Whose Nose Is It, Anyway?

Imagine a state government that decides to outlaw rhinoplasty and septoplasty. In other words - no nose jobs. They are under the influence of a small but vocal religious sect that opposes cosmetic surgery as being against God's will. "Your face is sacred," they insist.

Of course, it's not just about imposing one group's religious beliefs on the larger population. The government also sees changed noses as a way to evade facial recognition software and other surveillance/identification systems.

People who need nose surgery because they have breathing problems are dismissed as a tiny, meaningless minority. People whose noses are damaged in accidents or by violence are told that it's "God's will," and they should learn to love the new look.

Plastic surgeons, protesting against political interference in medical decisions, are vilified as money-grubbing demons who mutilate people for profit. People with crooked noses who travel to a state where rhinoplasty is still legal are reported to authorities and their medical records are seized. People with naturally small, straight noses are viewed with suspicion by religious zealots who harass them in public and send death threats to their homes. Protestors outside plastic surgeons' offices carry signs with graphic photos of bloody, swollen noses, and chant at everyone entering the office: "Don't break your nose! Don't break your nose!"

A couple of politicians get publicity for themselves by blocking state highway funding as a protest against government agencies that allow employees to use paid sick leave for nose surgery. The unrepaired roads contribute to an increase in traffic accidents - and more damaged noses. People who get out-of-state nose jobs are afraid to be seen with bandages on their faces, so they stay indoors or wear disguises.

People unhappy with their big, crooked noses are labeled as having "facial dysmorphic disorder" and are told they need counseling to accept themselves as they are. Parents who allow teenagers to get nose jobs are investigated by Child Protective Services. Some people go to underground practitioners who may or may not be safe. Some people become so desperate they try to fix their noses themselves, using steak knives and crochet hooks. Sometimes it works, but some people get permanent brain damage, and some bleed to death. Anyone with a nosebleed is suspected of having had an illegal nose job.

Celebrities who had nose jobs back when it was legal write books about their experiences; a few are invited to testify before Congress.

 

Potty Training

Hubby and I spent nearly a year traveling throughout Europe. During that time, we encountered a lot of public restrooms. It wasn't at all unusual to find a restroom that was intended to be used by both men and women. In many cases, there would be a row of stalls for women on one side, and a row of stalls for men on the other side. The sinks, used by both sexes, were in the middle. In some cases, there were stalls marked for men and stalls marked for women, intermingled, with a few unmarked stalls, too. In some cases, stalls weren't labeled, and you just took your turn, regardless of sex. As far as I could tell, nobody suffered any ill effects from this. I only felt uncomfortable once. That happened when I used a traditional women's restroom that had attendants. Oddly, the attendants were all male. (I don't remember what country I was in at the time.)

The restrooms that were available to both sexes could have been used by people who were transgender, and nobody would have noticed. For most people, restrooms aren't places we go to report on who else is there.

Once in a diner in the U.S. I walked into the ladies' room and saw a man standing there. He had come in with his baby to use the changing table. I didn't feel threatened, but just went ahead and entered a stall.

Even in the U.S., where some people are hyper-aware of sexual division in public facilities, it is generally legal for a disabled person who needs assistance to be accompanied by an opposite-sex companion. After my accident, I was in a wheelchair for a while, and needed help in the bathroom. My husband went with me. Sometimes we used the women's room, sometimes the men's. We just rolled into the handicap stall and closed the door. Nobody fainted, nobody called the cops, nobody died. We both survived without permanent emotional trauma.

 

Release the Medical Records?

Get a full copy of your own medical records some time and read carefully. You may be surprised at all the things that are slightly wrong, completely wrong, or weird. I once went to the ER for chest pain (it turned out not to be a heart attack). When I was admitted, they asked me what I had eaten all day. I told the truth, which included a big candy bar at lunch and 1/2 a glass of wine at dinner 2 hours earlier. I looked at my medical records later and saw someone had written, "Patient had been drinking." That phrase, whether intentional or not, made it sound like I was drunk. Imagine what a political opponent would do with stuff like that.

In another case, I was being evaluated for a particular problem, and I was asked more than once if I experienced dizziness or vertigo. I truthfully told them no, I did not have any dizziness. Years later I found that the doctor had written that I was there for dizziness. I don't know why he lied. He wasn't my regular doctor and I never saw him again. That falsehood is still in my "full" medical record.

I've had friends who found records of appointments they never actually had with doctors they never actually saw. It's a very flawed system.

Calling for the release of a candidate's medical records may sound like a good idea, but it isn't. If health is a big concern, then let ALL candidates submit to a pre-campaign wellness exam, and make that public. It's enough to determine fitness. ^@realrkwest

Free to Be

I always thought I could marry whomever I wanted. As it happens, I didn't want to marry a woman, so I didn't really think of it as an option. But just because I don't want to do that, doesn't mean I should try to stop someone else from doing it. But that seems to be the foundation of many people's opposition to gay marriage. They don't want to do it, they think it's icky, therefore no one else should do it. Hey, I think marrying a Republican would be icky, but I'm not going to try and make it illegal.

Right now, all over town, there are people doing things I don't want to do. They are eating foods I don't like, reading books that bore me, watching TV shows I hate, and engaging in sexual activities that don't appeal to me. So what? It's none of my business. We really don't need laws to make everyone do what I would do (or not do what I wouldn't do). But that's the kind of thing that gets right-wingers all fired up. They've got a powerful desire to make everyone be just like them. They want us all to follow their religion, live their approved lifestyle, ignore truth if it doesn't match their vision of the way things should be. No matter that they like to see themselves as individualists fighting for freedom, the Republican Party is the party of conformity. ^@realrkwest
 

Choices

You may never want or need an abortion. Maybe you won't find yourself facing death from an ectopic pregnancy. Maybe you won't suffer a miscarriage and need lifesaving treatment. Maybe you won't be impregnated by a rapist. Maybe the hundreds of other things that can go wrong won't go wrong in your life. Lucky you. But what we are being told isn't just about babies and pregnancy. We are being told that the government has the right to monitor the most personal aspects of your life. That the government has the right to overrule your doctor regarding health care and emergency procedures. What if the government decides you shouldn't get cancer treatments or that setting your broken leg is contrary to God's will? Do you want the government to tell your doctors they can't treat your diabetes or your high blood pressure? Don't dismiss these ideas as farfetched. There are already politicians planning to tell you you can't have birth control pills or condoms (even if you're married). And there are already politicians planning to limit the medical decisions parents can make for their children. It's easy to think this only affects other people. But you will wake up one morning and find out it affects you. ^@realrkwest

Why I Won't Be Serving on the Redistricting Commission

I now completely understand why so many qualified individuals never get involved in public service.

Having passed the preliminary screening (along with over 25,000 other Californians), I've learned what is required to continue applying to be on the new redistricting commission. I could certainly write answers to the essay questions and provide a resume. They want to know all about me, which is understandable. But they also want me to include information about my parents, siblings and children. I wouldn't want my relatives providing information about me, so why should I be willing to provide it about them? And if I become a finalist, I have to make a detailed financial disclosure, which would affect not just me as an individual, but my husband, and, by extension, his business partner, and which will become part of the public record. Anyone with a normal sense of privacy and respect for others would not want to do this.

I've carefully read the job description and the list of qualifications, and I believe I'm highly qualified to do this. I realize that it involves being "in the spotlight" because it is controversial, requires public hearings, etc. I don't have a problem with that. But I do have a problem with exposing people who aren't applying for the job to undue loss of privacy. Perhaps all this information is legitimately needed to avoid any conflict of interest or wrongdoing. But at the same time, this is why only a certain type of person (whether they are good, bad, or mediocre) will do public work. And I believe that is why we have the kinds of problems we have.