Afganistan and American women have what in common?

[JasonDeter]

Remeber when Laura and george* suddenly became concerned about Afganistan women when they were playing up the Afganistan war? Election year politics and suddenly Laura and george* are again concerned about women. Whatever.

[Mari333]

1. Back in the days

when I was protesting the plight of womens APARTHEID in Afghanistan, and the US ignored it and kept sending monies to the Taleban warlords, I was appalled at the FACT that the misogyny over there was ignored by the US govt, and now its touted out as a product for *bUsh and Laura to pretend its oh so terrible..
Give me a f*cking break.

[ieoeja]

2. I was with you.

Jane Afghan got up in the morning, went downtown to the office where she worked as a partner in the law firm, then went home in the evening, changed into her micro-mini and headed out to the discoteques in Kabul.

Then the religious fanatics conquered her country by force of arms. Jane lost her job and her home. She was banned from hospitals and forced to wear a burqa. As a modern, independent woman she found it impossible to follow the dictates of a repressive religion about which she knew nothing and so was punished by having her nose and ears cut off.

People don't realize that Afghanistan was a modern, westernized country. This was not a case where you could excuse what was happening because it was "their culture" and we should not judge other cultures based on our prejudices. It was NOT their culture. The women of Kabul knew a culture not greatly unlike that of the women of New York city, were completely unprepared and unconditioned for what was forced upon them, and certainly did not choose to live under the Taliban.

[eridani]

3. But remember--

--even in the 70s there was a very serious urban/rural cultural split that makes New York City and Finger Lakes seem virtually identical by comparison. CIA good buddy Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was making his bones then, throwing acid in the faces of university women. Great qualification for leading the Reagan/Bush jihad of the 80s.