On an otherwise normal afternoon, I have a dentist appointment and leave my office with ample time to make my dental cleaning.  It’s a beautiful day and I drove my Lotus Elise, a tiny little sports car.  Naturally, there are many ways to get there, but today I elect to go on surface streets.  Next, I drive up a residential road on a mild hill that overlooks the freeway as it crests on an all-way stop intersection.  I start to coast down that hill; my destination is only about five minutes away.  As I pass a cross street, I see a figure jump out into sight; he wore a uniform and wielded a radar gun.  He motions for me to pull over.  I was busted.

I was polite to the police officer and answered all the questions he asked.  He subsequently thanked me for being polite and told me that he liked me.  However, that police officer was very pleasant as he handed me a speeding ticket; it read “Driving 35mph in a 30mph zone”.  If there was such a thing as a magnet for speeding tickets, my car would qualify.  That said, I was driving over 45mph when he clocked me; he was merciful.

I told my wife about the ticket the moment I saw her; she laughed at the silliness of a “35 on a 30” ticket with my car, but I explained to her that I was going faster.  I subsequently took the ticket to court, only to have the option of keeping it off my driving record.  The judge advised that as long as I didn’t get another one within three years, it would be cleared.  I never got another ticket.

It’s about accountability

I understand accountability.  That afternoon, the police officer issued a ticket for my speeding incident, no complaints.  I sped as I traveled down that hill; I won’t deny it.  The subtle element that we rarely think about is whether these rules are applied uniformly.  For instance, that officer singled me out for speeding; this worked to my disadvantage.  Conversely, he subsequently issued a citation for a much lesser offense; this worked to my advantage.

If all speeders, independent of demographics, vehicle, situation, or location were issued citations then it is equitable.  However, this is not the case, police officers issue traffic tickets subjectively.  Do they establish their location with radar gun on every neighborhood or selected ones?  Do they issue citations to every speeding vehicle and driver or selected ones?  Are they lenient (and to what degree) to every driver (independent of whether they were polite) or selected ones?  It is precisely this selective process that is the source of bias.

I understand accountability, but when applied with bias, it is no longer about accountability.  It becomes a weapon against the oppressed.

Is it always about accountability or is that just an out?

A friend, who is pro-life about abortion issues, and I discussed the nuances of each of our positions in this matter.  Our conversation was emotionally charged, but we respected each other and conducted ourselves with civility.  I responded with two rather unconventional ideas:

• Consider defining the start of life as the moment when the pregnancy can survive outside of the mother, much like if she were to suffer a tragic accident, like delivering a premature baby.  That doesn’t occur at six weeks.  How many weeks premature can we reliably deliver a child with reasonable hope for survivability?
• If we truly value the preservation of life, then we can pass other laws that maximize its preservation.  We can make organ donor registration (and donation) mandatory; blood donation is minimally invasive and can be mandatory.  We collectively agree that all these amendments will maximize the preservation of life.

After hearing those ideas, my friend didn’t respond with a counterpoint on either of those positions.  I don’t know if he was unable or unwilling, but he simply didn’t.  He responds with assertions like “this is not the same” but wouldn’t articulate why or how they are different.

Curiously, he then shifts his position and asserts that it is about accountability.  I may buy this argument, but if it’s not about the value of life, stop calling it ‘pro-life’ to elicit an emotional response.  It is absurd to talk about the value of life and then throw a tantrum over wearing a mask to protect others.  We’ll gloss over the fact that this turned into a game of ‘whack-a-mole’ with different rationalizations in order to defend your position.

That said, if we want to discuss this as a question of accountability, let’s discuss that on its merits.

Is accountability applied uniformly?

Picture this…  You’re a promising student in high school.  You are diligent about your studies and got early acceptance to your school of choice.  There’s every reason to believe that you’ll succeed in life, with an aspiration for higher learning and graduate school.  You are in love with your high school sweetheart, and the product of that love is an unplanned pregnancy.  Do you become a parent as you’re graduating high school, knowing that this will likely change the trajectory of your life?

The above hypothetical was written to be gender agnostic.  Now go back and read through it with the other gender in mind.  Does it read differently to you?  About 70% of teenage girls who give birth end up leaving school.  Is the impact as severe for boys who become fathers?  And if it’s not, should it be?  Should a promising high school football player (with a potential for scholarship) need to quit the team to look after his child after school?  Are we then holding the women to a different standard for accountability?

I understand the biology of the woman carrying the child, that aside we also collectively realize that ‘it takes two to Tango’, right?  It still takes a man in order to have a pregnancy.  This is literally a 50/50 partnership.  Some stipulate that women should endure months of their body used as a biological incubator, in order to satisfy their sense of accountability.  What rules do they impose on the men?   Do these stipulations similarly impact their life?  I’ll concede the stipulation (and presumably enforcement) of child support, but what else?

The problem with accountability is that when it is not applied uniformly, that is when applied with the bias of gender, then it serves as a tool to oppress.