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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   33388 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 17, 2023

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I personally think it would be more helpful to break things down along two axes. The first axis is how one thinks society should deal with trans people, and the second would be one's "trans metaphysics" or how they answer the question of what trans people are, and whether there are any important differences between trans people and cis people.

Here's a transcript of Veronica Ivy on Trevor Noah:

VERONICA IVY: There’s lots of ways you can respond to that. So, the first is the very language of you were born and I’m not biological somehow? Like, I don’t think I’m a cyborg. So, like, this idea that, like, “Oh, you’re not a biological woman”—well, I am a woman. That’s a fact. I am female. So all my identity records, my racing license, my medical records, all say female. Right? And I’m pretty sure I’m made of biological stuff. So I’m a biological female as well.

So this question of do trans women have an advantage over cis women? We don’t know. In fact, there’s basically no published research on this question. However, there’s good reason to think that there isn’t. But, I think it’s irrelevant, because we allow all kinds of competitive advantages within women’s sport.

The two can no longer be separated, because TRAs are now using the metaphysics to push for more things on the political front. The silliness around women's sports and prisons imo only makes sense once the metaphysical belief of TWAW is set. So to ignore it helps no one but the people pushing that.

Theoretically we had them separated in the beginning, when TWAW was less likely to be believed literally (and people didn't demand that) and people just wanted to be kind to gender dysphoric people. But that position clearly didn't hold. It collapsed into TWAW and metaphysical transness (probably because otherwise we're essentially maintaining that this sexual minority is mentally ill and needs to be medically gatekept- which is dangerous territory politically) and then that metaphysical transness is assumed and used as we can see from Contrapoints' videos to demand more concessions or smear any obstacle as transphobic.

So I'm not sure why anyone would try to build on this unstable foundation again. Fool me one time..

I do think it's only a tiny minority of trans people claiming to be "biological men/women" of their identified gender. "Biological" as a modifier for sex and gender is one that fell by the wayside years ago - but I think words like "gametic" or "chromosomal" are much more specific while emphasizing the point being discussed.

Veronica Ivy might be viewed as an "honorary" woman, the same way adoptive parents are "honorary" parents despite their lack of biological connection to the children they're raising. But with current technology, "honorary" women lack many of the feature of cis women, such as the ability to produce large, immobile gametes or XX chromosomes. Maybe that technological barrier will be overcome some day, who knows?

I do think it's only a tiny minority of trans people claiming to be "biological men/women" of their identified gender.

Does it matter?

Like, we continually have to run around playing this exhausting game: when activists overreach and push for (and perhaps get) things that are liable to piss off a reasonable normie then we need constantly be reminded that Ordinary Transpeople don't think or act like this and deserve respect. But then activists also hold moral authority to speak for the community of normie trans (especially the Suicidal Trans Child), who you will be accused of attacking whenever you make any critique of their more absurd positions.

JKR never attacked Ordinary Transpeople. She made a specific point about policy. By your argument that should have worked out fine, yet JKR is a "'transphobe" and here we are.

And, of course, when they dogpile you people like Natalie Wynn who claim to be the reasonable types will be nowhere to be seen or they will be carrying water for the crazies and their tactics with the standard "it's not ideal but in this political context..."

We're dealing with what we're dealing with. Activists don't get to have their cake and eat it too.

Veronica Ivy might be viewed as an "honorary" woman, the same way adoptive parents are "honorary" parents despite their lack of biological connection to the children they're raising.

If Veronica Ivy was just an honorary woman why didn't Trevor Noah correct her?

What would we do if someone with an honorary degree decided he was going to teach a full class of undergrads cause "it says right here I'm a doctor." Do you think Noah would find it as hard to laugh that one off?

The shadow cast by the metaphysical stuff is long, even if someone like Noah may not say "okay, it's true in the strongest sense".

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