So much for the new abolitionism
June 30, 2018 2:55 PM Subscribe
"In fact, it wasn’t until 1979—a full six years after Roe—that evangelical leaders, at the behest of conservative activist Paul Weyrich, seized on abortion not for moral reasons, but as a rallying-cry to deny President Jimmy Carter a second term. Why? Because the anti-abortion crusade was more palatable than the religious right’s real motive: protecting segregated schools."
Reagan, then Carter, then Bush? Don’t you have that out of order?
posted by hwestiii at 4:00 PM on June 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by hwestiii at 4:00 PM on June 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
I have an old Archie comic from that period... The Spire/Christian ones by Al Hartley.
There was a vehemently anti-bussing snide "joke"/comment on there. As a kid I didn't understand but as an adult, I realize just a shitmonger that fucker was.
Seriously - how awful these few panels are...
And it all makes sense. My mom brought me to "pro-life" meetings, and as I grew up I realized there was this racism underneath (anti-welfare, despite the fact we were on welfare)... So yeah. She probably shifted to abortion around this time, so she could deny her own latent racism. IDK.
I remember reading that some prominent Christians were pro-choice until this flip.
posted by symbioid at 4:25 PM on June 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
There was a vehemently anti-bussing snide "joke"/comment on there. As a kid I didn't understand but as an adult, I realize just a shitmonger that fucker was.
Seriously - how awful these few panels are...
And it all makes sense. My mom brought me to "pro-life" meetings, and as I grew up I realized there was this racism underneath (anti-welfare, despite the fact we were on welfare)... So yeah. She probably shifted to abortion around this time, so she could deny her own latent racism. IDK.
I remember reading that some prominent Christians were pro-choice until this flip.
posted by symbioid at 4:25 PM on June 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
Most protestants were pro-choice prior to this bullshittery for similar reasons that most Jews are to this day pro-choice, there's a part of one of the books or talmuds or whatever (not sure if its in the big 5) where a fetus is explicitly shown to have less value to the ancient Israelite's than the woman carrying it IE if a woman is struck and she miscarries, the person who hits her faces a fine, but if she is struck and she dies, the person is executed. It used to be that the difference in opinion between protestants and Catholics vis-a-vis abortion and BC was pretty huge- until these assholes flipped the script in the service of misogyny and racism.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 4:54 PM on June 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 4:54 PM on June 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Reagan, then Carter, then Bush? Don’t you have that out of order ?
Boy, do I ! That's what I get for cutting and pasting but not proofreading while posting by phone on the bus.
posted by y2karl at 5:43 PM on June 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Boy, do I ! That's what I get for cutting and pasting but not proofreading while posting by phone on the bus.
posted by y2karl at 5:43 PM on June 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
there's a part of one of the books or talmuds or whatever (not sure if its in the big 5) where a fetus is explicitly shown to have less value to the ancient Israelite's than the woman carrying itThere’s also part of Numbers which gives instructions on how to get God to terminate a pregnancy in cases of suspected infidelity. That totally fits the patriarchal position but is utterly incompatible with the every-embryo-is-a-person position, and thus generally studiously ignored.
posted by adamsc at 5:53 PM on June 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Nixon, Ford, then Carter for 1 term, then Reagan for 2 and Bush for 1.
Shitty times, to be sure. This still feels worse. But it's true that dragging misogyny explicitly onto the agenda helped move them away from explicit racism.
Now they are happy to trumpet both.
posted by allthinky at 7:36 PM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Shitty times, to be sure. This still feels worse. But it's true that dragging misogyny explicitly onto the agenda helped move them away from explicit racism.
Now they are happy to trumpet both.
posted by allthinky at 7:36 PM on June 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jesus. It really all comes down to racism in this country, doesn't it?
posted by lovecrafty at 7:50 PM on June 30, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by lovecrafty at 7:50 PM on June 30, 2018 [26 favorites]
Since Day 1.
posted by AFABulous at 9:24 PM on June 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by AFABulous at 9:24 PM on June 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
This is timely. I've gone done a bit of a Harlan Ellison rabbit-hole the last few days, and one thing I chased up was a movie that he referred to in one of his columns. It was made by People for the American Way back in the early 80s, and Ellison's connection was that he paid for it be shown in one particular TV market, where a schoolteacher had been fired for teaching one of his stories.
I never thought I'd see this movie, but thanks to the wonders of YouTube: it's utterly terrifying. There's no mention about abortion in the movie, but plenty of time on schools, and reaching young minds.
posted by daveje at 11:27 PM on June 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
I never thought I'd see this movie, but thanks to the wonders of YouTube: it's utterly terrifying. There's no mention about abortion in the movie, but plenty of time on schools, and reaching young minds.
posted by daveje at 11:27 PM on June 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
and still, the "intellectual" conservatives who give serious-minded cover to the religious rights movement today dont have to answer for ANY of the history of their movement, and they retain the right to be offended, shocked even! if anyone accuses them of ulterior motives.
it's all giant piece of theater where only one group gets to act out the fiction as is convenient for their narrative, and everyone else has to pretend the emperor has fabulous new clothes. on pain of denaturalization or cages or getting shot by cops or whatever we're fuckin doin now.
posted by wibari at 12:50 AM on July 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
it's all giant piece of theater where only one group gets to act out the fiction as is convenient for their narrative, and everyone else has to pretend the emperor has fabulous new clothes. on pain of denaturalization or cages or getting shot by cops or whatever we're fuckin doin now.
posted by wibari at 12:50 AM on July 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
A gentle reminder that most schools in the US are still segregated. Some were integrated under court orders, but that is now in the past, and those schools have resegregated.
“Even when you look at school quality metrics, Nelson told me, “white families are more likely to pick a white school rather than a high performing school.”
It is true that the Christian Right switched from openly opposing integration to openly opposing abortion. An awful lot of the people who oppose integration now are white liberals.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:53 AM on July 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
“Even when you look at school quality metrics, Nelson told me, “white families are more likely to pick a white school rather than a high performing school.”
It is true that the Christian Right switched from openly opposing integration to openly opposing abortion. An awful lot of the people who oppose integration now are white liberals.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:53 AM on July 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
Jesus. It really all comes down to racism in this country, doesn't it?
And sexism! It was debate over abortion that sank the ERA, and that’s what really made the right sit up and think, “Whoa, maybe we *can* keep things as shitty as possible for everyone but ourselves after all!” Until then, progress was a foregone conclusion they just batted at impotently.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:56 AM on July 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
And sexism! It was debate over abortion that sank the ERA, and that’s what really made the right sit up and think, “Whoa, maybe we *can* keep things as shitty as possible for everyone but ourselves after all!” Until then, progress was a foregone conclusion they just batted at impotently.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:56 AM on July 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Jesus. It really all comes down to racism in this country, doesn't it?
And sexism!
And of course, a lot of the motivation behind racism is the belief that the virtue of innocent southern women needs to be aggressively defended from the predation of "big black bucks".
This article has been mentioned in comments here before, but I am surprised that it hasn't been an FPP yet, and I am glad it is now. The point that racism has been a driving force behind evangelical/conservative Chrisitanity since the Southern Baptists were founded in 1845 as an explicitly pro-slavery denomination is one that needs to be hammered home again and again.
posted by TedW at 6:40 AM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
And sexism!
And of course, a lot of the motivation behind racism is the belief that the virtue of innocent southern women needs to be aggressively defended from the predation of "big black bucks".
This article has been mentioned in comments here before, but I am surprised that it hasn't been an FPP yet, and I am glad it is now. The point that racism has been a driving force behind evangelical/conservative Chrisitanity since the Southern Baptists were founded in 1845 as an explicitly pro-slavery denomination is one that needs to be hammered home again and again.
posted by TedW at 6:40 AM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
I think if you asked the white liberals if they supported school integration, they’d say of course and be offended that you asked.
And then when choosing schools for their kids — and when faced with rezoning or busing or whatever — they automatically see non-white schools and students as “not as good.”
So in my limited NYC white liberal experience (the parents of most of the kids I knew), they don’t usually know they’re racist. And they definitely won’t admit it. So...there’s also gas lighting to deal with. And denial. On top of the racism.
It’s gas lighting everywhere you look, basically.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:25 AM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
And then when choosing schools for their kids — and when faced with rezoning or busing or whatever — they automatically see non-white schools and students as “not as good.”
So in my limited NYC white liberal experience (the parents of most of the kids I knew), they don’t usually know they’re racist. And they definitely won’t admit it. So...there’s also gas lighting to deal with. And denial. On top of the racism.
It’s gas lighting everywhere you look, basically.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:25 AM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
> "I think if you asked the white liberals if they supported school integration, they’d say of course and be offended that you asked. And then when choosing schools for their kids — and when faced with rezoning or busing or whatever — they automatically see non-white schools and students as 'not as good.'"
Hm. Say what you will about my white liberal parents, and they have many faults, but they sent me to the integrated public school and when someone they knew asked in a roundabout way if they weren't terribly worried that it "wasn't as good" they stared at that person with visibly disgusted expressions and said, "No."
So, good on them.
posted by kyrademon at 2:11 PM on July 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hm. Say what you will about my white liberal parents, and they have many faults, but they sent me to the integrated public school and when someone they knew asked in a roundabout way if they weren't terribly worried that it "wasn't as good" they stared at that person with visibly disgusted expressions and said, "No."
So, good on them.
posted by kyrademon at 2:11 PM on July 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
"Jesus. It really all comes down to racism in this country, doesn't it?"
In all fairness, sometimes it's also misogyny.
posted by Blackanvil at 10:58 PM on July 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
In all fairness, sometimes it's also misogyny.
posted by Blackanvil at 10:58 PM on July 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
An awful lot of the people who oppose integration now are white liberals.
The conservative writer Joseph Sobran had a very pointed quote about the behavior of (implicitly white) liberals: In their mating and migratory habits, liberals are indistinguishable from members of the Ku Klux Klan.
As a conservative, he certainly wanted to skewer liberal hypocrisy wherever he found it. With this particular barb, however, I think that he's probably correct.
posted by theorique at 9:17 AM on July 2, 2018
The conservative writer Joseph Sobran had a very pointed quote about the behavior of (implicitly white) liberals: In their mating and migratory habits, liberals are indistinguishable from members of the Ku Klux Klan.
As a conservative, he certainly wanted to skewer liberal hypocrisy wherever he found it. With this particular barb, however, I think that he's probably correct.
posted by theorique at 9:17 AM on July 2, 2018
Watch: Samantha Bee reveals the incredibly weird history of the pro-life movement
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee:
The Religious Right
The Religious Right: Part Two
posted by kirkaracha at 11:25 AM on July 2, 2018
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee:
The Religious Right
The Religious Right: Part Two
posted by kirkaracha at 11:25 AM on July 2, 2018
Kind of an unfortunate place in the conversation to bring up Samantha Bee.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:33 PM on July 2, 2018
posted by Sys Rq at 1:33 PM on July 2, 2018
If we want to go back and rehash things that happened decades ago then it's fair game to discuss the eugenics origins of Planned Parenthood. Even Planned Parenthood acknowledges Margaret Sanger's racism. The pro-life movement has people of all races:
...FRONTLINE takes an inside look at the African-American anti-abortion movement in the United States. This short film follows a group of anti-abortion activists and their work inside the black community. The centerpiece of their message: “The most dangerous place for an African-American child is in the womb.”
posted by republican at 11:42 AM on July 8, 2018
...FRONTLINE takes an inside look at the African-American anti-abortion movement in the United States. This short film follows a group of anti-abortion activists and their work inside the black community. The centerpiece of their message: “The most dangerous place for an African-American child is in the womb.”
posted by republican at 11:42 AM on July 8, 2018
Even Planned Parenthood acknowledges Margaret Sanger's racism.
Okay, now it’s the evangelicals’ turn.
The pro-life movement has people of all races
Guess we’re going to be waiting a little longer.
posted by Etrigan at 5:47 PM on July 8, 2018
Okay, now it’s the evangelicals’ turn.
The pro-life movement has people of all races
Guess we’re going to be waiting a little longer.
posted by Etrigan at 5:47 PM on July 8, 2018
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posted by y2karl at 3:32 PM on June 30, 2018 [2 favorites]