During the contentious 2020 presidential season, I read of a knitting group which banned any member who posted anything supportive of President Trump. Note, that they weren’t suggesting that politics had no place in knitting, which might have been reasonable, but rather that only those on one side of the political divide had the right to speak up. As a non-knitter, I rolled my eyes but this close-mindedness did not affect me.
Fast forward to 2022. The last time I sewed a dress for myself, I was in high school. Over the years, the sewing machine my parents gifted me with when I got engaged was used for mending, for the occasional costume, and for a brief flirtation with quilting, but not much more. Recently, the sewing bug bit and, after discovering that not another seam could be coaxed out of my antique machine, I purchased a new one and re-discovered the joy of the craft.
As part of my journey, I plopped down a (very) few dollars to join an online sewing club. While many video tutorials are free, my membership presents me with videos I had no idea I wanted to see as well as a place to turn with questions. Last week, the questions took a political turn as I was offered the opportunity to inform the group what I wished my pronouns to be. Pronouns in sewing? First of all, the only pronoun I have ever seen used in relation to me is “You” as in “You have a new offer.” Secondly, what in the world was that question doing there!
Did someone’s college-educated child (I was going to say son or daughter, but then I’d have to add ‘daughter who wants to be known as a son’ or ‘son who thinks he’s a daughter’ etc. and the sentence would get very cumbersome) make use of an internship to bring wokeness to the group? I decided that after the weekend, I would respond by canceling my membership. In preparation for doing so, I went looking for the screen where I initially saw the question. I couldn’t find it.
Did the adults return to the room? Is the question still there but in a different place? I don’t know. For the moment, I’m trying to judge favorably and assume the first sentiment is correct. Yet, I am committed to not being manipulated by overbearing Leftists. While my words may be sucked into a vacuum, I do my best to respond to companies who brag about their woke activism by sending them emails and canceling my participation to let them know that I am not impressed. Over a long enough period of time, drops of water make an impression even on stone. Enough of us refusing to stay silent can and must help turn the tide.
What do you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this Susan’s Musings post.
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