Lesson #62

Today's Lesson Objectives include:

1.) Reason #23,092 God made me a Mormon.

I think smoking is cool.

I'm just going to throw it out there, because all I've been doing for the past week is watching people smoke like crazy on a tv show and it just makes me wish that a.) smoking wouldn't kill me b.) it wouldn't make me really wrinkly with yellow teeth and c.) it wouldn't kill all the people around me.

I remember when I was little, my brother and I would go to the gas station by our house and buy candy cigarettes and pretend to smoke them. All I could think was "I know smoking is bad and my teachers tell us it isn't cool, but it is! Everyone who smokes looks awesome!"

Maybe I get this terrible attitude from all the old movies I grew up watching. Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart - all my favorite actors were chimneys! For heaven's sake, look at the AWESOMENESS of James Dean:

I don't think he could get any sexier.

This is just another reason why I'm convinced God wanted me to be Mormon. My mind is so polluted with this stupid reasoning for bad things. If it wasn't for religion, I would probably have lung cancer by now. And a baby. Really, being religious has saved my life, I'm pretty sure.

2.) Rantings?!?!

So at work the other day I heard a conversation like this:

Girl #1: The only problem with my career field is that women definitely don't get paid as much as men. Everyone knows it. But there's less of us, so I don't know.

Girl #2: Ya, that really sucks. But it's just the way it is, you know?

Me: WHAT THE?!?!?!?

SO me being me (of course) I pulled aside Girl #2 after the other one had left and I informed her that she has a TERRIBLE attitude. She replied saying, "I know it's a terrible thing. But have you read the news lately about women in Afghanistan? It's awful what they go through. We're so lucky here, you know?"

I have a few points about that. Don't worry, I shared them with her too. But you all need to understand this.

#1 - The "recent" news about women in Afghanistan has been going on FOR QUITE A WHILE. I absolutely HATE when people state these things as "recent." They're very old traditions. Also, don't try to enlighten me about women's situations around the world, especially when you're just coming to found out about it (which is a tragedy in and of itself). This is what I study, think about, and talk about all day. I could talk your ear off for a YEAR about what women go through in this world.

#2 - There are terrible things that happen to people all over the world. Though "comparatively" we of the developed world have it "better," I cannot look at the tragedies of other women and settle for what we've been given. Yes, a lot of women would LOVE to be in our situations. But I'm sure that even if we pulled a girl from Afghanistan to live, study, and work in the United States, at some point she would see the injustices. She would notice she wasn't getting paid as much as her male counterparts, or she would notice that thousands of women struggle without healthcare, or she would notice that women only comprise of 13% of Congress, when we make up more than half the population. I really don't think any educated woman, despite her history, would think that was ok. And she would fight it.

We CANNOT SETTLE FOR LESS THAN WE DESERVE. Do you understand that? I REFUSE to be paid less. I REFUSE to be seen as an object rather than a person. I REFUSE to accept the fact that I am in charge of a man not raping me. I REFUSE to raise my children in ignorance.

When you settle for less, you make it harder for those who want to achieve equality. Just so you know.