I’ve been away for a few weeks—not physically, but mentally. In that time, some lovely things have happened, and I’d planned to thank a bunch of people here. But then, Rick Santorum spoke.
I always vowed to stay away from politics in this blog. I mean, the blog is called Fried Oreos. It’s meant to talk about things that are fun, yummy and totally extraneous to everyday life. You know, like a splurge. It’s not the place for political talk. I tend to keep my politics fairly quiet. Those who know me, know which way I lean and which things I stand for, but I’m not one to rant and this is not my platform for political discussion (one too many Thanksgiving meals as a child kind of soured me on that).
However, last week, Rick Santorum said that women should not serve in combat roles in the military. His comments were in response to the announcement by the Pentagon stating it wants to open up thousands of jobs, allowing more women on the front lines in combat zones. Most people in the military see this as clarifying and formalizing what’s already happening.
According to Santorum, who spoke on The Today Show, “When you have men and women together in combat, I think men have emotions when you see a woman in harm’s way. I think it’s something that’s natural that’s very much in our culture to be protective. That was my concern, and I think that’s a concern with all the military.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, he goes on to say, “The issue…is how men would react to seeing women in harm’s way or potentially being injured or in a vulnerable position and not being concerned about accomplishing the mission,” Santorum said.
Later, he tried to clarify by saying he was more concerned about men’s emotions than women’s, and that his concerns also had to do with physical strength and capability.
Really? I have my own way of looking at politics and women’s rights. Personally, I have no problem with people referring to “man” rather than “humans;” in my mind, it’s an abbreviation and I look to the meaning of what’s being said, rather than the exact words being used. I don’t mind men holding doors for me; I think it’s polite—frankly, I think it’s polite for the first person through the door to hold it for the people behind you, whether you’re male or female. And if my unfriendly male neighbor across the street ever decided to come over and help me while I’m struggling with the snow blower, I’d never say no or think he was being sexist (I’d probably think he was insane since he’s never done it in the 11 years we’ve lived here, not even after I saved his house from burning down, but that’s another story).
I do think that everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, skin color, food preference, etc., should have equal rights and should be able to make their own decisions. I am not a second-class citizen.
Maybe I just have faith in the common decency of people around me; maybe I’m naïve; maybe I just don’t see why things have to be broken down into “male” and “female” roles. Whatever my reasons may be, I also have faith that the U.S. military is not going to let poorly trained people, regardless of their gender, on the front lines.
For Rick Santorum to say what he did shows how insensitive he is to women AND men. Does he really think women are so weak and ineffectual that even after being trained for a combat role in the military, we’re not going to be able to perform our job? Does he really think men, under fire, are going to try to protect their fellow female officers by throwing themselves on top of them, rather than firing back at the enemy? I could be wrong, but with bullets flying all around, I don’t think anyone’s first thought is, “Gee, can I have sex with my fellow officer right now?” And more importantly, does he really think the military is going to let poorly trained soldiers on the front lines? If that’s what he thinks of the military, perhaps he should rethink his candidacy.
If you want to read a really funny article in response to Santorum’s comments, check out the link below.
http://jezebel.com/5883948/rick-santorum-says-women-arent-fit-for-combat-because-of-emotions
