine that would protect their child from the possibly unhealthy ramifications of their "mistake/sin." There's a lot to be said about having a personal set of ethics and morals – but to impose that on your children to such an extent you put them at risk…to me that's the real "sin."
I'll wrap this up with a quote that made me laugh and want to throw up at the same time. This is from Janet Parshall, a staff member of the Family Research Council in 1999:
"Either have sex before marriage and get an STD and HIV, HPV or an unplanned pregnancy, or you save it until marriage and you live happily ever after."(5)
There is no limitation to ignorance.


Referenced Websites:
1) http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/default.htm
2) http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/hpv.html
3-5) http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=6587

Thanks Craigslist.

I found this posting on Craigslist in Missed Connections....I've never seen anything like it...Love. It.
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To the woman that crapped in my car. (NE Portland)

We met on Craigslist so I am hoping that this post finds you. I know that it could quite possibly be the most humiliating first date that you have ever been on, but I am willing to look past that.

I thought we had chemistry sitting at McMenamins sharing that basket of Cajun Tots while drinking the Terminator Stout. I really felt like there was a connection there. I found you to be intelligent and witty and looked forward to further conversation with you.

At some point in life, everyone has gambled on a fart and lost. It just happened to be on a first date in the passenger seat of my car. Please don't feel bad. The package I sent you with Pepto the next day and the note that said "First dates are always a crap shoot. Call me" was meant to be funny, not offensive.

I have gambled on a fart and lost on multiple occasions. The first time I did it was very memorable. It happened when I was five and sitting on my uncle's lap. I am lactose intolerant, but love cheese. I probably win 95% of the time, but I don't think anyone wins 100% of the time. That's why they call it "gambling". I'm the last person to judge you for crapping your pants. In fact, I am impressed by your boldness. The timing on the other hand, could have been a tad bit better...like when you're not sitting on a heated leather seat...

What I am trying to say is that if you want to go out again, I would be more than happy to take you someplace where we can get a meal that is high in fiber and less taxing on the digestive tract.

I await your call,
Stout
P.S. - If you shat yourself on purpose to end the evening early.Touché.

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And I thought getting food poisoning on a second date was bad.....

So you think you’re a Nice Guy.

Back in September of 2007 I wrote a blog entry about the following topic (original post at www.limitedwhitespace.blogspot.com) due to the heavy percentage of "nice guys" that were in my life at the time. A year and a half later I'm in exactly the opposite position, surrounded now by male friends and lovers that are what most girls consider assholes… and rightly so in many cases. As effed up as it may seem to some, I'm perfectly content in this new situation, and have found that I love and respect these guys far more than any of the "nice guys" of my former acquaintance. I realize now that I'll take less patience or sweetness any day if I don't have to worry about sorting through the rose scented bullshit that most "nice guys" create for themselves because of their overwhelming lack of backbone.

So. To the nice guys out there – this post is for you. It is meant to help, not hurt, although I know it may sting a bit…

Ok- so here's the deal. In general I make an effort to reign myself in when it comes to making generalized comments on men and women and/or my relationships with them. Love is hard, and both men and women use each other in horrible ways. Whether you are single, or in a relationship, there is always something to complain about... But this entry is dedicated to the boys, and a phrase that has been used for too many years to validate and bolster the self esteem of your sex :

"Nice guys always finish last."

Really? That hasn't been my experience. My friend Ryan once said, "Why hate someone because of the color of their skin? That's ridiculous. If you got to know them I'm sure you'd find there's a lot more legitimate reasons to dislike them." This reminds me of most men. Why would a woman break up with a guy because he's "nice?" Once she gets to know him she'll realize there's way more legitimate reasons to not be with him than the fact he's such a great guy. During the past two years of my single life, this has consistently been the first cliché out of a guy's mouth when I tell him I'm no longer interested in dating. Unfortunately, my consistent response has been, "I know. You're right. It's not fair." I realize now that I took the easy road in those moments, and did nothing but help cement this lie in one more male mind. "Nice guys always finish last," is nothing more than a crutch that men use to excuse their reason for being single, and that women hide behind as a polite excuse for not being interested.

In my opinion, guys like to buy into this phrase for one main reason. Guys that are stereotypical "nice guys" (i.e. respectful, good listeners, sweet, traditional gentlemen etc etc) like to pride themselves on being nice guys so when a woman turns them down or breaks up with them, they are flabbergasted as to why ANY woman would turn down the ultimate prize that is embodied in his polo wearing, hair gelling, man purse toting, sensitive listening, well mannered self. While in this state of butthurt confusion, they always seem to fall back on the conclusion that women only want to be with assholes, and that is why they are not in a relationship. They are simply too good for one.

Call me crazy, but I have never in my life met a single woman who dumped a guy because he treated her "too well." However I've known many women, myself included, who decided they didn't want to be with a nice guy for very legitimate reasons. To be honest, what many guys thinks is nice is actually a lack of a backbone, opinion, and good old fashioned masculinity – not having a favorite sports team, never having been in a fight, never looking at a Playboy, and "not enjoying" beer does not make you a nice guy – it means you have more in common with most 50 year old women than you do to the dude in the bathroom stall beside you. Obviously, I'm generalizing and I certainly don't speak for all women. Just me.

The point of this rant is this - to all the "nice guys" out there - If a woman doesn't want to date you, guaranteed it's for some other reason than you're TOO nice. Please do her the courtesy of taking a moment of self reflection on what your problem may be before you accuse her of being an asshole chasing idiot.

Cheers.

Ramblings on Religulous

Since I abandoned Christianity several years ago, my life has changed dramatically. For the obvious reasons, of course, but also in ways I couldn't have possibly foreseen. As passionately as I used to wave my salvation banner and go to arms against co-workers and friends in Jesus' name – I now find myself avoiding discussing Christianity at all costs. Many people that knew me believed leaving the church was an easy choice - that was hardly the case. I felt like a child walking out on elderly parents. Abandoning what raised me, taught, disciplined, and loved me; made my existence have purpose, and gave me confidence about my place amid the chaos that surrounds us…and most terrifying of all – abandoning the one thing that I was lead to believe would never leave me or forsake me. All for the luxuries of drugs, sex, and alcohol…or so the envious faithful like to believe.

It was not an easy decision – but like most difficult things in life, ultimately worth the initial pain and heartache since I now live a life more fulfilling than I ever dreamed possible before. It's a beautiful thing to be free to love and surround myself with whomever I please, their worth based simply on their own merit and not valued solely for who they are with Christ's aid.

To get to the point, there are a couple big reasons I avoid discussing Christianity with others. Part of it is sadness over 21 years lost, and the other is the overwhelming guilt I will carry with me forever for the atrocious things I believed about innocent people, and for the god I so vehemently defended. A diety whose words encouraged and exalted my hatred and intolerance for behaviors and people I knew nothing about. Watching programs or documentaries on Christians (of all dominations) reduces me to tears – tears of joy that I live a life unbounded by archaic tradition and superstition, and tears of grief for all the people I know whose minds are not yet free.

Religulous was the first program I have fully watched and soaked in since I "put away childish things" and abandoned my hope in Christ. Its message of doubt encouraged and lifted me up more than I can possibly describe. I will not be content until every person I know has seen it and given its message a moment of reflection.

The following passage is Bill Maher's ending monologue. Read and enjoy. Then tell your friends.

Cheers.

The plain fact is, religion must die for mankind to live. The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge in having key decisions made by religious people, by irrationalists, by those who would steer the ship of state not by a compass, but by the equivalent of reading the entrails of a chicken.
George Bush prayed a lot about Iraq, but he didn't learn a lot about it.

Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag about. And those who preach faith and enable and elevate it are our intellectual slaveholders, keeping mankind in a bondage to fantasy and nonsense that has spawned and justified so much lunacy and destruction.
Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think that they do. Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says: "I'm willing, Lord. I'll do whatever You want me to do."
Except that since there are no gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people with their own corruptions, limitations and agendas.
And anyone who tells you they know... they "just know" what happens when you die, I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know, and you do not possess mental powers that I do not.
The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble, and that's what man needs to be, considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong.

This is why rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves.
And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price.
If you belonged to a political party or a social club that was tied to as much bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, violence and sheer ignorance as religion is, you'd resign in protest. To do otherwise is to be an enabler, a Mafia wife, with the true devils of extremism that draw their legitimacy from the billions of their fellow travelers.

If the world does come to an end here or wherever, or if it limps into the future, decimated by the effects of a religion-inspired nuclear terrorism, let's remember what the real problem was:
That we learned how to precipitate mass death before we got past the neurological disorder of wishing for it.

That's it. Grow up or die.
See you in Heaven.

Who knows?
Yeah, exactly.

Logos: A Brief Timeline of Sexism in the 21st Century

This is a post from my old blog at www.limitedwhitespace.blogspot.com. I didn't edit it at all, just copied it on over since it was my favorite :)

For those of you who don't know, I graduated in 2003 from Logos Christian School in Moscow. I entered the school in 5th grade, and very shortly after began to have problems with it, even at such a young age.

Logos, while not explicitly funded/run by Christ Church in Moscow, is heavily influenced by their archaic and close minded view of society, due to the fact a large percentage of the faculty, and the Superintendent himself, are members of the church. The school's main founder is none other than the pastor/pope of Christ Church, Douglas Wilson.

It is easy to argue that Christianity in itself, is a patriarchial, sexist religion. However, Christ Church's "brand" of Christianity takes sexism a step farther, and their heinous and ancient view of women (i.e. women's place is in the home (unless they're nurses or teachers), women are not allowed to speak in church. ever. a woman's main objective in her marriage is to "serve her husband" and be "at all times submissive to his will." the list could go on much longer) has infiltrated Logos School to an alarming degree.

Even when I began school there, Logos was becoming more and more conservative and preaching fundamental Christianity as the only way of life. Things have only gotten worse through the years, and the girls at the school are the ones to suffer for it.

2000: Mr. Harken, my history teacher, during a tangent on elections and voting, informed the class that it would have been better if women had never gotten the right to vote. In his opinion the "head of the household" (meaning, the husband) should be the only one to vote and his vote should count for as many people as lived in his house.

2002: At a student council meeting, one of the sons of a school board member put forth the idea that in future years only males should be able to run for ASB President and Vice President since men have the duty to lead women.

2002: The school board/principal does away with our traditional "Spirit Week" and impliments "Knights Festival." The boys and girls are given separate contests to enter. The boys get to fashion fake swords and shields and duel in front of the school in hopes of winning an old fashioned replica sword. The girls get to compete in a "pie baking contest" and the winner wins a gift certificate to Williams/Sonoma.

* And although I don't have a set year that it was put into practice, Logos now functions in such a way, that beginning in kindergarten boys must at all times show preferance to the girls i.e. opening, closing doors, pulling out chairs, letting them go first etc. In itself, I don't have a problem with the idea of teaching boys to be gentlemen. However, when boys are taught to do things for girls because girls are too weak to do them for themselves, I have a problem. Logos/Christ Church seems to have a preoccupation with producing weak men who want even weaker women.

And finally. 2007. The reason I started this rant in the first place.

Today I got home to find the latest copy of The Knight's Page (quarterly student newspaper) in my mailbox. I can never read through it without being appalled at some new social limitation they are placing on their students in the name of "serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Today was no exception.

Logos High School will no longer have a girl's basketball team. Its not that there's not enough players, coaches, support. Oh no. Nothing that mundane and reasonable.

" There were two broad reasons for the decision, the first being philosophical which Mr. Garfield [Superintendent] deemed as the more important. He said that he and others have had growing concerns for the nature of girl's basketball. It has undergone a radical shift towards a very masculine approach. However, God made it very clear in His Word that He created man and woman distinct from one another. "The girls on many teams are coached like guys, and our girls are in danger because of how the other girls are coached," Mr. Garfield said."

It never ceases to amaze me how weak the school board thinks women are; (did I mention, btw, there are no women on the school board??) how completely incapable of handling adversity and pressure we can be.

But then it occurred to me, horrible thought, that perhaps Mr. Garfield was right on a certain level I couldn't understand. Could it be that Logos had so adequately produced weak minded and over emotional girls that they honestly couldn't handle basketball? Did my fear of what would become of the future classes of Logos girls come true? That after being told daily, for years, they were weaker and inferior, they had come to believe it?

Either way, I'm even more disappointed and disgusted in the place I graduated from. It pains me to know that Logos has been able to scrape by for 30 years, paying their teachers SO little to mis-shape the minds of so many. If they only knew how many Logos graduates were out there, continuing "the Lord's work" and using their "Classical and Christ-centered Education" to binge drink, load a bong, and pop birth control before rampant pre-marital sex, they'd be amazed, and possibly reconsider sharing more of the real world with their students before they were thrust out into it, wide eyed and unprepared.