Abby is the Litmus Test

[Talisker]

I've found the slander and contempt expressed on Free Republic towards Abby Sunderland and her parents quite interesting. Of course, we're all supposed to believe that every post on FR is independently made, but these hate posts have been too interlocked in similiarly bizarre content for me to believe that.

Basically the hateful screeds boil down to Abby being a child instead of a young woman, unable to understand the danger of her trip, put at risk by fame seeking parents, to do something with no socially approved redeeming value, which ended in abject failure due to Abby's incompetence, and for which CPS should be called in to have Abby pulled from the family for re-education, while the parents are jailed, fined, and billed for the rescue efforts.

In short, an absolutely damning, completely collectivist viewpoint with zero acknowledgement of independent rights, which is based solely on collectivist evaluation, collectivist judgment, and collectivist punishment - fronted as family values and child protection.

Oh yeah, and also a complete and utter lie.

For there were many expert sailors as advisors behind this trip, all of whom signed off on both Abby's abilities, her equipment and her trip plan. And there was never any hint of her family not being willing to pay for any part of the rescue efforts. Entire ships have been destroyed through rogue waves, but there's no acknowledgement of that universal danger. And Abby performed beautifully as a sailor and as an adult, through storms, equipment failures, and difficulties across thousands of miles of sailing, and a crisis situation which would have had all of these naysayers pissing their pants.

But pants pissing is the point here - the very big point. Because Abby threatens the millions of families who base their concept of child rearing on the idea that childhood, literally, never ends. That children must be driven everywhere and monitored constantly, even as teenagers. That they need psych meds for growing pains. That responsibility is an injustice towards them, because they can't be allowed to develop any personal power that is not first approved by the mommy educational collective.

So pants pissing has become noble. It has become the sign of respect towards the community, of good parenting, and of normal childhood - the childhood that never ends. In fact, pants-pissing has become the litmus test of social approval itself, because it enables the protection of neurotic helicopter parents who see bogeymen under every bush so that they can justify an obsession about their children's safety that allows THEM to never grow up.

And guess which political party they ALL belong to, and HOPE to never CHANGE from?

So to them, now - now - "we" have this tiny little thumb-sucking girl child, only 16 years old and so barely out of diapers, being thrown into the ocean by greedy parents, straight into a hurricane to drown for their greed, with absolutely no approval from any group of safety parent educators or state approved parental control boards!

Do you realize what this could do to the carefully created psychological voting blocks of the pants pissers? Especially when that so-called "mom" from Alaska with the big family that hunts and fishes and camps and snow machines is running around actually threatening to run for high office?

Do you see the connection here? If Abby is praised and acknowledged for her courage and maturity, and for living life instead of just conforming to it, and especially - especially - for her individuality, her acceptance of personal risk and responsibility without the approval of the collective, people might start to remember what it means to be an American again! They might start to remember freedom, and risk for the sake of living life to the fullest, and learning through doing, and the value of learning courage in the face of difficulty, and they might start to discover their self-respect again, and build character.

And how would that effect the pants-pissing moms who scuttle through life at the end of the snapping fingers of feminist, communist, education-collective politicians? How would that effect their views of the locked-down, cop-patrolled, drug-infected, psych-medicated, fenced prison hellholes of morale-crushing subservience called public schools? How would that effect the ability of these politicians to convince these collectively-approved, latte-sucking "moms" to continue to destroy their children - by never letting them grow up - in the name of "safety"?

And above all, how would that effect the votes?

No, no, no, no, no. Call out the shills, invade the Net, and even get on Free Republic and in the name of God, parenting, sin, ego, vanity, stupidity and every other communist-studied conservative trigger-word, invoke cowardice in the name of responsibility, rip away adulthood with the insult of enforced childhood, hammer on cost without mentioning no resistance to payment, and above all sneer at parenting that is based of building courage and trust and adventure as an absolutely unforgivable violation of the sacred order of socially approved pants-pissing.

And demand wet pants! Wet pants for social justice! Wet pants for lack of guilt! And especially, wet pants for votes!

After all, it's for the children.

P.S. Congratulations to Abby and her family - you all did great. Abby sailed with competence, courage and joy, and inspired millions of people. If America is to have a future in freedom, she and people like her are the ones who will make it happen. But above all, she and her family made selfish cowards and conniving hypocrites everywhere publicly wet themselves, and for that America is truly grateful.

[FourPeas]

So Dude, do ya feel any better now?

[Paved Paradise]

I think most comments are slamming the parents and not the girl. Meanwhile, driving a car two miles to the local mall is not even remotely close to sailing across the oceans.

Have you ever even sailed? Well, I have. I used to sail on Lake Erie, which is the most dangerous lake as it is shallow.

This girl might be responsible. Great. What’s the big darn rush. And as for soldiers in our history being 16, that didn’t make it right and a lot of those kids died, crying for their mommies.

[verga]

This was spot on and in spite of the nay sayers you nailed it. A liberal friend of mine was wringing here hands over her son going to a summer camp. Iasked her if you would feel bettr if she was still wet nursing him and wiping his 14 year old butt? She didn’t really appreciate the question, or the implication.

[pandoraou812]

Good point. I don't know that I could send Sassy out alone in the ocean. We had a charter boat & fished for years over a hundred miles out. At times I was scared myself. And many times we had some of our children with us. Does that make me a bad parent? I didn't think so.

I am pretty protective ...But I do allow Sassy on horses & I get heat for that. I hear she is just 10 & you let her on a huge horse that could throw her...Her trainer is right there & yes it could happen. But you have to live. I am not going to put her in a bubble. So far she is doing really well but there will be tosses & sore bottoms. But that is life.

I see teens driving that IMHO shouldn't be. IF their parents had a clue they would take the car away hopefully. But I see so many parents who really don't seem to care. I have teen drivers in my neighborhood who fly through here. We try & talk to the parents & they scream their little darlings do not drive like that. Finally some of us moms with young kids called the cops & they sat an undercover car here & caught them....

I prayed Abby would be safe. I don't think I could let my child do it but I don't know Abby or her parents. Some children are more mature then adults I know...

[Paved Paradise]

he he.

[Jim Scott]

Interesting alternative view of Abby Sunderlands attempt to sail around the world by herself and some of the hostile reactions to the story seen on FR.

I know next to nothing about sailing or what kind of preparations were made for the Sunderland adventure. Like most non-sailors reading about this, I made the logical assumption that the attempt was carefully planned with plenty of safety precautions in place, which seems to have been proven correct. I also assumed that Abby Sunderland was considered by her parents to be proficient enough to make this attempt, solo.

I never believed the characterizations I've read (here and elsewhere) that attempted to portray Abby's parents as greedy publicity-seekers that deliberately put their teenage daughter in mortal danger out of some pathological desire for reflected glory. I thought those characterizations were ridiculous. I still do.

Like most, I don't know all the intricate details associated with Abby Sunderland's attempt to sail around the world by herself but I did think it was a risky proposition. Others have succeeded - but many have failed. I admire the girl's courage and determination and while some facts may eventually come to light to change my mind, I see no reason to trash the girl and/or her parents motives.

Although I'm not in full agreement with the title post's assertions that your reactions to Abby Sunderland's aborted quest determines your political mindset, I do believe that some people just want to criticize others, often in the harshest terms possible - and the anonymous internet is a great place to do so. Those folks can be ignored. Meanwhile, I share the relief of many that Abby Sunderland is safe.

[Paved Paradise]

Conservative does not necessarily mean “uses one’s brain.”

I suppose bungee jumping will be the next example used to show how independent thinking people can act, or base jumping...

[raybbr]

I'm with you. The hand wringing and whining on FR over this is embarrassing.

The idea that one should not make an attempt at something like this is saying that all the great inventors and innovators should have just stayed home in bed.

[Responsibility2nd]

This is the lamest opus I’ve ever seen.

Look. If you are gonna get your panties all in a wad over one stupid indicent, then go all the way:

1. Start a Flame War.
2. USE LOTS OF CAPS!!!
3. Ping Jim Robinson
4. State clearly you are never coming back.
5. GTFO

[ronniesgal]

well stated!!!

[Crim]

I dont let my 18 or 20 year old take my boat out alone...

Flying a plane around the world is not sailing the oceans...and Miss earhart couldnt do it as an adult.

Not really such a good example after all...

[cdcdawg]

After reading some of the back and forth, I really think it’s only a few bed-wetters posting over and over again. A lot of it seems to stem from those who think something magical would happen when she turns 18. Abby might not be a legal adult in the United States, but she is not a child, either. What she accomplished is quite impressive, and I imagine she will accomplish much more. Obviously, trying to sail solo around the world is not for everybody. There are many things that are not for everybody, which is why the extraordinary is extraordinary.

We have our share of nanny-staters and bed-wetters on the Right.

[Crim]

The point being...they shouldnt have HAD to rescue her...

[raybbr]

Second, as to her not being old enough to assess proper risk. Everyone who has “kids,” knows that their judgment of anything is not fully developed. We even have much brain science to back this up. The frontal lobe is not fully developed even when a young person is 18 or 19, let alone 16.

This is true of every human being on earth? Generalizations are the stuff of wimps.

[autumnraine]

Exactly, I think it was an excellent point. I realize Amelia Earhart didn’t make it, which was my point entirely.

[Domandred]

If she had made it around the world safely the same people denigrating her and her parents would be congratulating her.

Your post is spot on.

[Charlespg]

I think I'll withhold judgment on this episode. If the young girl returns safely and refuses interviews, stories, book deals and movie offers then she can say she did it for the challenge. If she and her parents hustle the story for money then they can foot the bill for the rescue.

very good point.theres no doubt she's a very unusual girl.

but I am skeptical when thousands of dollars and sponsorships are involved
And the original posters screed ignored how much parental ego might be involved here

[gunsequalfreedom]

Leif Ericson

Around the year 982 Eric the Red sailed to Iceland. He landed on the coast of Greenland. He founded the first colony there. His son named Leif Ericson began exploring the area. He reached the North American mainland around the year 1000.

Prince Henry

Prince Henry spent his entire fortune funding many voyages of exploration as well as projects in navigation, ship design, astronomy, and mapmaking. His expeditions included the islands of the Azores, Madeira, and the Cape Verde Islands, and the African coast as far as present-day Sierra Leone.

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus dreamed of becoming a sailor. At age 14 he made his first voyage on an Italian ship. Columbus tried to raised the money for his West Indies expedition but no one would give him the ships he needed. Finally the king and queen of Spain gave him three ships; the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria...

...He landed on the shores of America. Adventurous people with a hearty spirt settled and 500 years later a 16-year-old girl took to the seas repeating the quest of the great sailors before her.

Notice the flag on that vessel.

If that is not enough for you, she is an American. Have you lost the spirit? Are you so beaten down by your government that you have become sheeple, lost, a complaining coach potato?!

I hope she gets a new mast and finishes her adventure! That's the American way, or at least it used to be.

In other words, stop your bellyaching and start rooting for the home team!

[Blennos]

Yes!

[Paved Paradise]

You are inside of my head, brother. I think it has way more to do with the parents...just like that little environmental wacko kid I read about about a year ago... her thoughts, likes, and interests are her “parent’s.”

Let the kid enjoy her life. They grow up fast enough. All these people talk about her independence but what’s the big deal for her to have waited two years? Oh, that’s right, all of the money would not be there b/c then she wouldn’t be the youngest girl or whatever other goal she was trying to set.