We are all familiar with Lady Lydia's strong-arm techniques in silencing her critics. Here's another interesting letter from a reader.
The person wrote:
"I'm the Romanian lady. A few days ago I posted a comment on Lydia's post "Women at Home, Men at Work: the Way it Should Be". She actually posted the comment and of course, accused me of being a communist, just because I'm in favour of women working. This made me really mad because my country has suffered terribly under communist rule. So I posted a reply to Lydia which of course she didn't publish. And then she started deleting my initial comment and other comments. In a few hours, the number of comments on this particular post went from 74 to 70, then to 67 and now it's 68. "
Dear LadyLydiaMerman, this is my reply to Lydia. She likes to have the last word, but I hope you'll help me out and she won't get her wish this time. Her twisted and perverted version of history makes me sick.
Here goes:
"Lydia, I just want you to know that you and your friends insult me by implying that I am a communist. I am Romanian and proud to be one. You have absolutely no idea what my country has suffered for 45 years under communist rule. How dare you say that I am a communist simply because I believe women and men are equal and I am in favor of working women. It just goes to show the huge lack in your education. If you actually read some history books, you would know that President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Stalin actually split Europe between themselves after the war. Romania and other Eastern countries were willingly abandoned to the Russians by the USA and the UK. We did not want communism, it was forced down our throats. Thousands of men, women, children, intellectuals, priests, peasants, people from all walks of life were arrested, tortured and killed for opposing communism. Romanians kept hoping for years that Americans will come and set them free, but of course this never happenned. My grandmother risked her freedom and her life by giving food and sometimes shelter to those on the run from the authorities. My grandfather had to live under an assumed name for years and he had no contact with his family and brother for almost 20 years. As a Med School student, my mother was not allowed to take an exam because she wore a cross which proclaimed her Christian belief. My father did not go to church for years because if he would have lost his job if was seen taking part in a religious service. I was baptized at home, more or less in secret for the same reasons. People could not trust anybody, not even family and friends, because the secret police had spies everywhere and a simple word could ruin your life. You have absolutely no idea what is like to live in communism so your saying that communism has not left our mind and hearts is the biggest insult you can throw at us. The overwhelming majority of the people hated communism and thousands of people died 20 years ago so that we could be free. By the way, all my relatives, living in a communist society in conditions harsher than you could ever imagine, managed to go to college/university, build a home, earn money, etc. Two generations ago all my ancestors were peasants. Now we are all college educated, we earn good incomes and are financially secure. Your family has lived in a free society. You have no idea what persecution from the state or living in constant fear for your safety means. And what did you do with all your advantages? Do you or your relatives have college degrees? Do you belong to the upper middle class? Are you financially secure? Do you own your own home? Do you have a succesfull career? My family managed to do all that under extremely harsh conditions. I wonder what they could have accomplished if they had the luck of living in a free society."
And part II:
"Lydia, I know you are a fundamentalist and I know I should not expect anything like open-mindedness or understanding from you. But I can't help feeling very angry that you equate feminism with communism. Karl Marx was not yet born in the 15th century when Christine de Pisan demanded equal rights for women. I could go on and on but I know it's useless. I'd like to add that the highest living standard in Europe is in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, countries which provide free healthcare and education. These countries are monarchies, but your brilliant mind probably considers them communists because of their excellent social policies. It's so easy to dismiss something you don't like, you just call it socialism or communism or feminism. In the end, I have my own money and don't depend on my dad or my boyfriend. I can do what I want with my salary. I'm not "kept" by my boss, as one of your friends ridiculously suggested. I would invite you to visit my country and I could show you around some government agencies, private companies and corporationes run by women. You would see brilliant women and not-so-brilliant men hanging around. Alas, I know you're not well off and can't afford to travel."
