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As a society, we have a tendency to selectively forget things that are uncomfortable and unpopular. We have a tendency to forget the things that are not nice. When it comes to art, history, and current events, we often choose to ignore the parts of the past that make us feel uncomfortable. We may also choose to ignore the parts of our present day life that don't fit with our worldview. It is not unusual to forget certain events that are uncomfortable, unpopular, or homoerotic. We are selective in what we choose to remember and what we choose to forget. We often forget the negative episodes of our pasts. We have selective memories of unpleasant incidents from our pasts. These days, there is an increasing trend of forgetting about people who have been marginalized and oppressed in society.
Some people may find these events uncomfortable or unpopular because they are not things that they want to think about or talk about with others. It is also possible for these events to be traumatic in nature and for that reason some people may want to forget them too. The best way to hold on to a memory is to find the story behind it. Stories give people context and feeling, rather than just factual information. After World War II, memories of Japan's invasion of Manchuria were almost completely forgotten in China, until Japanese scholars began publishing research on this topic in the 1980s. The Chinese people began remembering those unpleasant memories again with some changes being made by the Japanese publication process itself that made it harder for Chinese readers to ignore them. The most common use of selective forgetting is in the way we remember our past. Miguel A. Agustin points out a discrepancy when analyzing the memory of the Japanese on their imperial period in China: "while Japanese scholars were publishing research on this topic in the 1980s, Chinese people began remembering those unpleasant memories again with some changes being made by the Japanese publication process itself that made it harder for Chinese readers to ignore them."
In 410 U.S. 113 (1973), Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion is legal in all 50 states, regardless of whether it violates state law. It was a huge victory for women's rights and for women's ability to control their own bodies. The story behind Roe v. Wade is that women in America had been fighting for their rights to control their own bodies and make important decisions about their reproductive health for a long time. The fight began in 1869, when the woman Susan B. Anthony was arrested and fined $100 for voting illegally. This was the first time women had been prohibited from voting as they could not vote because they were not considered citizens of the United States until 1920. Women were only allowed to vote for president by being citizens. This law made it so that women could not legally vote for the president of their country and were left powerless in many ways.The 17th Amendment was passed in 1913 to fix this issue.
Women continue to fight for equality with other groups of people such as African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community through the years until finally Roe v Wade was passed on January 22, 1973; and even now continue to fight for rights. The story of Roe v. Wade is a story about the fight for equality in America and now it is even more important. When Roe v Wade was over turned by the Supreme Court it started the unraveling of the Equal Rights tapestry that we have fought so hard to defend and we are still fighting for equality with other groups of people such as the LGBTQ community.