Do people choose to be ignorant?

Over the past week or so my husband has been fighting with his sister, who called him lazy for supporting the occupy wall street movement. today she posted something about seeing a picture of an occupier holding a starbucks cup and said that "guess everyone has a price". I swear, in our dealings with her, I seriously wonder if people choose to be closed minded or ignorant.

She and her husband are, well, I guess they fall under the tea party movement. They watch only Fox news for information, and she has a tendency to only look at one side of a story (her husband is a little more open to the fact that there are differences in opinion, but still a rather conservative man). I don't understand how anyone, especially anyone who has a college degree, can do that. How can anyone look at only one side, and not look at how something affects all people? How can they take the word of only one person, and not look at the thousands of stories from all sides before forming an opinion? How can a sister look at her brother, a man who served his country and is disabled because of his service, a man who has been working hard to provide for his family and can only find minimum wage work at varied hours and goes to school to get a degree that might improve his lot in life, and call him lazy?

I can see why she has the thought processes she has; she was raised with privilege and preferential treatment wherever she went. She was spoiled by her parents and given everything she wanted; a car, concerts in Montreal when her favorite bands played there, her own phone in her room, etc. That privilege has continued into her adult life, and she and her husband pull in a six figure income.  This is the same woman who, instead of coming to see her preemie nephew in the NICU or in the PICU post-surgery, thought it was more important to blow off work and drive to the funeral of an 80's star she adored as a kid, a funeral that she was not invited to and was nine hours and one country away. So clearly, her priorities are very skewed to a very selfish sense of self-importance.

But seriously, how can this person, who was raised by her parents to be very open-minded and knowledge-seeking, be so closed minded? I have been tempted to write to her and say why her brother has been so hurt by her callousness, but why bother when I know she will never take those words to heart?

Why I would Occupy....

It’s not about looking for a redistribution of wealth; it’s about looking for a livable wage.

It’s not about looking for a handout; it’s about looking for a change in job security.

It’s not about being lazy; it’s about wanting jobs to exist so that one is not seen as lazy.

It’s not about causing hate and discontent; it’s about seeking change and stability for all.

It’s not about being unpatriotic; it’s about showing the ultimate in patriotism.

It’s not about rioting; it’s about showing solidarity in a peaceful way.

It’s not about the youth of America not wanting to work; it’s about Americans from all walks of life taking a stand because jobs don’t exist for them to work. Veterans, older Americans, displaced workers of all ages, students, and teachers, everyone who is trying to look for work and just cannot find it because the jobs are not there.

You cannot evict an idea whose time has come.

You cannot live on minimum wage unless you work 40 hours a week and are single; even then, it’s difficult in most parts of the country.

You cannot repress those who are already feeling repressed; they are taking a stand against the oppression they already feel.

To answer non-violent protests with violence and abuse makes one look like a bully. Violence is never the answer.

There has to be a peaceful resolution to this. It is time for the corporations who have taken all those jobs overseas to be taxed to the point that it is more cost effective for them to bring that labor and industry home instead of being rewarded. It is time for there to be a living wage, not a minimum wage. It is time for quality healthcare for all instead of preferential treatment for the wealthy. It is time for the country to take care of its veterans instead of discharging them from the service without getting them the help they need unless the veteran finds a good advocate to help them through the red tape. It is about taking care of our elderly instead of cutting their Medicare and Social Security.

It is time for Americans to stand together and support their fellow man, woman and child, old and young, veterans and civilians alike.  It is time to look beyond ourselves and look at our brothers and sisters, friends and enemies, and see how this economic recession is affecting them. Instead of whining about having to pay more at Starbucks for your cup of coffee, remember that what you are paying for is helping the person serving you across the counter survive and pay for food/rent/school/etc. Instead of whining about your insurance premiums, remember that you are lucky enough to have insurance at all and that many who need medical help cannot get it without going bankrupt.

going to try to relax.....

I've started up on my knitting again, which is helping me get through some of the stress and tension. I finished a scarf for the boychild and now I'm knitting a scarf for me. I used to rely on the looms that Provo Craft sells, but I really wanted to get some good physical therapy for my hands so I actually used needles. This is a method Baldman can use to test my mood; when my knitting is tight, it means I'm stressed; looser it is, the better mood I am in.

And I installed my old Sims 2 games onto this computer. I've tried Sims 3 in the past and didn't like it, but really needed something to get my creativity on that doesn't take up a lot of space in the house. I want to design our dream house. I wish someday the guys from Extreme home makeover could do the same for my house. I miss my crafting space and my ability to express myself with art and color. I am hoping knitting helps me get that release, too....

Maybe if I relax enough, we can get pregnant without the drugs.

Five rounds later....

...and no pregnancy.

Seems that five rounds of fertility treatments didn't do it. I ovulated each time, it's just a matter of the timing not working, I guess.
I am upset, a little, but mainly at Baldman for not holding up his end of the bargain. He was supposed to stick to the schedule, and he just wouldn't commit. It's become a bone of contention with us, and my anger and resentment are still there, no matter how hard I try to let it go.
So I put my body through hell for nothing. The side effects were hell, especially the mood swings and the cramping midcycle, but I would have been happy about it had they produced a child in the end.....
I guess it's going to be just the one for us. I am depressed a little by that, especially when I see 19-24 year old people getting pregnant without trying to and having babies all around us when we want a baby but can't seem to.
I guess I'll need to find another outlet for my energy. Monkeychild takes a lot, for sure, but I have so much love to give and nowhere else to spread it.
I'll be honest, the need to show love and give love to something that I hope loves me back unconditionally is deeper than I thought going into all this. I just don't feel wanted or loved by my own family; I am the one they turn to for fixing things, or mediating things, or to give them a shoulder to cry on, but when I need the same thing, where is my shoulder? Where is my personal fixer? Nope, nowhere to be found.
My parents are often so self-involved that unless it's something involving them they really don't care. My mom, well, we know why that is, and now that boundaries have been established and she's starting to respect them it's easier. My dad, he talks a big game, but for someone who wants to supposedly make amends like AA tells him to he's not putting forth the effort to meet his grandson or come for a visit to at least see two of his children face to face. My brother Soldier Boy barely acknowledges my existence, if only because his wife is trying to build a friendship with me; he has friends who he considers more like his brother and sisters than his own flesh and blood. Ironically, he is also the sibling of the three of us who is most like our parents and is their prodigal son. As soon as he got stateside, all phone calls and emails from them to me ceased. I get that he was coming back form a war zone and they wanted to spend time with him because they hadn't seen him in eight months, but considering my dad hasn't seen me in six and a half years it kind of hurts to be cut off from everything, especially considering how much I had to hear both sides complain about each other.

I just want love and attention for a change. I want to know that I am wanted, respected, and cared about. My son gives me that love, although he's sometimes too clingy when he's sick (understandable), and I wanted to have another child who loves me as much as I would love them, as much as I love my son and he loves me.