NWLC’s Weekly Roundup: October 22-28

So another Friday is here. In this week’s roundup, we’ve got some thoughts on Occupy Wall Street, new developments around the HPV vaccine, a TV show on abortion in the works, and more.

First off, I wanted to make sure you saw this blog post from the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health. Some of their staff joined us in DC last week for our State of Women launch and shared their thoughts from the meeting on their blog. Also, Collective Action Strategies, LLC in New Mexico – another State of Women member – will be with our own Judy Waxman at an event in Albuquerque, NM on women and health care reform. In the area and interesting in attending? You can get more info and register to attend this free event here.

Over at Pandagon, Amanda Marcotte has an interesting piece up on the Occupy Wall Street movement, the ways in which the Millennial generation is reacting to it, and the divide between Millennials and Gen X. One of the biggest cracks against the Millennials – the generation I fall smack in to – is that we’ve got this “everyone gets a trophy just for showing up” entitlement attitude. Normally I’d try to argue against this stereotype, because I’ve never personally felt entitled to something like my own brand new Audi A4 in the same way so many kids in my high school class seemed to feel. Or some sort of pat on my head to tell me I’ve done well – if I’m truly satisfied with my own work, I know I’ve done a good job. But that’s just me, and that’s not the kind of entitlement Marcotte is after here. What I really like about her piece is how she delves into that sense of entitlement in a different way, and how that sense could actually be helping Millennials and those involved in this movement. She says that:

“The Millenials have more choices than we [Gen Xers] did. They have tasted political power in a way that we never could. … They got a chance to believe they could change things, and now that they feel it slipping away, they're pissed, and rightfully so. It's easier to be angry over what you've lost than what you never had in the first place.”

And you know what? Perhaps some of my fellow Millennials are motivated by their own sense of entitlement for expensive things or base acknowledgement and getting everything they want. But that doesn’t mean that Millennials, Gen Xers, and beyond cannot feel like they are entitled to a fair shot at life, their own opportunity to reach their goals and dreams. I’ve read so many comments on our Facebook page or that people send us on Twitter about how hard they’re struggling, and I think it’s safe to say that few people in our country are really getting a fair crack at the American Dream. And if wanting to have an equal chance in this country makes people in my generation – in whatever generation – overly entitled, than I think it just shows us how serious our problems really are.

Other than those stories, in some not-ridiculous HPV news: earlier this week, a Centers for Disease Control panel recommended that young boys receive the HPV vaccine. Many young girls already receive the vaccine, which is most effective before one becomes sexually active. The push behind this vaccine has been wholly aimed at women thus far, and many people have raised frustrations that this approach makes preventing the transmission of HPV (along with other STDs/STIs) and even pregnancy solely a woman’s problem, suggesting that this approach relieves young men of any responsibility. The recommendation will now go to Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC, and to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, for finalization.

This next bit of news has me especially intrigued: word on the street is that Alan Ball, the same man behind the HBO series True Blood, is working on another show for HBO about the “true story of a doctor who was one of the few in America who would perform late-term abortions,” titled Wichita. The doctor in question is the late Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered just over two years ago. I, for one, am excited to see where this goes. We don’t hear about abortion too much in contemporary entertainment – hell, we hardly even get to hear the word “abortion.” I was catching up on ABC’s new show Revenge this week and was pretty frustrated when they referred to an abortion a woman was supposed to have had as “taking care of the problem” and nothing more. For a show that could be considered to be on the racy side, it was just irritating that they couldn’t come out and say it and move on. So, Alan Ball: I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

LinkedIn has an interesting new infographic up on their blog about women and mentors. According to data from women in the US they surveyed, 19% (or nearly one in five) women have never had a mentor. Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel has more on this study.

Oh, and one final update on a story from the other week: our friends across the pond in the UK have officially struck down the rule that allows a younger son to ascend to the throne over an older daughter today.

Have a good weekend! Is there anything you’ve seen this week that want to share? Remember to leave a link in the comments!