Independent, you say... - Granite Grok

Independent, you say…

In Iceland, some 67 percent of babies are born to parents who are not married. A combination of generous social programs and a secular society have all but made nuptials obsolete—while giving rise to a unique culture of independent motherhood.

Glenn at Instapundit just threw that up there without comment but I just can’t resist.

Years ago, I offered to expand my home so as to have my Mom and step-dad move in with us and I will admit that there self-interest there – I got tired of getting the 3am phone call of “Eldon is hardly breathing again!” (he had COPD).  It was always “Mom, did you call 911?” answered by “No, I called you first”.  While I generally beat the ambulance, I felt it would be more effective for them to be closer (er, we lived in the same town and she was only 10 minutes away). But the pushback was always

“I want to be independent!”. And part of the rational is that she had Social Security to keep her going – and be “independent”.  Same as those Icelandic single moms.  And American single moms as well.  Independent?  No, not at all but again we see the bastardization of the common language.  If you have to depend on someone or something else, you are not independent.

For those that are married, I would use the world inter-dependent; a mutually synergistic situation that is voluntary.  But if you are dependent on Government, how can that ever be described as independent.  Not even Obama’s campaign stunt of “The Life of Julia” couldn’t call her fictitious life “independent”.

For those of us who pay the taxes, it certainly isn’t an “independent” life.

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