Don't do that. I can agree to disagree on self defense, but don't do that thing that the media always does. It's not the same here. Is there hyperbole? Perhaps. It's not fair to say that all hyperbole is equal, though. Saying "Obama's a Marxist" is a demonstrable falsehood, not just hyperbole. Saying anti-choicers are insane and favor the forcible end of abortion is hyperbole based on fact. Many anti-choicers advocate coercion, manipulation, outright lying, and, if all else fails, violence to stop people from helping women exercise their right to choose. It's not all the same.
Why does Pandagon get het up about this? Perhaps because the same state put abortion rights up to a vote last year, intending to outlaw the practice entirely? Perhaps because more than a few of the notable nut-bags of anti-choice rhetoric hail from or make the most noise in that state. The difference is degree. "Death panels!" and "Marxism!" are falsehoods with no antecedent--there is no history of the US government putting old people to death, nor any history of rampant communism, Marxist or otherwise. There is a recent and bloody history of people murdering other people to prevent access to abortion.
As someone at Balloon Juice put it:
Republicans in South Dakota are attempting to pass legislation to legalize what happened to George Tiller. It’s so crazy I can’t even bring myself to comment.
Although I will note that at one time, a pro-choice advocate may have said “fuck,” so both sides are responsible for this crazy climate.
We're not equally responsible when our exaggerations were ever based on truth.
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Date: 2011-02-15 07:00 pm (UTC)Why does Pandagon get het up about this? Perhaps because the same state put abortion rights up to a vote last year, intending to outlaw the practice entirely? Perhaps because more than a few of the notable nut-bags of anti-choice rhetoric hail from or make the most noise in that state. The difference is degree. "Death panels!" and "Marxism!" are falsehoods with no antecedent--there is no history of the US government putting old people to death, nor any history of rampant communism, Marxist or otherwise. There is a recent and bloody history of people murdering other people to prevent access to abortion.
As someone at Balloon Juice put it:
Republicans in South Dakota are attempting to pass legislation to legalize what happened to George Tiller. It’s so crazy I can’t even bring myself to comment.
Although I will note that at one time, a pro-choice advocate may have said “fuck,” so both sides are responsible for this crazy climate.
We're not equally responsible when our exaggerations were ever based on truth.