Pleased to Meet You

I signed up for a couple of Meetup groups – ASL practice and socialization, draw the figure and writer stuff. Meetup, helpfully, sends me emails about new groups forming in my general area that I might, (based on my profile?) be interested in. Nice. I just received two communiqués, however, which made me go all 'the hell?'

Vegan Girls of Brookline

Hello Everyone! This group is for women who live in Brookline who practice a vegan lifestyle (if you are vegetarian or considering veganism this will not be the group for you.) I am looking for ethical vegans who perhaps want to meet their neighbors, make new friends, and/or just have a vegan friend to grab dinner with from time to time, etc. with the hopes of sharing vegan dinners, potlucks, etc….

Brookline’s an immensely wealthy near-suburb of Boston. Exclusive even, just like the “Vegan Girls” club they’re forming. Being a vegetarian or even considering veganism isn’t enough, nope. You gotta be full fledged vegan already AND you have to live in this moneyed enclave.

Also “Girls?” What? Is this the dietary warrior equivalent of The Powerpuff Girls? Are the founding members 12 years old? With their vegan-curious need not apply note, this reeks of junior high mean girl. I’m stunned that they don’t specify an age limit too. No “girls” over 27 welcome. Is there a dress code? Beyond Skin heels are cool but Louboutin’s are right out (unless they’re from his chic, very limited and hard to get vegan line)? Of course.

Just curious, what would an unethical vegan be like? Eschewing animal products primarily for nutritional/health reasons? Vegan more for global warming than animal rights? Pure but for all the wrong reasons!

Then, I got an invite to join the Young Women's Republican Book Club of the South Shore. No shit – REALLY. I’m neither young nor an idiot but, yes, I do live on the South Shore. I think Meetup’s recommendation algorithm needs to be tweaked BIG TIME.

This is a book club for 20-something republican women on the South Shore! We will be reading right-wing minded books and discussing them over lots of laughter, fun and (many) drinks!

I wondered – is this a spoof group? You know, an Onion-esque or Colbert Report-like social club? If real, WHAT THE HOLY FUCK?!

I looked more at their page and YES this is an actual real group – not a joke (OK, a joke YES but not a purposeful attempt at funny). How can ANY sane human, let alone a woman, vote for a party who, seemingly, can’t let a day go by without saying, doing or voting for something utterly, despicably heinous vis-à-vis 50.4 percent of the population.

• The right to make health care choices for ourselves?
• “Personhood Laws” and Fetal Rights and Mandatory Ultrasounds?
• Abstinence Education?
• Attempts to legalize the murder of doctors who provide abortion services?
• Making contraception a religious, not health issue?
• Attempts to make single parenthood a crime?!
• And let’s not forget that equal pay for equal work, something the equal rights amendment would have made the law of the land, was ixnayed by our chums //snort// in the Republican party.

Oh yeah, this THIS IS the Republican party.

The site’s author’s line, We will be reading right-wing minded books and discussing them over lots of laughter, fun and (many) drinks! Yeah, I’d have to be blind fucking drunk too in order to laugh about the obscenely ridiculous, maliciously destructive, shortsighted, cruel, asinine, lies, obfuscations and damn lies that your right-wing minded authors spew.

Ummmm, I'm taking a pass on both groups. I know, you're shocked. Wicked shocked even.
Sympathy for the Devil – Rolling Stones