My friend works as a volunteer in a reception center for asylum seekers. The volunteers were just joined by professionals, referred to as staff. The volunteers have been there forever and are mostly older women. The staff is made up of 20-somethings.
The big event when the refugees arrive is the clothes room where they get one shot to select clothing and return only if they can’t find an article they need. The clothing is donated. When little girls from Brazil, Honduras, Senegal, Haiti and so forth arrive, they burst with excitement on seeing the clothing, all the frilly dresses and sparkly shoes and bows and ribbons for little girls. Joy, joy, joy.
And guess who the witches are in this story. You guessed it. The ideologically puritan young ladies who want the clothing all to be gender neutral. Away with the lacey dresses and the cute tops! Shred the little girl shorts! Melt down the sparkly shoes with little bows! Down with the patriarchy!
It is so stupid it would be funny if you did not think of those little girls being robbed of one bright spot in their terrible journey. What is wrong with people?
Pat’s Polemics
On-going brilliance
