Anecdotally, it seems like I have quite a few friends who have gone off of hormonal birth control because they hated the side effects. Though I think these peoples’ ideas are horrible and don’t want any part of the future they envision, I wonder if part of this is a reaction to how every kind of birth control has something to worry about - whether it’s weight gain or mood swings, acne, what have you. I have the copper IUD (paragard), which avoids these hormonal symptoms but gives me extra bad cramps and extra bleeding. So it feels a lot like lose-lose, we either go through these physically uncomfortable symptoms OR have to ferociously track our cycles and hope for the best.
But these influencers have taken it the wrong direction, suggesting that getting rid of birth control is the problem, not finding better solutions like, idk, MALE BIRTH CONTROL for once in our damn lives. Anyway hope this made a little sense, I am new to your content and appreciate it a lot ✌️
100%! People’s medical experiences are real, one thing I’ve talked about a lot given my own recent health problems is how when you are looking for a health solution, these right wing anti-science people validate you in a way you are seeking! The problem isn’t that *they* want to go off birth control, it’s that this is part of a broader agenda to force all of us off it.
I have the paragard and it’s turning 9 this month. I have an appointment with a GYN to replace it despite the horrible cramps and bleeding and more recently migraines. But I’ll take all of those things and more because my husband and I are very fertile and I don’t want more kids. I want to retire. I want to afford to continue living my current lifestyle and I want my current children to have more than I had growing up. I want a healthy body and pregnancy is a sure fire way to expose or create health problems. So I will endure the pain and bleeding for 20 more years.
This is where I get so confused about the conservative message. On one side, they are complaining about how big pharma and industry is killing us and ruining our wellness, but on the other side, the conservatives are removing all forms of regulation that could help with this. It feels like they are talking out of both sides of their mouth. It's like they want to make this messaging so bold and shinny, and distract anyone from seeing all of the terrible things they are really doing.
It feels really hard to talk about these things because I do think industry needs a lot of reform, but the way they are (or not) doing it is just not right. It is like they want everyone to be so focused on just themselves as individuals and completely ignore the systems and society we live in and the bigger players in this.
Exactly this. It's so frustrating how terrible left leaning folks are at marketing.
By the way I'm a stay at home mom, who uses glass jars and has had a negative experience with hormonal contraceptives.. but Trump and his appolgists makes me vom in my mouth.
Branding is SUPER EASY for conservatives! Because it’s all about nostalgia for the past!! Piece of cake! Anyone can get wistful about ANYTHING from the so-called good old days, Democrats included. We all fall for it. So it’s not a fair fight. Dems need to CREATE a vision that is just as glamorized. Make it pretty, make it aspirational, and turn OUR values into a caricaturaturized lifestyle. Much harder because it has not existed yet and so must be done from scratch. We have to sit down and agree on SOMETHING. And then hammer people over the head with it. It’s just marketing, it works every time. Then we get to use OUR advantage which is we are in the majority. This will 100% work. Someone needs to take the lead!
“Democrats often act like we’re too good to participate in the culture war.”
This makes me feel like I’m losing my mind. And has for 20+ years I’ve been a voting age Dem. We act like we’re above everything, we’re in the majority and we still lose. It’s annoying AF.
Book is ordered! I also love these accounts and those that are arguably adjacent (HiH, looking at you!). There’s a right wing influencer in my town, and the way she paints our mid-sized, solidly purple-leaning-blue part of the world as a conservative bastion is hilarious. We are truly living in different realities and I don’t even recognize where I live when seen through her eyes. It is a conservative fantasy that does not match my reality living here!
Anecdotally, it seems like I have quite a few friends who have gone off of hormonal birth control because they hated the side effects. Though I think these peoples’ ideas are horrible and don’t want any part of the future they envision, I wonder if part of this is a reaction to how every kind of birth control has something to worry about - whether it’s weight gain or mood swings, acne, what have you. I have the copper IUD (paragard), which avoids these hormonal symptoms but gives me extra bad cramps and extra bleeding. So it feels a lot like lose-lose, we either go through these physically uncomfortable symptoms OR have to ferociously track our cycles and hope for the best.
But these influencers have taken it the wrong direction, suggesting that getting rid of birth control is the problem, not finding better solutions like, idk, MALE BIRTH CONTROL for once in our damn lives. Anyway hope this made a little sense, I am new to your content and appreciate it a lot ✌️
100%! People’s medical experiences are real, one thing I’ve talked about a lot given my own recent health problems is how when you are looking for a health solution, these right wing anti-science people validate you in a way you are seeking! The problem isn’t that *they* want to go off birth control, it’s that this is part of a broader agenda to force all of us off it.
I have the paragard and it’s turning 9 this month. I have an appointment with a GYN to replace it despite the horrible cramps and bleeding and more recently migraines. But I’ll take all of those things and more because my husband and I are very fertile and I don’t want more kids. I want to retire. I want to afford to continue living my current lifestyle and I want my current children to have more than I had growing up. I want a healthy body and pregnancy is a sure fire way to expose or create health problems. So I will endure the pain and bleeding for 20 more years.
That will be me in another few years! We deserve healthy bodies and stable lives 🩷
How do we turn this around???
That is the question answered in my book: Democracy in Retrograde!
Aha! Perfect, thank you for your work!
This is where I get so confused about the conservative message. On one side, they are complaining about how big pharma and industry is killing us and ruining our wellness, but on the other side, the conservatives are removing all forms of regulation that could help with this. It feels like they are talking out of both sides of their mouth. It's like they want to make this messaging so bold and shinny, and distract anyone from seeing all of the terrible things they are really doing.
It feels really hard to talk about these things because I do think industry needs a lot of reform, but the way they are (or not) doing it is just not right. It is like they want everyone to be so focused on just themselves as individuals and completely ignore the systems and society we live in and the bigger players in this.
Exactly this. It's so frustrating how terrible left leaning folks are at marketing.
By the way I'm a stay at home mom, who uses glass jars and has had a negative experience with hormonal contraceptives.. but Trump and his appolgists makes me vom in my mouth.
Branding is SUPER EASY for conservatives! Because it’s all about nostalgia for the past!! Piece of cake! Anyone can get wistful about ANYTHING from the so-called good old days, Democrats included. We all fall for it. So it’s not a fair fight. Dems need to CREATE a vision that is just as glamorized. Make it pretty, make it aspirational, and turn OUR values into a caricaturaturized lifestyle. Much harder because it has not existed yet and so must be done from scratch. We have to sit down and agree on SOMETHING. And then hammer people over the head with it. It’s just marketing, it works every time. Then we get to use OUR advantage which is we are in the majority. This will 100% work. Someone needs to take the lead!
“Democrats often act like we’re too good to participate in the culture war.”
This makes me feel like I’m losing my mind. And has for 20+ years I’ve been a voting age Dem. We act like we’re above everything, we’re in the majority and we still lose. It’s annoying AF.
Book is ordered! I also love these accounts and those that are arguably adjacent (HiH, looking at you!). There’s a right wing influencer in my town, and the way she paints our mid-sized, solidly purple-leaning-blue part of the world as a conservative bastion is hilarious. We are truly living in different realities and I don’t even recognize where I live when seen through her eyes. It is a conservative fantasy that does not match my reality living here!
Loved this article!