THE FAMILY VALUES CROWD SINGS A NEW TUNE, FIGHTING AGAINST FAMILY UNITY
If it weren't for the fact that a real little boy is being tortured and condemned to a lifetime of psychological problems, the right wing's actions in the Elian Gonzalez case would be laughable. The same folks who condemned feminists as anti-Fatherhood are doing everything they can to keep Elian from his father's care and custody. And despite all the evidence that Elian's father is a loving and caring parent, the right still claims that they are doing all this "in the best interests of the child."
But can anyone believe that forcing a 6-year-old child to testify in Congress is for the child's benefit? Surely not even Rep. Dan Burton (R- IN), the former insurance salesman who came up with that hair-brained scheme, can think this would help this little boy, who watched his mother, stepfather and others die just a little over a month ago. And when Senator Bob Smith (R- this month, anyway) heard Elian say "Help me," how was Smith so sure that the boy meant "Don't send me to my father," and not "Get me out of this circus atmosphere." This whole debacle doesn't pass the smell test.
But there is a way to make sure this family - and other Cuban and Cuban- American families - can have family unity. And a way to act in the best interest of this child, and all Cuban children.
The U.S. should change its wrong-headed, mean-spirited policy towards Cuba and let the families on both sides of the Straits of Florida freely visit one another. We should stop starving the children of Cuba in a failed attempt to defeat Castro and communism. And we should stop making Elian Gonzalez a hostage to U.S. foreign policy.
There are several things I found interesting about this plea. I'm not interested so much in discussing whether the U.S.'s policy towards Cuba in general and with regard to this kid's predicament is "wrong-headed", but in the fact that the alert is probably stating what someone believes to be the "feminist party line", and some of the strings this particular alert is trying to pull.
First -- from a PR perspective, anytime you can yank out "for the children", you've got God and family values on your side six ways from Sunday. Feminists, typically being women, are supposed to heed the call to protect this kid, right?
Second -- this alert is from an organization, not a person, and is effectively endorsing the idea that the U.S.'s foreign policy is "wrong". Once again, the US is the big bad nasty nation -- I'm not trying to defend or slam U.S. foreign policy, but I am interested in the fact that there is a de facto feminist party line being spouted here with which I, as reader of this alert, as someone who identifies herself as feminist, am expected to agree. Suddenly, my feminist credentials are on the line if I have the 'wrong opinion' on U.S. foreign policy. I don't like that one tiny bit.
© Sidra Vitale, Jan 2000.
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