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> being a mother is literally the highest calling a woman can have I'm assuming good faith, but this is a very problematic perspective. * It's reductive, as n
by BeefySwain 2y ago
> being a mother is literally the highest calling a woman can have
I'm assuming good faith, but this is a very problematic perspective.
* It's reductive, as not all women want to have children.
* It's exclusionary, as not all women can have children.
* It reinforces gender stereotypes.
* It's extremely commonly used to justify systemic discrimination.
- louwrentius 2y agoThat was my response too when reading that sentence.
- breck 2y ago[flagged]
- louwrentius 2y agoWhat is important in life is personal and you don’t get to define for other people what their highest calling should be.
- breck 2y ago> you don’t get to define for other people Agreed! I define my terms on my blog and github. You can define your terms on your blog and github. Those definitions will sometimes be similar, sometimes be different. We all benefit from the variety. It's a beautiful world.
- louwrentius 2y agoThen why would you write that previous dismissive stuff?
- breck 2y agoI thought both commenters had interesting perspectives, and I tried to contribute and write something true. What do you mean by dismissive?
- disso 2y ago[flagged]
- perihelions 2y agoAnd I'll assume good faith on your part and shoot this right back. If someone says "being a physician is the highest calling yada yada", would it be fair and thoughtful rebuttal to say, well, some people aren't capable of becoming medical doctors, it is exclusionary? It's an over-worn stereotype–too many people love doctors, it's passé? It's an unequal discrimination which elevates some career professions over different ones, which is inequitable? Is it problematic to express adoration for the profession of doctors? These types of expressions can be interpreted without being literally construed and deconstructed to atoms. It's *okay* for people to express positive sentiments about things—it's not necessary to put those sentiments under an electron microscope and describe their internal atomic-level contradictions. Because, we live in pleasenter world if people can freely express positive sentiments about things all the time, without too much worrying about "but what about..."
- cthalupa 2y agoYou can express adoration for motherhood or doctors without stating that anyone not doing those things isn't achieving their highest calling. It's quite simple to avoid this - just recognize that the highest calling of anyone is a personal and subjective matter and trying to ascribe absolute value to it is silly. Talk about your own highest calling, not others.
- amne 2y agoWell said except, biologically, giving birth is the highest calling and only women can give natural birth. Yet!