A Tale of Two UTIs: Universal Health Care in a Nutshell

Copyright juliasudnitskaya / 123RF Stock Photo

There was a time when I tended to contract urinary tract infections on a regular basis. Two particular times, I was visiting a long-distance boyfriend (two separate boyfriends, that is, not at the same time) who, after I assured him that a UTI was not an STI, had to help me address the issue according to the medical norms of the country in which he lived at the time.

One situation took place in Australia. The boyfriend took me to a doctor down the road, where I waited about twenty or thirty minutes before seeing a doctor who ordered a lab to confirm my UTI, and then prescribed appropriate medication. That medication didn't work, so I had to go back to the doctor and get a different prescription. Ultimately my UTI was treated, with about two total hours, including both visits, spent getting diagnosis and medication. My total cost for both visits and both prescriptions was less than $100 (if I'd been an Australian citizen, it would have been free).

In Chicago, on the other hand...

#IAmComplicit

"A product of its time" is not an excuse, but it is a reason. I am embarrassed about some ways I've contributed to the culture. I can only apologize.

The Facts of Life, my very, very favorite show, a show that I believe was hugely ahead of its time regarding its commentary on many social issues of the time, a show that can do just about no wrong in my eyes, is guilty of minimizing sexual assault and contributing to rape culture.

In Part 1 of the 2-Part fourth season finale "Graduation" (1983), Roy the delivery man makes an appearance. His unrequited crush on Jo is a running joke for a couple of seasons (the entire storyline is problematic and will be discussed elsewhere). In this episode, Roy arrives announcing that he has a graduation present for Jo. What is it?

Following Jo's assault, the other girls proceed to make jokes about and to make fun of Jo for "kissing" Roy! Jo tells them that it's not a laughing matter, but no one makes the connection to the last time Jo was sexually assaulted or to the time Natalie was the victim of an attempted rape.

The phrase "a product of its time" is meaningful. It is certainly not an excuse for sexual assault. It is hard to explain what I am trying to say without sounding like a rape apologist.