Enough Already!

Vince at 32 weeks

I just finished yet another article that underhandedly trashes pregnancy (under the guise of science, of course!).  This is my problem.  The Media is constantly pushing an agenda onto folks who simply don't realize this indoctrination is taking place!

This article is supposed to delve into how pregnancy in humans evolved to encompass 9 months as opposed to others in the animal kingdom (some gestate for as little as 2 weeks).  While sprinkling theoretical speak into the article, Schaffer (the author) seems more amused by taking pot shots at human pregnancy than explaining the biology behind the theory.

Some examples of her negative imagery:

- Placenta "invades" the uterine wall

- The changes in our bodies during pregnancy is a "sustained, physiological upheaval"

- The inevitable "sore boobs / swollen ankles" example

- "Modern pregnancy is a complex beast"

- The baby (fetus) is referred to as "that thing inside the uterus"

Now I realize some of you are probably rolling your eyes, thinking I'm looking into this way too much.  That might be true if it weren't for the countless other examples of the Media actively attempting to thwart public opinion of pregnancy (and children in general).

Another example - John and I were watching the TV show BONES the other day.  The three leading female characters are all very strong, wonderful, independent women.  Only one of them is in a committed relationship (at this point).  Angela, the most beautiful of the bunch, is talking to her fiance about having children.  She excitedly bubbles on about wanting "a million babies" to which EVERYONE in the office balks.  She's then made fun of and questioned repeatedly by the other cast members for her "crazy" desire to "mess up her body, career and life" by having children.  One of the women, the lead (Dr. Temperance) is disgusted by the very idea of children.  She fears them because of her inability to control and properly analyze them. 

The entire episode was set up as an attack on Angela's desire to have children, especially when faced with the "reality" of what children do to a woman.  It made me FURIOUS.  Poor Angela ended up relenting at the end, obviously a little taken by what they said (specifically about her tiny figure).  *GRUMBLE*

Then you've got shows like How I Met Your Mother where random episodes portray Lily and Marshall petrified of having children because of the ruckus they'll cause;  Teen Mom which shows completely inept youngsters TRULY ruining their lives not because of parenting, but because of their previous bad decisions to have sex without contemplating responsibility; 16 and Pregnant which, like Teen Mom, should be more focused on the bad decisions of sex before marriage than dealing with the child that was created by the bad decisions.

Oh, and Mad Men... let's not even get me started on THAT one.  Loved the show until they went and ruined it by lambasting pregnancy and children in lieu of personal gain and fleeting success. 

Alright, I need to stop.  This entire article set off a chain reaction of angry that I'm gonna just let go for tonight.  Our social fabric is no longer the strong, resistant denim of 100 years ago.  Even of 50 years ago.  We must look like that netting in swimsuits - the holes caused by moral decay must be INCREDIBLE at this point.  What are we to do?  What are we ever to do?

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