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  <title>Just a Gwai Lo</title>
  <subtitle>fun within prescribed limits</subtitle>
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  <updated>2007-09-23T16:34:46-07:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>Abortions For All!</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://justagwailo.com/filter/2003/10/23/abortions-for-all" />
    <id>http://justagwailo.com/filter/2003/10/23/abortions-for-all</id>
    <published>2003-10-23T14:13:29-07:00</published>
    <updated>2007-09-23T16:34:46-07:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Richard</name>
    </author>
    <category term="Filter" />
    <category term="abortion" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16">Barbara Kay</a> on T-shirts with political slogans: </p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16"><p>T-shirt messaging is such an efficient communications shortcut that I was halfway to thinking these were my kind of people, when the more attractive and dominant of the two women said: "... and the first thing I ask anyone I date is if they are pro-choice. If he is, great. If not, out he goes ... ." This statement was accompanied by an air-shovelling gesture, a pantomime of the hapless pro-life suitor's swift ejection into the void. The others nodded endorsement for her policy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>She was eavesdropping on a conversation in a public place, which, if I'm not reading a book or, far rarer, having a conversation with someone, is something I do all the time on the bus.  It's hard, though, because for me to be able to listen in closely, I have to be maintaining eye contact, and maintaining eye contact is a pretty obvious signal that you're eavesdropping.</p>
<p>In the next paragraph, she makes a good point and then makes a very bad one.</p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16"><p>At that point they were no longer my kind of people at all, but the very opposite: dogmatic ideologues resisting compromise on a divisive social issue. I wondered if, when she isn't campaigning against casinos, Ms. <b>Pro-Abortion ("choice" doesn't cut it for me)</b> wears her other opinions on her sleeve, chest or back. Given the militancy on abortion that I overheard, it's quite likely that she has an entire "issues" wardrobe.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Emphasis added.  Sorry, nobody other than the criminally insane is "pro-abortion", which (at least to me) means one favours aborting every pregnancy.  It's like that bit on <i>The Simpsons</i>, when Kang, the alien, took the form of Bob Dole in the 1996 Presidential election:</p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F02.html"><p>Abortions for all! [crowd boos]<br />
Very well, abortions for none! [crowd boos]<br />
Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others! [crowd cheers]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So anyway, that little bit ruined an otherwise good article on <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16">how political slogan t-shirts <b>discourage</b> dissent rather than encourage it</a>.</p>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16">Barbara Kay</a> on T-shirts with political slogans: </p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16"><p>T-shirt messaging is such an efficient communications shortcut that I was halfway to thinking these were my kind of people, when the more attractive and dominant of the two women said: "... and the first thing I ask anyone I date is if they are pro-choice. If he is, great. If not, out he goes ... ." This statement was accompanied by an air-shovelling gesture, a pantomime of the hapless pro-life suitor's swift ejection into the void. The others nodded endorsement for her policy.</p></blockquote>
<p>She was eavesdropping on a conversation in a public place, which, if I'm not reading a book or, far rarer, having a conversation with someone, is something I do all the time on the bus.  It's hard, though, because for me to be able to listen in closely, I have to be maintaining eye contact, and maintaining eye contact is a pretty obvious signal that you're eavesdropping.</p>
<p>In the next paragraph, she makes a good point and then makes a very bad one.</p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16"><p>At that point they were no longer my kind of people at all, but the very opposite: dogmatic ideologues resisting compromise on a divisive social issue. I wondered if, when she isn't campaigning against casinos, Ms. <b>Pro-Abortion ("choice" doesn't cut it for me)</b> wears her other opinions on her sleeve, chest or back. Given the militancy on abortion that I overheard, it's quite likely that she has an entire "issues" wardrobe.</p></blockquote>
<p>Emphasis added.  Sorry, nobody other than the criminally insane is "pro-abortion", which (at least to me) means one favours aborting every pregnancy.  It's like that bit on <i>The Simpsons</i>, when Kang, the alien, took the form of Bob Dole in the 1996 Presidential election:</p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F02.html"><p>Abortions for all! [crowd boos]<br />
Very well, abortions for none! [crowd boos]<br />
Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others! [crowd cheers]</p></blockquote>
<p>So anyway, that little bit ruined an otherwise good article on <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=CF4A4917-C88A-436C-BA6C-D011B62A0C16">how political slogan t-shirts <b>discourage</b> dissent rather than encourage it</a>.</p>
    ]]></content>
  </entry>
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