I want to send this incredible article by Carol Dansereau to every one of my government officials, from U.S. President, to local city council and school board menbers, to dog catcher.
I love how Carol wisely frames this all under the basic problem of "affirmation." It is in that first fatal step we are "taught" and manipulated into, if we accept or fall for it, via what I like to call The Preferred Pronoun Etiquette Lesson, to start saying something we know isn't true. That is the false foundation upon which the entire house of cards that is Gender Identity Disorder is built.
(I think it would be fair to resurrect that Gender Identity Disorder diagnosis, and assign it to everyone who now believes or promotes this madness.)
Carol nails it by bringing it all back to that first fatal misstep of affirming.
The more people in government and positions of power made aware of the many harms Carol brilliantly attributes to affirmation, the sooner we can each help discredit it all.
I encourage everyone reading this to share it with all of their electeds and 5 of our friends.
Short, pointed messages may be more effective. When the house voted to block Biden’s revisions to Title IX, that was a beautiful moment to reach out to our reps, before and after. At the same time, urging an investigation into Levine’s bungling of protocols was in the news. And sharing this excellent article is definitely useful as well.
I was so angry about the school board doubling down on gender identity when I raised the issue two years ago. I’ve been working methodically to build relationships with teachers in my daughter’s school. Join forces with a neighbor. Find out when the school site council meets.
I’m a parent and a teacher. As a parent, I’m allowed to say what I want to say. As an employee, I have to be careful. And it’s very difficult to find support. People don’t want to stick their necks out or get involved in something that they don’t feel affects them. To contradict the parents who are going along with the flow. Also, politicians and bureaucrats are concerned about the bottom line. Less is more, honestly.
We support them by not affirming a medical atrocity. Every day individuals choose to transition, they will be grateful to those that refused to give to the demands of the gender cult. There are ways to maintain (or attempt to maintain) relationships with a trans individual without using pronouns, etc. I refuse to use opposite sex pronouns with my trans-identified son, so I completely avoid the use of any pronouns when we communicate. I carefully construct my sentences to not offend him. He noticed this verbal dance on my part and it angers him. I explained that we’re allowed to have “different opinions” on things and I have zero desire to offend him.
If I converted to Islam and prayed five times a day, I wouldn’t insist my son has to pray with me as well or I would otherwise label him Islamophobic. I won’t use opposite sex pronouns with my son because I love him dearly, more than anything in this world. However, my refusal has caused a rift in our relationship. I accept this because I will not teach my son that self-destruction is a solution to any problems, I will not reinforce a delusion and I will not teach him that his will over me or anyone transcends mutual respect and reason. This is my way to show him love, I’m incapable of any other.
An important comment I’d like to add is that I see ‘mastectomies as young as 12 via surgery’ all the time in articles. This is already an older cohort of girls that we are talking about.
The next younger cohort of girls who have been medicalized were put in puberty blockers BEFORE any development even began. Many are around the age of 14-16 now and have moved on to testosterone.
These girls do not require surgical mastectomies as they basically have undergone a drug induced one much earlier during the so called ‘pause button’ marketed stage.
The also have no comprehension of any normal pubertal developmental in comparison to their previous cohort.
And they will incur early osteoporosis, lack of proper brain development and other serious medical issues! Then we’ll all have to pay for their care. It is a travesty that Medicare pays for such “ affirming care” , pseudonym for Child mutilation !
Replacing the hormones that are missing because the person does not have the organs that normally define their sex will always be necessary. That is like saying the abortions, because they can also be used as a morbid form of birth control, should be unavailable to any woman who may need to abort a fetus to save her own life. The making of laws that deny or violate the Hippocratic Oath not a moral act either.
1) the commenters above are discussing children who likely have NOT had their gonads or genitalia removed yet...though these have likely been impaired and/or stunted..
2) The hormones administered to kids are NOT the ones their bodies would have produced. Girls get MALE concentrations of testosterone; boys get FEMALE concentrations of estrogens. Kids (and adults) don't get the hormones their unharmed bodies would have produced. And there are serious adverse implications that flow from delivering opposite-sex hormone concentrations to people as I've detailed in other postings such as the Hitchhikers Guide, Part III.
3) Your attempt to conflate halting the destructive quackery of pediatric gender medicine with denying women life-saving abortions is beyond absurd.
As a parent and teacher, I’m pretty sure 10-12 is a normal time for this to occur. Many start out with the trans identity, and believe me, it is not medical. Idk what it is. But having teachers affirm is complete bullshit.
Also, see this X post for the history of how the executive branch of our government starting with Obama in 2010 worked in a premeditated fashion to create the infrastructure for the trans agenda.
Of course it makes perfect sense that the Fed is involved when you consider how swiftly and deeply the tentacles of gender ideology infiltrated medicine, education, media, entertainment, etc. To say this is infuriating is an understatement.
Note that when Biden took office in January, 2021:
“his first official act was an executive order instructing the heads of federal agencies to issue guidance expanding sex discrimination to "gender identity discrimination" - none too small a feat, with over 100 federal laws and regulations directly impacted. “ (see x post below by Sarah Parshall Perry @SarahPPerry)
This is one of the best, well-organized, thorough overviews of the harms of gender ideology that I have seen. Thank you for writing it.
I particularly found value in:
"Skyrocketing numbers of children are rejecting their bodies."
"In gender medicine, children with perfectly healthy bodies are subjected to chemical and surgical measures based solely on a mystical belief that those bodies aren’t the ones they were meant to have.
Female genital mutilation is outlawed in the United States and many other countries. But chemically stunting and surgically destroying children’s genitals and other sexual anatomy is encouraged under the guise of gender ideology."
Indeed, there is no time to waste in removing policies and cirricula that perpetuate the harm of gender ideology!
Well said. Yes, there are so many brilliant descriptions, insights and information packed in this, all while wisely framing it as being under the core problem and ruse of affirmation.
Shouldn’t the same premise apply to heterosexuals as well? Perhaps it is better to consider sexuality as a syndrome, with disparate possibilities of sexual identity considered too. Many individuals are not sexually conflicted about who, or what they are. But, there exists a not insignificant number of others who not certain that their physical sexuality matches their biological ones. Those born with some make and some female sexual organs is not a fantasy, or a personal feeling. Denying that such people exist does not solving any of the associated problems. Either for them, or for society. What if gender dysphoria is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, or somewhere else in the body. While I can accept the fact that some of victims of sexual dysphoria may be suffering a societal ambiguity about their sexuality, one should not simply ignore the reality that some are born with the physical attributes of the opposite sex. That too is a reality, whether we chose it accept it or not. Because of the stigma widely associated with a persons’ uncertainty about gender or sexual orientation that has built on centuries of the non-normalization of other than male and female genders, continuing to ignore and discriminate against those who may be confused by conflicting evidence of their true sexuality or identity.
Intersex/DSD conditions are entirely different from gender identity. And for these, any ambiguity whatsoever as to which sex a newborn is, is extremely rare. For most conditions sex is totally clear. The Gender Identity lobby has intentionally sown confusion, by misrepresenting, hijacking, and undercutting those with intersex/DSD conditions. Also, jumping from the existence of rare intersex conditions to redefining sex as being defined by feelings rather than sexual anatomy makes no sense.
What do you mean regarding people whose "physical sexualities" or feelings don't "match" their sex (as defined by primary sex organ at birth)? From my extensive review of what people mean by this, I've come to see gender identities as being mired in the most flagrant of sexist stereotypes. If you've got the male primary sex organ at birth, you're male (boy, then man); fight sexism that limits what you can do; don't fight clarity as to sex itself. (Ditto re females..)
(BTW sexual orientation is also entirely different from "gender identity", and there are lots of LG folks who are appalled at the homophobia and attacks they experience as the result of gender identity ideology. The huge propaganda machine pushing gender ideology has done a great job of confusing the issues.
Talk to gender critics. We fight against sexist stereotypes, for evidence-based medicine, for children's rights, and against the evisceration of sex-based rights.
What if you are born naturally with both a male genitalia and female breasts? While it may be rare, it is not as insignificant an anomaly than it once was. Genetic mutations do happen. Simply ignoring reality is not an effective strategy when it fails to address the problem.
Please read what I've written above, plus see Gender Ideology in Our Schools Part II, and other things linked on my substack. Once again, for the folks in the back: there's close to zero overlap between trans identifiers and those with DSDs. It is thoroughly irrational to use DSDs to declare that everyone gets to declare their sex (and ignore other people's sex-based rights.) The only ones who are "simply ignoring reality" are those who push trans identifications.
> Parents are told—and their troubled children hear this—that the choice is between a dead child who is not affirmed, and a live child who has been medically transitioned. Doctors ask: “Would you rather have a dead son, or a live trans daughter?” “Would you rather have a dead daughter, or a live trans son?”
Remember, we have a word for a person who a third party says will be killed if their monetary and/or policy demands are not met: "hostage."
There is only one appropriate response to hostage-takers, and it involves a SWAT team.
There has to be a better word than “ affirmation”, since it is anything but positive , which that word means .Basically, it’s affirming a lie , and actually it’s abuse .
That’s the word used by people who are all-in with the trans bs. It’s a euphemism because it sounds “positive “. Those same people are constantly reworking the English language to make it sound like this whole thing is positive and not offensive to anyone. It’s also what makes discussion of this subject hard to keep track of who is who, and makes it also very confusing. Since there are now some places where words are considered “hate speech” you have to be very careful how you use their language.
Many people still don’t know that a transwoman is a man, or that many drag queens are registered sex offenders. They want us (and our children) to be confused.
Exactly! All authoritarians change language to gain power ! They lie ! An example is Proposition One on the ballot in NewYork where they’re sneaking in gender identity and saying it’s about abortion rights!
“Reality matters”!!! All of this reduces to egocentrism among all those involved. A major aspect of maturation is learning one is not the center of the universe and understanding the constraints on life created by egotism. It is good to question interpretations and challenge positions. That is commonly how we advance. But those explorations need to include adherence to evidence and logic AND self-reflection. Most of the time we are just wrong. Refusing to entertain self-error leads only to deception and delusion. Great article. I do think the root cause of these ills is much simpler.
Now, please don't hate me for not reading every single word, but I already know most of this stuff. Still, I appreciate it that you are laying it all out so clearly.
As for what we teach our children, that is a thorny issue which entirely depends on the child/parent relationship. If the child and parents are close, then being clear and upfront with your children on these issues should be helpful. If the child is looking for a reason to rebel, pressuring the child with the parents' views may serve to drive the child into experimentation. Now, I didn't have good parents when I was young, but they were honest people and I was able to recognize that. I could see that their honesty was good, and I emulated it. On the other hand, I didn't adopt their attitudes in every area. The truth be told, I had good judgement as a child.
I think it is important that we not teach children to dislike trans people. If anything, children can be given the idea that trans people are somewhat pitiful because of their ailment (which I think is true). That puts the child in the position of not wanting to be like trans people, but doesn't teach the child to dislike them. I do think it's important to be clear that there is no such thing as changing genders/sexes. Filling a child's head with all of the damage that trans treatments cause should be effective.
In my view, this is the lobotomy craze all over again -- except that back in the 1950's and 1960's it wasn't the victims who wanted the lobotomies. The fact that it is usually the individual (both adult and child) who wants to transition makes this a very thorny problem to fix. Girls want the freedom, independence and respect that boys get, while boys just want to be glamorous.
Now, this is where you may think I am getting flaky: I believe in reincarnation. Many lives are devoted to mistakes, and the mistakes made become a learning experience. Ultimately, the individual moves on to other lives and leaves the mistakes behind. What I'm saying is that this will resolve itself eventually. I believe we are immortal, and nothing is ever permanent. But the work you are doing, Carol, is important. The mistakes have to be fought.
This is a tour de force of compelling arguments to just say no to the 2+2=5 reasoning of the clearly loony theory of gender ideology. In support of this theory, all of society is turned into lobbyists and pharmaceutical salesmen to help market the services of doctors, therapists and others who are proponents of extreme body modification. They especially want to make sure body modification is covered by private and public health insurance and is recognized as a right in law.
"...all of society is turned into lobbyists and pharmaceutical sales(people)..." Brilliant! I love this and would like to share it. Thank you.
The Preferred Pronoun Etiquette Lesson is a stroke of genius because it simultaneously shames, guilt-trips, and frightens people into becoming the lobbyists and salespeople as you so incisively point out. And it intimidates people into sharing its etiquette and kindness warning with others, making it go viral. All while manipulating people into believing that lying is being respectful and kind to those afflicted with this set of false beliefs or genuine born-in-the-wrong-body malady.
Feel free to use it as you wish. I will never know the difference. But note I used salesmen intentionally, not opting for salespeople or saleswoman because it is the word salesman that evokes a visceral response to the con man who takes advantage of innocents. That word makes me think of the salesmen who peddled patent medicines and car salesmen, which is pretty much a pejorative. Note again that con man only goes one way. In the sense of the age-old grifter, there is no way to get the same force by using con woman or con person. It is only the word con man that has been used for decades. I am not talking about some modern day salesforce of politically correct words that have been approved by the human resources department. I am talking about a salesman, a man who would pretend to be your friend and tell you and sell you anything to get money out of your pocket and into his. I am talking about a man whose income depended only on his smooth ways and ability to sell anything, especially things no one needed or things not in as good of a condition as they appeared. Pharmaceutical sales is just a hair’s breadth from being there because of the opioid epidemic and the way doctors were turned into salesmen. There is no other way to say it. Women can be salesmen, too. Only salesmen will do.
Thank you so much, and I like your writing, too. You summed everything up and boiled it all down to a few pithy sentences and to etiquette. Etiquette! There is a book about the Holocaust called something like, “This Way to the Gas Chsmbers, Ladies and Gentlemen.” I think it was a collection of short stories by a concentration camp survivor. It contains one of the most brutal short stories I have ever read, and I read that story once, possibly twice, and I knew I never wanted to read it again, and I didn’t want to even have the book in my possession.
But back to the title, the ladies and gentleman and the idea that the doomed were ushered to their deaths with the utmost civility as if they were being shown a guest chamber instead of the gas chamber.
What you say about etiquette and how the trans activists have used it against the population to promote their agenda is so true.
There is some intelligence behind all this, and they have unending money to throw at the problem.
I got off on a tangent on the word salesman, but in all honesty, take what you want and do what you want with it.
This is a comprehensive summary of the detrimental effects of the affirmation-only policy. Subscribed!
Thank for an excellent summary. I've emailed it to my legislators in Oregon and posted it where I thought it would be helpful.
Brilliant idea, Nancy.
I want to send this incredible article by Carol Dansereau to every one of my government officials, from U.S. President, to local city council and school board menbers, to dog catcher.
I love how Carol wisely frames this all under the basic problem of "affirmation." It is in that first fatal step we are "taught" and manipulated into, if we accept or fall for it, via what I like to call The Preferred Pronoun Etiquette Lesson, to start saying something we know isn't true. That is the false foundation upon which the entire house of cards that is Gender Identity Disorder is built.
(I think it would be fair to resurrect that Gender Identity Disorder diagnosis, and assign it to everyone who now believes or promotes this madness.)
Carol nails it by bringing it all back to that first fatal misstep of affirming.
The more people in government and positions of power made aware of the many harms Carol brilliantly attributes to affirmation, the sooner we can each help discredit it all.
I encourage everyone reading this to share it with all of their electeds and 5 of our friends.
Short, pointed messages may be more effective. When the house voted to block Biden’s revisions to Title IX, that was a beautiful moment to reach out to our reps, before and after. At the same time, urging an investigation into Levine’s bungling of protocols was in the news. And sharing this excellent article is definitely useful as well.
I was so angry about the school board doubling down on gender identity when I raised the issue two years ago. I’ve been working methodically to build relationships with teachers in my daughter’s school. Join forces with a neighbor. Find out when the school site council meets.
I’m a parent and a teacher. As a parent, I’m allowed to say what I want to say. As an employee, I have to be careful. And it’s very difficult to find support. People don’t want to stick their necks out or get involved in something that they don’t feel affects them. To contradict the parents who are going along with the flow. Also, politicians and bureaucrats are concerned about the bottom line. Less is more, honestly.
We support them by not affirming a medical atrocity. Every day individuals choose to transition, they will be grateful to those that refused to give to the demands of the gender cult. There are ways to maintain (or attempt to maintain) relationships with a trans individual without using pronouns, etc. I refuse to use opposite sex pronouns with my trans-identified son, so I completely avoid the use of any pronouns when we communicate. I carefully construct my sentences to not offend him. He noticed this verbal dance on my part and it angers him. I explained that we’re allowed to have “different opinions” on things and I have zero desire to offend him.
If I converted to Islam and prayed five times a day, I wouldn’t insist my son has to pray with me as well or I would otherwise label him Islamophobic. I won’t use opposite sex pronouns with my son because I love him dearly, more than anything in this world. However, my refusal has caused a rift in our relationship. I accept this because I will not teach my son that self-destruction is a solution to any problems, I will not reinforce a delusion and I will not teach him that his will over me or anyone transcends mutual respect and reason. This is my way to show him love, I’m incapable of any other.
An important comment I’d like to add is that I see ‘mastectomies as young as 12 via surgery’ all the time in articles. This is already an older cohort of girls that we are talking about.
The next younger cohort of girls who have been medicalized were put in puberty blockers BEFORE any development even began. Many are around the age of 14-16 now and have moved on to testosterone.
These girls do not require surgical mastectomies as they basically have undergone a drug induced one much earlier during the so called ‘pause button’ marketed stage.
The also have no comprehension of any normal pubertal developmental in comparison to their previous cohort.
And they will incur early osteoporosis, lack of proper brain development and other serious medical issues! Then we’ll all have to pay for their care. It is a travesty that Medicare pays for such “ affirming care” , pseudonym for Child mutilation !
Replacing the hormones that are missing because the person does not have the organs that normally define their sex will always be necessary. That is like saying the abortions, because they can also be used as a morbid form of birth control, should be unavailable to any woman who may need to abort a fetus to save her own life. The making of laws that deny or violate the Hippocratic Oath not a moral act either.
Major problems with your comment:
1) the commenters above are discussing children who likely have NOT had their gonads or genitalia removed yet...though these have likely been impaired and/or stunted..
2) The hormones administered to kids are NOT the ones their bodies would have produced. Girls get MALE concentrations of testosterone; boys get FEMALE concentrations of estrogens. Kids (and adults) don't get the hormones their unharmed bodies would have produced. And there are serious adverse implications that flow from delivering opposite-sex hormone concentrations to people as I've detailed in other postings such as the Hitchhikers Guide, Part III.
3) Your attempt to conflate halting the destructive quackery of pediatric gender medicine with denying women life-saving abortions is beyond absurd.
Thanks for the info.
As a parent and teacher, I’m pretty sure 10-12 is a normal time for this to occur. Many start out with the trans identity, and believe me, it is not medical. Idk what it is. But having teachers affirm is complete bullshit.
I didn't know pubertal suppression prevented breast development! This is the first I've heard of that. Wow.
I would assume that it would stop all puberty which includes all sex development. A really dangerous thing .. playing God and paying the devil!
Also, see this X post for the history of how the executive branch of our government starting with Obama in 2010 worked in a premeditated fashion to create the infrastructure for the trans agenda.
Of course it makes perfect sense that the Fed is involved when you consider how swiftly and deeply the tentacles of gender ideology infiltrated medicine, education, media, entertainment, etc. To say this is infuriating is an understatement.
Note that when Biden took office in January, 2021:
“his first official act was an executive order instructing the heads of federal agencies to issue guidance expanding sex discrimination to "gender identity discrimination" - none too small a feat, with over 100 federal laws and regulations directly impacted. “ (see x post below by Sarah Parshall Perry @SarahPPerry)
https://x.com/sarahpperry/status/1808582195293851798?s=46&t=pZQPMkBE7-dy_PSQzB5RGQ
That expansion of scope (of law) might be unconstitutional?
This is one of the best, well-organized, thorough overviews of the harms of gender ideology that I have seen. Thank you for writing it.
I particularly found value in:
"Skyrocketing numbers of children are rejecting their bodies."
"In gender medicine, children with perfectly healthy bodies are subjected to chemical and surgical measures based solely on a mystical belief that those bodies aren’t the ones they were meant to have.
Female genital mutilation is outlawed in the United States and many other countries. But chemically stunting and surgically destroying children’s genitals and other sexual anatomy is encouraged under the guise of gender ideology."
Indeed, there is no time to waste in removing policies and cirricula that perpetuate the harm of gender ideology!
Well said. Yes, there are so many brilliant descriptions, insights and information packed in this, all while wisely framing it as being under the core problem and ruse of affirmation.
Indeed! Best to let the kids go through the phase with love and support & not promoting gender ideology. https://x.com/hattulajoy/status/1802688785597014156?s=46
Shouldn’t the same premise apply to heterosexuals as well? Perhaps it is better to consider sexuality as a syndrome, with disparate possibilities of sexual identity considered too. Many individuals are not sexually conflicted about who, or what they are. But, there exists a not insignificant number of others who not certain that their physical sexuality matches their biological ones. Those born with some make and some female sexual organs is not a fantasy, or a personal feeling. Denying that such people exist does not solving any of the associated problems. Either for them, or for society. What if gender dysphoria is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, or somewhere else in the body. While I can accept the fact that some of victims of sexual dysphoria may be suffering a societal ambiguity about their sexuality, one should not simply ignore the reality that some are born with the physical attributes of the opposite sex. That too is a reality, whether we chose it accept it or not. Because of the stigma widely associated with a persons’ uncertainty about gender or sexual orientation that has built on centuries of the non-normalization of other than male and female genders, continuing to ignore and discriminate against those who may be confused by conflicting evidence of their true sexuality or identity.
Intersex/DSD conditions are entirely different from gender identity. And for these, any ambiguity whatsoever as to which sex a newborn is, is extremely rare. For most conditions sex is totally clear. The Gender Identity lobby has intentionally sown confusion, by misrepresenting, hijacking, and undercutting those with intersex/DSD conditions. Also, jumping from the existence of rare intersex conditions to redefining sex as being defined by feelings rather than sexual anatomy makes no sense.
What do you mean regarding people whose "physical sexualities" or feelings don't "match" their sex (as defined by primary sex organ at birth)? From my extensive review of what people mean by this, I've come to see gender identities as being mired in the most flagrant of sexist stereotypes. If you've got the male primary sex organ at birth, you're male (boy, then man); fight sexism that limits what you can do; don't fight clarity as to sex itself. (Ditto re females..)
(BTW sexual orientation is also entirely different from "gender identity", and there are lots of LG folks who are appalled at the homophobia and attacks they experience as the result of gender identity ideology. The huge propaganda machine pushing gender ideology has done a great job of confusing the issues.
Talk to gender critics. We fight against sexist stereotypes, for evidence-based medicine, for children's rights, and against the evisceration of sex-based rights.
What if you are born naturally with both a male genitalia and female breasts? While it may be rare, it is not as insignificant an anomaly than it once was. Genetic mutations do happen. Simply ignoring reality is not an effective strategy when it fails to address the problem.
Please read what I've written above, plus see Gender Ideology in Our Schools Part II, and other things linked on my substack. Once again, for the folks in the back: there's close to zero overlap between trans identifiers and those with DSDs. It is thoroughly irrational to use DSDs to declare that everyone gets to declare their sex (and ignore other people's sex-based rights.) The only ones who are "simply ignoring reality" are those who push trans identifications.
> Parents are told—and their troubled children hear this—that the choice is between a dead child who is not affirmed, and a live child who has been medically transitioned. Doctors ask: “Would you rather have a dead son, or a live trans daughter?” “Would you rather have a dead daughter, or a live trans son?”
Remember, we have a word for a person who a third party says will be killed if their monetary and/or policy demands are not met: "hostage."
There is only one appropriate response to hostage-takers, and it involves a SWAT team.
Or losing their medical license.
There has to be a better word than “ affirmation”, since it is anything but positive , which that word means .Basically, it’s affirming a lie , and actually it’s abuse .
That’s the word used by people who are all-in with the trans bs. It’s a euphemism because it sounds “positive “. Those same people are constantly reworking the English language to make it sound like this whole thing is positive and not offensive to anyone. It’s also what makes discussion of this subject hard to keep track of who is who, and makes it also very confusing. Since there are now some places where words are considered “hate speech” you have to be very careful how you use their language.
Many people still don’t know that a transwoman is a man, or that many drag queens are registered sex offenders. They want us (and our children) to be confused.
Exactly! All authoritarians change language to gain power ! They lie ! An example is Proposition One on the ballot in NewYork where they’re sneaking in gender identity and saying it’s about abortion rights!
“Reality matters”!!! All of this reduces to egocentrism among all those involved. A major aspect of maturation is learning one is not the center of the universe and understanding the constraints on life created by egotism. It is good to question interpretations and challenge positions. That is commonly how we advance. But those explorations need to include adherence to evidence and logic AND self-reflection. Most of the time we are just wrong. Refusing to entertain self-error leads only to deception and delusion. Great article. I do think the root cause of these ills is much simpler.
Read up on Narcissism and a lot of this becomes clear.
Now, please don't hate me for not reading every single word, but I already know most of this stuff. Still, I appreciate it that you are laying it all out so clearly.
As for what we teach our children, that is a thorny issue which entirely depends on the child/parent relationship. If the child and parents are close, then being clear and upfront with your children on these issues should be helpful. If the child is looking for a reason to rebel, pressuring the child with the parents' views may serve to drive the child into experimentation. Now, I didn't have good parents when I was young, but they were honest people and I was able to recognize that. I could see that their honesty was good, and I emulated it. On the other hand, I didn't adopt their attitudes in every area. The truth be told, I had good judgement as a child.
I think it is important that we not teach children to dislike trans people. If anything, children can be given the idea that trans people are somewhat pitiful because of their ailment (which I think is true). That puts the child in the position of not wanting to be like trans people, but doesn't teach the child to dislike them. I do think it's important to be clear that there is no such thing as changing genders/sexes. Filling a child's head with all of the damage that trans treatments cause should be effective.
In my view, this is the lobotomy craze all over again -- except that back in the 1950's and 1960's it wasn't the victims who wanted the lobotomies. The fact that it is usually the individual (both adult and child) who wants to transition makes this a very thorny problem to fix. Girls want the freedom, independence and respect that boys get, while boys just want to be glamorous.
Now, this is where you may think I am getting flaky: I believe in reincarnation. Many lives are devoted to mistakes, and the mistakes made become a learning experience. Ultimately, the individual moves on to other lives and leaves the mistakes behind. What I'm saying is that this will resolve itself eventually. I believe we are immortal, and nothing is ever permanent. But the work you are doing, Carol, is important. The mistakes have to be fought.
So thorough and you cover everything! Thank you for this!!!
This is a tour de force of compelling arguments to just say no to the 2+2=5 reasoning of the clearly loony theory of gender ideology. In support of this theory, all of society is turned into lobbyists and pharmaceutical salesmen to help market the services of doctors, therapists and others who are proponents of extreme body modification. They especially want to make sure body modification is covered by private and public health insurance and is recognized as a right in law.
"...all of society is turned into lobbyists and pharmaceutical sales(people)..." Brilliant! I love this and would like to share it. Thank you.
The Preferred Pronoun Etiquette Lesson is a stroke of genius because it simultaneously shames, guilt-trips, and frightens people into becoming the lobbyists and salespeople as you so incisively point out. And it intimidates people into sharing its etiquette and kindness warning with others, making it go viral. All while manipulating people into believing that lying is being respectful and kind to those afflicted with this set of false beliefs or genuine born-in-the-wrong-body malady.
Feel free to use it as you wish. I will never know the difference. But note I used salesmen intentionally, not opting for salespeople or saleswoman because it is the word salesman that evokes a visceral response to the con man who takes advantage of innocents. That word makes me think of the salesmen who peddled patent medicines and car salesmen, which is pretty much a pejorative. Note again that con man only goes one way. In the sense of the age-old grifter, there is no way to get the same force by using con woman or con person. It is only the word con man that has been used for decades. I am not talking about some modern day salesforce of politically correct words that have been approved by the human resources department. I am talking about a salesman, a man who would pretend to be your friend and tell you and sell you anything to get money out of your pocket and into his. I am talking about a man whose income depended only on his smooth ways and ability to sell anything, especially things no one needed or things not in as good of a condition as they appeared. Pharmaceutical sales is just a hair’s breadth from being there because of the opioid epidemic and the way doctors were turned into salesmen. There is no other way to say it. Women can be salesmen, too. Only salesmen will do.
Ha! I hear what you're saying. It makes sense.. You have such a great way with words, too i really enjoy your writing. Thank you.
Thank you so much, and I like your writing, too. You summed everything up and boiled it all down to a few pithy sentences and to etiquette. Etiquette! There is a book about the Holocaust called something like, “This Way to the Gas Chsmbers, Ladies and Gentlemen.” I think it was a collection of short stories by a concentration camp survivor. It contains one of the most brutal short stories I have ever read, and I read that story once, possibly twice, and I knew I never wanted to read it again, and I didn’t want to even have the book in my possession.
But back to the title, the ladies and gentleman and the idea that the doomed were ushered to their deaths with the utmost civility as if they were being shown a guest chamber instead of the gas chamber.
What you say about etiquette and how the trans activists have used it against the population to promote their agenda is so true.
There is some intelligence behind all this, and they have unending money to throw at the problem.
I got off on a tangent on the word salesman, but in all honesty, take what you want and do what you want with it.
This is extremely well written. Best summary of all the key points that I’ve seen. Hopefully a lot of people read this.
It reads like a horror story.
I think it is!
You can’t confirm an identity which doesn’t exist in the first place.