Interesting article. I see Suzi working hard to try to draw parallels between she and Kaitlyn, but there really aren’t many. As a result, her conclusion is unconvincing and the article falls flat for me. I take serious issue with this line, in particular:
“Because this woman who could be me lacks the few hundred dollars for transport, chi…
Interesting article. I see Suzi working hard to try to draw parallels between she and Kaitlyn, but there really aren’t many. As a result, her conclusion is unconvincing and the article falls flat for me. I take serious issue with this line, in particular:
“Because this woman who could be me lacks the few hundred dollars for transport, childcare, and the abortion itself, she may end up having a child she doesn’t want and doesn’t feel she can care for.”
Wrong. Because this woman didn’t have the opportunity to learn (perhaps she was never taught, or she chose to reject any wisdom given to her by friends or elders), she continued to have unprotected sex and repeat the same choices that led to her having her first child. Then second. Now possibly, third. These are living human beings she is now responsible for, and we’re supposed to believe that she’s in this predicament because of a low paying job, high gas prices, the town she lives in. While all of those factors expose the stark differences between Kaitlyn and Suzi — and with it, class differences — those are not the reasons this young woman is now pregnant again, unmarried to the father of the child, stuck, and overwhelmed. Regrettably, it’s more likely lack of self control, not much hope for a different future in the long term, lack of intelligence, an unwillingness to put personal or sexual desires on hold until she betters her life for herself and current children, etc.
Suzi shows compassion for Kaitlyn, and likely that makes her feel good. But she also shows what a bubble she lives in by not thinking too deeply about the real differences between herself and Kaitlyn.
Interesting article. I see Suzi working hard to try to draw parallels between she and Kaitlyn, but there really aren’t many. As a result, her conclusion is unconvincing and the article falls flat for me. I take serious issue with this line, in particular:
“Because this woman who could be me lacks the few hundred dollars for transport, childcare, and the abortion itself, she may end up having a child she doesn’t want and doesn’t feel she can care for.”
Wrong. Because this woman didn’t have the opportunity to learn (perhaps she was never taught, or she chose to reject any wisdom given to her by friends or elders), she continued to have unprotected sex and repeat the same choices that led to her having her first child. Then second. Now possibly, third. These are living human beings she is now responsible for, and we’re supposed to believe that she’s in this predicament because of a low paying job, high gas prices, the town she lives in. While all of those factors expose the stark differences between Kaitlyn and Suzi — and with it, class differences — those are not the reasons this young woman is now pregnant again, unmarried to the father of the child, stuck, and overwhelmed. Regrettably, it’s more likely lack of self control, not much hope for a different future in the long term, lack of intelligence, an unwillingness to put personal or sexual desires on hold until she betters her life for herself and current children, etc.
Suzi shows compassion for Kaitlyn, and likely that makes her feel good. But she also shows what a bubble she lives in by not thinking too deeply about the real differences between herself and Kaitlyn.