Needs, Wants and Hypocrisy

It's been a quiet week at blog de la resistance, but a slow burn is making its way to the surface. And nothing, but nothing fuels the fire like hypocrisy. Consider the current cult of the individual as practiced by our Republican bretheren. Pharmacists don't have to dispense a medication if they disagree with a woman's reason for taking the drug. "W" believes so strongly in the sanctity of life that he refuses to support stem cell research and therefore denies hope for millions with life-threatening illnesses - to say nothing of the generations to come. Lawmakers can't imagine the desperation of a pregnant child, teenager, rape victim or victim of incest or abuse, and enact legislation requiring onerous waiting periods and parental notification requirements before an abortion can be performed. All of this takes place under the banner of "family values." Well, buckeroos, I can't think of any healthy family that operates under this sort of thinking. A family, after all, is a social unit that functions for the good of everyone. I have a brother-in-law and sister-in-law who routinely sit down for a "needs and wants" discussion with the entire family. Together they negotiate the tricky terrain of these distinctions - someone "needs" time to finish their science project, another "wants" to soak in a hot tub. They give and take and sacrifice "wants" for the other person's "needs" until everyone has been heard, responded to and taken care of in the manner of a well-functioning family. No one is allowed to dismiss or belittle another person's "needs," and everyone is expected to sacrifice a "want" from time to time. The trouble with the Republicans in control now is that they are unable - or unwilling - to make the distinction between "needs and wants," a distinction that even my ten year old nephew has been making for several years already. Without that distinction, every issue becomes an individual, un-negotiable need that disregards the legitimate needs of a larger society. The "wants" never even make it to the table. The Republican family model is dysfunctional at its core. It is laden with hypocrisy and disregard for the least members of our society. They call it tough love. I call it mean and punitive. And any former adolescent will tell you, the harder the fist falls on the table, the more bloody the rebellion. Vive le resistance!