To the Women Who Don’t Need Feminism

Recently, a Tumblr blog about Women Against Feminism has gotten some attention. The responses have ranged from hilarious to horrifying. There are those who totally agree with these women who have no idea what feminism is and there are those that responded with cat pictures. The discussion has been opened and internet fights have started. As the former Feminist Society president, it kills me when I hear women say they aren’t feminists or say that they actually oppose feminism. But I’ve learned through the years that these people can’t be dealt with reasonably. They don’t care about what valid points I have and they’re too lazy to even Google the definition of feminism. 

So I’m not going to fight you, Women Against Feminism. In fact, I’m going to help you. I’ve compiled a list of things you should stop and start doing in order to live a life free of feminist influence. 

If you’re a woman against feminism or one who feels you don’t need it:

1. Close your bank account. Give all your money and property to your father or husband. After all, the only reason you’re allowed to have one is because of feminism. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that unmarried women could own property.
2. Quit your job. It was feminists who fought for the woman’s right to work; if you don’t need feminism, stop working. In 1873, three Supreme Court Justices signed into their opinion on the Bradwell v Illinois case that “[t]he paramount destiny and mission of woman are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother. This is the law of the Creator.”
3. If you do work, tell your boss you don’t want equal pay. 
   1. When you get pregnant(and you will because according to anti-feminists, a woman only has value as a wife and mother) make sure no one abides by the Pregnancy and Discrimination Act. 
4. Drop out of school, do not go to college. Public schools weren’t open for girls until 1826-and those were only in Boston and New York. The American Journal of Education wrote that the schools should give “women such an education as shall make them fit wives for well educated men, and enable them to exert a salutary influence upon the rising generation.”
5. It took until 1833 for Oberlin to be the first co-ed college and it wasn’t until 1838 that Mount Holyoke College was established in Massachusetts- the first college for women. But it took feminism to get there, so education is not for you.
6. Give up your right to vote. Don’t even register to vote. Women’s suffrage is the most famous instance of feminist success. 
7. Give up all land ownership. Oregon became the first state to give women land owning rights in 1850, but if you’re a land owning woman, it’s because of feminism. 
8. Quit taking birth control or don’t plan on starting. Birth control was illegal until 1965(when married women could take it) and 1972(when any woman could take it.) But it took the efforts of prominent feminist Margaret Sanger to get that right.
9. Don’t expect to play sports or have equality in sports. Title IX of the Education Amendments wasn’t included until 1972 and that was added because of feminist efforts. 
10. Don’t get an abortion. Abortion wasn’t legal in the US until February of 1973 after the famous Roe v Wade trial with the Supreme Court. But who fought for abortion rights? Feminists. 
11. Break up with your significant other. Only date and marry men that your father picks out for you.
12. When your husband beats or rapes you, remember that it was feminists who fought to make spousal abuse and rape illegal, so don’t call the police. In fact, it wasn’t until 1993 that spousal rape was illegal everywhere in the United States. 

To sum it all up, ladies, you DO need feminism. It’s because of feminism that you can own property, work, vote, play sports, get equal pay(supposedly), have the option to take birth control, choose your partner and call the police if/when you get beaten or raped. You need feminism, whether you like to admit it or not. 

Feminism is about choices- to be a SAHM or a working mom or to not be a mom at all. It’s about choosing to go on birth control or not, choosing to get an abortion or not, to dress feminine or not. Feminism is about having the freedom to make choices about your life, rather than be treated like a child. Without feminism, women would still be defined as legal minors, as property to be owned by their fathers and then husbands.

Feminism helps both genders. It treats men like people, not animals and women like people, not objects or incubators. It’s not men>women or women>men; feminism is women=men. 

If you’re a woman against feminism, you don’t know what feminism is. You are giving the finger to your fore-mothers and using the rights they won to limit the women of today. 

I founded the Feminist Society to help the girls and guys at my school and while not everyone supported it, overall, the positive response was much louder than the negative. Everyone had different opinions on how they wanted to grow up and who they wanted to become, but we all came together as feminists because we understood that it was feminism that gave us the choice.

 

 

Politicians, can I see your MD?

Gardasil is one of the more controversial vaccines of the modern age, but I got my third and final dose of it today. Gardasil has caused both sides of the political spectrum to make some ignorant statements and decrease the effect of a vaccination that could potentially save many lives.

Gardasil is one of the 2 FDA approved vaccines for HPV- the Human Papillomavirus. HPV has been known to cause cervical and vaginal cancers in women, penile and anal cancers in men and some head and throat cancers in both genders. Obviously HPV is a big deal, so why isn’t its vaccine more popular? Why is there so much controversy surrounding a vaccine that could prevent cancers? Why are 70% of girls and even less boys in the target ages not receiving a vaccine that could save their life?

Politics.

Politicians have been makes egregious statements about the vaccine. Representative Michele Bauchmann attacked Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2011 for being the first to make the Gardasil vaccine mandatory. Republican Presidential candidates were trying to get better ratings and in her attempt to smear Governor Perry, Rep. Bauchmann called Gardasil dangerous on TV and claimed she knew a mother whose daughter became “mentally retarded” after receiving the vaccine.

Rather than call into question Perry’s ties with Merck, the Gardasil manufacturers, she attacked the vaccine itself. The chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, Otis Brawley, called out the ignorant statement. “It’s an insult that people are not looking at the evidence,” says Brawley. “It’s a tragedy that we could prevent people from dying from cervical and head and neck cancer but our society just can’t bring itself to have an open, rational, scientific discussion about the facts.”

Besides Rep. Bauchmann, many conservatives have stated that giving girls protection against HPV, which is often transmitted sexually, is like giving them a permission slip to be promiscuous. But if a state like Texas can make the HPV vaccine mandatory, then everyone can. After the 2006 introduction of the vaccine, teen HPV rates were cut in half. A study published in Pediatrics found that giving Gardasil to teens did not increase their sexual activity or change their sexual behaviors. Both sexually experienced and inexperienced young women between the ages of 13 and 24 were surveyed, and researchers found that the “vast majority” of participants still believed it was important to practice safe sex after getting the HPV vaccine.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the problem is “Big Pharma.” Just before the release of Gardasil, Merck had to recall their arthritis pill Vioxx because it was causing heart attacks. They had advertised it pretty aggressively and after the slew of lawsuits coming their way post-recall, their image was tainted.

Liberals on the far left are/were arguing that mandating the vaccine was just going to give more power to Big Pharma and weakened the FDA’s authority with claims that the agency was too cozy with the drug industry. Merck was back at it with mass marketing Gardasil despite their problems with Vioxx. Gardasil sales took a huge dip in 2010, with sales falling from $1.5 billion in 2007 to nearly $1 billion in 2010.

The problem with politicians trying to talk about vaccines and the drug industry is that their focus is on getting votes, not spreading medical truths.

“If you look at both sides of the political spectrum I’m amazed and appalled by the lack of knowledge that’s being put forward as knowledge,” says Robert Ruffolo, former head of research at Wyeth. “They’re not scientists, they’re not physicians, and many politicians will say almost anything during election season.”

Ruffolo is right about politicians saying anything. They want to pander to voters and a Thomas Reuters/NPR Health Poll found that 1 in 4 Americans believe that there are safety concerns associated with vaccines. If pandering to voters means making inaccurate statements about vaccines, so be it.

But politicians need to get out of the medical business. Too often we see them trying to get involved with topics they know nothing about. Just look at the reactions to the Hobby Lobby case, anti-abortion laws and medical marijuana laws- politicians will make false statements concerning the health of American citizens to earn the votes of some rather than put away their fake MDs and allow the FDA and CDC to do their jobs.

Too many people are going to contract HPV and cancers because they won’t get the Gardasil vaccine. Yes, the vaccine does have side effects, like almost anything does. To be honest, I hated getting my doses because it makes me really sick. But I got over the nausea and pain within a few hours and now have protection against many cancers, including the cervical cancer that my mother had. Go get your HPV vaccination as soon as possible if you haven’t already!

Next time a politician makes a statement or claim about any medical issue, make sure to check for a valid MD. Do they even have one? If they do, what field do they work in and is it related to the topic they’re discussing? If not, refuse to sell them your vote on the issue.

Sources:

Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/04/04/americas-gardasil-problem-how-politics-poisons-public-health/3/

USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/03/hpv-vaccination-sex/5035033/

She Does Not Know Who I am, or Where I am From

While I was in DC, I had the honor of meeting Madelyne who is also from Texas. It’s such an honor to say that I know her. Her blog is beautifully written and so insightful and touching. Liberals in Texas can be few and far between and I’m lucky I can call her my friend.

To the Left, To the Left

“I wish I got free food,” whispers an older woman standing behind me at the grocery store check out register.  She has never laid eyes on me before.  She does not know my name or who I am.  She does not know where I live or where I am from, but there is one thing she is certain of: my family and I are lazy, dependent, undeserving, and her hard-working family is the sole reason I receive food stamp benefits.  I don’t bother responding to these kind of comments, because I know that nothing I say and nothing I do will amend her prejudice toward me. What I wish I could tell her and what plays repeatedly in my mind as I load my groceries and make the drive home is my story, and how I got here.

Since 2010 my mother’s health has experienced a rapid decline.  First being diagnosed with Hyper…

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A Critique of “America”

(TL;DR at bottom)

Last night, one of my best friends Chris and I saw Dinesh D’Souza’s “America: Imagine a World Without Her.” D’Souza is famous for his last political documentary “2016” which was the second best rated political documentary when it came out. While I didn’t hate it, there were so many flaws in the logic D’Souza presented that I subjected Chris to all my thoughts as soon as we left the theater.

For those familiar with D’Souza’s work, you won’t be surprised to hear we were the only people under 50 in that theater and Chris was the only non-white viewer that night. The demographics of D’Souza’s fans-older, whiter- should say enough about what kind of perspective this movie is made from.

My first problem with this film is that it’s advertised in such a way as to hide the intent of the film- although I suppose that was the point. The synopsis of the film is:

Someone once observed: “America is great because she is good; if she ever ceases to be good she will cease to be great.” Today that notion of the essential goodness of America is under attack, replaced by another story in which theft and plunder are seen as the defining features of American history—from the theft of Native American and Mexican lands and the exploitation of African labor to a contemporary foreign policy said to be based on stealing oil and a capitalist system that robs people of their “fair share”.
Our founding fathers warned us that, although the freedoms they gave us were hard fought, they could very easily be lost. America stands at a crossroads, and the way we understand our past will determine our future. America the movie takes 21st-century Americans into the future by first visiting our past.

This sounds awesome and inspiring. I loved “The World Without US” on Netflix(check it out!) so I figured I’d love this, too.

The movie starts out with scenes of a reenactment of the American Revolution with a soldier writing to his wife. A battle plays out and we see George Washington get assassinated by a sniper in the bushes- heart-wrenching scene for any American. Then a totally awesome intro scene comes up and whoever made that should get an award or something.

After our awesome intro, audiences are treated to majestic pictures of America’s most beautiful sites. And then narraration from D’Souza.

At first, it seems like D’Souza is trying to take a bipartisan approach in “America” but it quickly becomes apparent that there is nothing bipartisan about this film. D’Souza lists the “Indictments” America receives from Native Americans, “Mexico”, African American, The World and The American People. These indictments are brought up on the screen after interviews with a historian from the Sioux Nation, a Chicano professor, an African American professor, and some other historians.

D’Souza goes on to say that Americans are being made to feel ashamed of our past and goes on to disprove all the claims made against America. What better way to get Republicans on your side than to accuse minority and marginalized groups of hating America?

The problem with D’Souza is that he dismisses the feelings of these interviewees and OKs the bloodier and more corrupt pieces of this nation’s history by basically saying “Well everyone else was doing it, too!” as if the misbehavior of others excuse ours. The taking of land from the Native Americans is brushed off as “well almost all of them were killed off by disease anyway so don’t worry about it” and I can’t even talk about how he covers slavery without getting riled up. Essentially, his explanation of why we shouldn’t feel shame about slavery is that there were black slave owners, too, and white indentured servants so it wasn’t just black people. If I didn’t already know who Dinesh D’Souza was, I would swear he was one of the crackpot redneck wannabes from my old high school.

He makes some valid points when he focuses on the entrepreneurial spirit that is pretty unique to Americans, especially when we were a Baby Nation. D’Souza paints a picture of America as optimistic and majestic, a hopeful new nation ready to take on the world.

And then he kills it. He kills it with fire.

D’Souza suddenly changes the mood of the movie from being about different views on America’s past to talking about Why Liberals Are Stupid and Whiny. He talks about the poor as if every poor person is lazy and uneducated, as if they all abuse the system. He dismisses those who are angry about the way wealth is distributed without even trying to think of why the top 1% own 20%+ of the nation’s wealth and what’s wrong with that picture.

There’s so much more wrong he does, but it would take a short novel to cover it all.

Dinesh D’Souza, and other Republicans, no one is mad that business owners make more money- we’re not mad at the rich for being rich. We’re angry that the minimum wage hasn’t been adjusted to rise with inflation in about 30 years. If it had, we’d be at almost $22/hour for a minimum wage job. We want those who earn their money to be able to keep it- but also respect that they got help from society and the local/state/federal government. Taxes shouldn’t be resented- it’s you paying to maintain roads and infrastructure and secure a social safety net. And yes, if you make 7 figures a year,  you should be expected to pay more in taxes than those who make 5 or even 4 digits.

We’re angry that those in poverty and/or on welfare are expected to dress in rags and beg for pity to appease your prejudice. The average time a person is on welfare is about 7 months. Only 19% of welfare recipients are in the system for more than 5 years. And guess what, before people were on welfare, they had lives and little luxuries that they didn’t stop owning. And they paid taxes, some of which went into the social safety net, which they now use. With just below half of all recipients being children, though, it’s even worse to hear people talk about how everyone on welfare is “driving around in Bugattis”(which was said in my political science’s class debate on welfare.) Liberals are angry that Republicans and greedy loons allow these stereotypes to persist.

91% of the people on welfare are elderly or disabled(sometimes veterans) or working households. But I guess that figure doesn’t help D’Souza’s message.

TL;DR: “America” from Dinesh D’Souza is poorly advertised, poorly written, poorly crafted and full of straw man arguments. To quote Martin Tsai from the LA Times,

It’s “Sesame Street”-style show and tell, complete with highly suggestive musical cues.

It exists to affirm the ideas that Republicans, especially extremists, already have and doesn’t educate the audience at all. It’s not a waste of your time to watch, but I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to view it.

 

BlueGirl, BlueState: A Friend Made in DC

I made so many friends in DC that I can’t even give all of them a proper shout out; I’d probably forget someone and lose a voter in my 2036 election. But I did meet Izzie Bauman, a girl from Massachusetts- liberal paradise basically. She interned on the Elizabeth Warren campaign and made a YouTube video about the campaign process. Izzie is super awesome, she’s such a nice person and a great worker! Her enthusiasm for politics is inspiring and so I hope you all appreciate and enjoy viewing the video I’m sharing with you guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76ooBsFa6g

Hopefully, some of you guys will be inspired to join campaigns or maybe be nicer to the poor volunteers who call you from a phone bank. Primaries have just ended in a lot of states, meaning the stress on them has lessened, but they’re still hard at work!

Back in Town

I returned to Texas around midnight last night, fully exhausted and ready to go to sleep. But not after I recounted my story to my mother of course. And now to tell you all! 

The Leadership Academy was amazing. It truly was one of the best experiences of my life! I love DC and the capitol and the friends that I made are fantastic. We were treated to tours of the monuments(Washington Memorial, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam, and Lincoln) and the Capitol building, guest speakers and chances to meet with the offices of our senators and representatives.

We met with a manager of Emily’s List and had a discussion on female leadership and gender parity. All the guys were proud, self-proclaimed feminists and it was refreshing to hear guys talk about how much they hate the patriarchy and want equality. 
Jessica Byrd, Statistical Manager
We also toured the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The exhibits are extraordinary there! Definitely recommended. And we ate at Ben’s Chili Bowl, and I sat where Obama sat! The historian who gives the history of the restaurant to groups was 2013 Washingtonian of the Year and the sweetest man! 

Cory Booker visited us and took a mega selfie with all 32 students plus the advisers which he posted on Instagram and we all posted on Twitter and Facebook. He even followed me on Twitter! Senator Booker then stayed in our hotel, which we were unaware of- on our floor even! So of course, just my luck when I go out in the hall that morning and he sees about 5 of us in our pajamas. But really, Senator Booker is a totally amazing person. He’s a great inspirational speaker and he answered all our questions with enthusiasm and passion. He gives amazing off-the-cuff speeches and is just perfect. 

While at the US Capitol, a group of us ran into John McCain in the hallway. He was very frustrated and gave us a hurried group photo. But we got one so yay us! We also ran into Tammy Baldwin, who I got a selfie with! 

On Wednesday, we went to the Capitol to lobby members of Congress about the Voting Rights Act and other important issues. John Cornyn’s office was… something. Neither of the assistant’s we spoke with were from Texas so when the three Texans at the Academy were mentioning our voter ID laws, they drew a blank. It was incredibly annoying, but apparently it’s common to hire assistants from other states, although it’s ridiculous. The guy was reasonable and polite, the girl less so. Maybe it’s because I believe that female Republicans are basically gender traitors, but I just didn’t like her very much. 

While we toured the Capitol, we passed the Supreme Court and took a group picture. On 3 we yelled “Hobby Lobby sucks!” instead of “cheese” and we all laughed about the reactions from neighboring groups. 

One of the best parts of the Academy was the support we all gave each other. We all love politics and talked about them excitedly and in detail. For someone from a place where the political knowledge meter is close to zero for the community and those that are involved are typically Republican, it was like a dream come true. On day one, a group of us talked about Russia and Crimea for FUN! FUN! 

This was one of the best things that’s every happened to me and I’m so excited I got to go! I can’t wait to go to the College Leadership Academy next summer and get more involved with the YDA. I love everyone I met at the Academy and know they’ll all do so well in life and succeed in whatever they do. 

A Room Full of Hope

Today I arrived at the hotel where the Leadership Academy is being held. There are 31 students here, including 3 from Texas. It’s exciting in itself to meet other liberal Texans. The age range of these students is about 15-18, as it’s for students who just finished freshman year up to students who just graduated. 

One of the most amazing things so far about this Academy is the enthusiasm of the students. Everyone here speaks excitedly about what they do and you can hear the passion in their voices. We all bond over our love of politics and of the Democratic party. The Southern students especially are excited to feel less alone and the Northern students are interested in our horror stories. 

As we share our different experiences with work and volunteering, we realize that we all have a lot in common, namely that we believe in people and the power of passion. We all want to hear what everyone else has to say and value every story and opinion. 

For someone who isn’t used to being around political teens- especially not liberal ones- this is so incredibly amazing. I am so lucky to have this experience. We’re going to Capitol Hill in a few days and we’re going to get to talk to our Representatives as well as other Congressmen we don’t agree with. We’re going to ask hard questions and hopefully get some answers. 

Everyone in this room is a feminist, a liberal, a teenager, a student and we’re all so excited about our futures and the future of America. I can feel the energy rolling off these people in waves and it excites me and reminds me of why I love politics. 

When discussing the Feminist Society to these people, I was applauded and told how great that was. In Texas, I was harassed and told to shut up and sit down. It’s amazing to see the different reactions I get from conservatives and liberals. 

I’m ecstatic about the next few days. Tonight a group of us are gonna watch Miss Representation and tomorrow an important women’s rights activist is coming(some of us are betting that it’s Gloria Steinem) and you know I’ll be blogging about that. 

In my last post, I talked about the amazing bounty of hope and opportunity young people took for granted. This is a group of people who take nothing for granted and I couldn’t ask for a better place to be. 

Arrived in DC

This afternoon I finally arrived in Washington, DC! My flight departed Dallas Lovefield at 6am, meaning I had to leave at 4. So basically I didn’t sleep at all last night- in fact I didn’t sleep until the plane. It took just over an hour to get to New Orleans, my flight landed as my connection was boarding! But then I finally landed at BWI. 

A family friend, A’shanti, picked me up and I’m staying with her for the day before I go to the Leadership Academy tomorrow. She’s worked for the Secretary of Labor and now oversees projects for United Way. We met her when I was incredibly young and she worked in my aunt’s office as a secretary. I hope to someday be like her in that I have a great government job! She’s inspired me so much. My favorite color has been purple since before kindergarden because that’s her favorite color and I always wanted to be just like her. 

I can’t wait to head to the Academy tomorrow. I’ll be meeting Pete Sessions this week and some other congressional members. I’ll also make lifelong friends and gain incredibly important experience in lobbying, campaigning, fundraising and everything else political. I can network my way into a good career start! Maybe I can even get a job that pays more than $2.13 an hour! 

One of the things I love about being young- that I think many young people take for granted- is the incredible bounty of opportunity that lies ahead of me. I sit her in A’Shanti’s beautiful condo and can’t wait until I have a life like this for myself. Call me an idealist, but I really believe I can help change the world and I can’t wait until everyone benefits from the fruit of my labors. 

The Horrifying Hobby Lobby Case

Today, the Supreme Court made its ruling in Burwell v Hobby Lobby, a case also known as the Hobby Lobby Case. Five men ruled that Hobby Lobby and other for-profit corporations had the right to deny birth control coverage to women if the corporate heads are religious. Let’s dissect this and discuss.

“Five Men”: The five male SCOTUS judges who voted in favor of Hobby Lobby were Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito, Jr. Notice that once again men have just made a decision about women’s health care.

Hobby Lobby: David Green is the owner of this Christian craft store chain. He and his wife felt that the ACA requirement that birth control be provided to employees with healthcare benefits was a “substantial burden” to them as their brand of Christian beliefs don’t allow for birth control access. They do allow for vasectomies apparently though since HL’s health insurance plan will still cover those.

A Corporation Head’s Religious Beliefs: The ruling today allows religious corporations to deny birth control coverage to employees based on the corporate head’s religion. I have two analogies for you to help understand the complete and utter BS this is.

1. I am on a diet, so I no longer eat donuts. You eat a donut every morning for breakfast and we work in the same building. I feel that because I am on a no-donut diet, you should not be allowed to eat donuts anymore. It’s a burden for me to have to deal with the knowledge that someone is living their life differently from mine. I go to our boss and demand donuts be banned from the entire business. He agrees and now you can no longer eat donuts because of my personal no-donut lifestyle.
2. A teacher is fasting for religious reasons. Despite laws saying students must get a 30 minute lunch period, the teacher feels that it violates her religion to allow others to eat while her God says it’s fasting time. So the teacher withholds lunch from her students because of her personal practices.

Hobby Lobby’s owner is religious and he feels this grants him the authority to override the ACA and force his employees to comply with his interpretation of the Bible.

Many researchers and scientists have proved that 60% of women take birth control for non-contraceptive purposes. But I honestly don’t care about that statistic. I don’t think it matters why a woman decides to take birth control. Women are not obligated to share their personal medical business with their employers. Should I begin inviting my employer and representatives to come to the doctor with me? Well, my employer doesn’t give me any benefits, so maybe just my representatives. They seem really interested in controlling my healthcare so they should just get to work with it first-hand.

Some men are whining that health insurance plans don’t cover condoms, so women should just suck it up and pay for our birth control. The difference here between men’s condoms and women’s birth control is that men don’t have to go to a doctor and get a pelvic exam to get condoms. There are sites that send out free condoms and clinics and they’re fairly cheap considering how great they are at preventing parenthood. But birth control requires doctors and exams and prescriptions or insertions and they do a range of things regarding women’s reproductive health. And they can be hella expensive.

The bigger problem here is that SCOTUS has declared that a corporation can bypass providing health care that contradicts the owner’s beliefs. Can Jehovah’s Witnesses who own businesses refuse to cover blood transfusions? Can highly religious owners refuse to cover vaccinations? Religious beliefs do not have to be respected by all and the beliefs of one should not influence the lives of anyone else. The wording of the ruling specifies that this only applies to contraception, but could those religious business owners not point to this case as grounds for their own?

Corporations have been given more rights than 51% of the US population- women. Corporations now control what women can and cannot have in regards to healthcare. Corporations now get to decide what women’s healthcare can be. We must remember the recent history in which women weren’t trusted to make their own decisions about anything and it seems that we’re falling back into that trend.

 

Food Service and Sickness

This morning I woke up for work and promptly realized I was very sick and should stay home. I figured that handling people’s food while I was hacking up my lungs wasn’t smart. My throat was swollen, my voice was scratchy and my eyes were bloodshot- the last thing guests want to see and hear in regards to the people touching their food and beverages. So I called in sick. I told my manager that hey- I was sick and I didn’t want to get the other employees or the guests sick, so I would stay home today. 

Believe me, I wanted to work! I need the money and also today was Bar Champs so that would have been so fun to watch! I do enjoy my job. My manager said I could stay home granted I bring in a doctor’s note. I was taken aback but quickly said ok and we hung up. 

Since I just graduated high school, I live with my mom. I told her I needed a doctor’s note for my managers. Here’s the problem though. My dad just retired from the military about a month ago so our insurance is changing. For the time being, while our application for retired veteran benefits is pending, my family has no health insurance. So I can’t afford to go to the doctor. I have a stomach bug or a cold. I can’t spend hundreds of dollars and have my mom drive to Dallas so that my doctor can tell me “you have a cold. Drink some tea and take some decongestant.” 

Long story short, I didn’t go to the doctor. My manager will just have to be understanding. 

The problem here is that food service employees are expected to come to work sick. I have the privilege of being able to technically afford a day off. I don’t pay rent or utility bills so missing one day doesn’t ruin me financially. My mom could have driven me to the doctor if I was really, really sick. Other employees may or may not have that privilege. Some have kids and most have bills to pay. 

I ate Whataburger for dinner last night and my mom and I both got sick. The worker who made our meal was probably also sick and we got what they had. Most food service employees do come to work sick. I’ve seen it at my own place of business and I’ve met employees of other restaurants that admit they go to work when they’re sick. 

Food service workers aren’t given benefits or decent pay. We make $2.13/hour + tips and deal with some of the worst people. Yet we handle food and money and drinks. One sick employee can contaminate an entire restaurant. 

People look at servers as beneath them- as servants and idiots who can’t do anything else. My coworkers are mostly paying their way through college- two of them are starting grad school in the fall. But being a server is hard work and we get the short end of the stick in every account. 

I still don’t feel well, I’m feverish and nauseous. My throat is still red and swollen. But I’ll be at work tomorrow anyway and I’ll be begging my manager to understand my situation with health insurance. I’ll be guzzling down hot tea with honey to sooth my throat and drying out my hands with soap and sanitizer. I’ll be hoping I don’t get anyone sick or contaminate any food. But I’ll be at work anyway. Most food service workers go to work sick.