The above video shows a psychotherapist who believes that children should decide for themselves what gender they are despite what they are genetically. Do you think that this is a good evolutionary strategy?
If gender is truly a social construct and is subject to the imagination of a person, then it can be done away with altogether. The term gender, as it is used today, belongs to feminist theory that it describes the roles of men and women.
The modern academic sense of the word, in the context of social roles of men and women, dates at least back to 1945, and was popularized and developed by the feminist movement from the 1970s onwards. The theory was that human nature is essentially epicene and social distinctions based on sex are arbitrarily constructed. Matters pertaining to this theoretical process of social construction were labelled matters of gender.
Therefore as it is to do with the subjective idea of oneself, should not be included as part of biological categorisation of any species. The term itself serves no purpose, A doctor does not need to know what you think you are, a doctor needs to know what sex you are.
The practice of encouraging "identity" or identification with some idea is actually the opposite of what the teachers of enlightenment are suggesting people should do. They teach that not identifying as anything, other than what you can't escape from (like your sex) is the path to having self awareness.
One wonders why this craving, longing, for identification exists. One can understand the identification with one's physical needs - the necessary things, clothes, food, shelter and so on. But inwardly, inside the skin as it were, we try to identify ourselves with the past, with tradition, with some fanciful romantic image, a symbol much cherished. And surely in this identification there is a sense of security, safety, a sense of being owned and of possessing. This gives great comfort. One takes comfort, security, in any form of illusion.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Identity politics and the incessant neediness of humans to identify with something is really hindering true advancement and is anything but progressive. This is evident in the lack of self awareness of so called progressives who subscribe to identity politics.
LB ✌only two
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno.
I have a question for you, do you personally know anyone who has struggled with Gender Issues, or their sexuality? I have two brothers both of whom are gay. That is not directly relevant to my point, but I am also friends with a trans man, i.e anatomically born female, but identifies as a male, and has felt this way since he was a young child.
It's not a choice, it's a horrendous battle of confusion, depression, anxiety, self-hatred, self torture, societal norms, conformism and language. This phenomenon cannot be reduced to words expressed by any experts, dictionary definitions, or subjective opinions of people looking from the outside in.
It's not a 'choice' some one makes. Who would choose to put them selves through such hell. My friend battles hatred, yes hatred from total strangers for.........well.......for what is the question. What concern is it to anyone how someone chooses to identify? He has not committed murder, he has not done any harm, only to him self only be listening to the constraints and judgments of people who are not qualified to make them. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, and I absolutely respect that. But everyone is also entitled to live as they please, and they do not choose to identify as something else just because, they try that route to try and feel more comfortable with themselves. Everyone gets that little uneasiness when they've gained some weight, or they have a bad bout of achne. Multiply that feeling by a million and then try to imagine not being able to escape it, not really understanding it, just trying to get by the best way you can figure out how.
Is it a mental health problem? Is it a social problem? Is it a spiritual problem? Is it even a problem? I don't know, and i can't say i understand it, because i do not, but I'm not especially bothered by what it is. When there are people out there harming defenceless animals and children and mega atrocities are occurring all over the globe, identifying as one gender over another is not something people should be particularly bothered about.
"A doctor does not need to know what you think you are, a doctor needs to know what sex you are"
If a doctor needs to know what religion you are to ensure your treatment is tailored to your beliefs, beliefs that are nothing to do with science and medicine, in order to make sure that your comfortable, then yes they need to know how you identify, for the same reason.
If you read into the field of Psychoneuroimmunology you can see that research proves that the state of the mind has direct affects on the immune system, thus recovery and infection rates are directly impacted by the whole experience of medical care, including having your ideals and belief's adhered to.
Also most trans people will be on hormone therapy, so no even though the body at still have female genitals, non female hormones could be racing through the body which would affect a whole plethora of medical considerations. Largely it is to do with the state of mind also.
As I said everyone is entitled to their opinion, and it's not something I understand, but I don't need to. I'm quite content in acceptance, it really does not affect my life if there is an additional sign on the bathroom door.
Just thought I would comment to share my views, which largely are present from personal experience of knowing and helping a trans person that's all, as not many people will actually have this experience/perspective.
Males and females are physiologically different, a medical doctor needs to know if the patient is male or female. A psychiatrist might need to know what they identity is so they can be treated. Im not saying they can't do what they want, I am saying that the behaviour above can create an increase in kids being confused as they realise their imaginary world does not match their reality of their biology.
I entirely agree with that and so does the medical profession which is why we are now seeing a distinction between sex and gender. But it is far more complex than 'what is your sex' for the numerous reasons I mentioned above, but with regards specifically to your stance of medical doctors needing a clear cut answer, there is no such thing as a clear cut situation so a clear cut answer wont do it either.
"Alyson J. McGregor, MD, is an attending physician at Rhode Island Hospital and the director for the division of sex and gender in emergency medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A person’s “sex” refers to the biological differences between men and women. This biological effect is defined by men’s and women’s sex chromosomes, XX for female and XY for male. These sex chromosomes are within all of the cells in the body and influence health and disease. For instance, if women and men smoked the same number of cigarettes, women are more susceptible to airflow obstruction (COPD/emphysema) because they have smaller airways on average then men. “Gender” refers to the different roles and values that men and women may have in society. This can also have dramatic effects on health. For instance, in Liberia, 75 percent of those infected with Ebola are women. This is largely due to the fact that women are more often caretakers for the sick in this region, which places them at higher risk of contracting the infectious agent."
Distinguishing between sex and gender is important, but doctors do also need to know for the exact example above how a person identifies regardless of their sex too, because gender roles have specific risk's and if you're adopting that gender role you need to be viewed in context of those risk factors too.
I really do not mean any offence here, I sincerely hope you have not taken any. I just feel that sometimes the media like to portray things in a very simplified manner so that they can form an opinion for you, it's just far more complex than that. This video clip in particular is the media grabbing onto one absolute extreme example and using that to represent a group of people. I don't agree with that mother in particular, but I can see that as a mother she is trying to protect her child from the pain she has endured, and that's only natural for a parent. That specific case is extreme, yes, and that particular child might be confused as it grows up yes, but that alone does not represent the whole topic you have discussed.
If it was as simple as you portray it to be then we would not see leading medical professionals and institutions spending money researching the issue and evolving with it.
"The Department of Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital has the first of its kind Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine (SGEM) dedicated to conducting the research needed to discover differences in men and women in emergent conditions as well as designing educational programs that teach this new knowledge to the health care providers as well as the patients."
Great post none the less, you absolutely do raise a very valid point. I am merely trying to show you the flip side, not trying to get you to change your mind, it's not my place to do so. If this gave you anymore understanding then great, if it didn't then that's ok too. :)
Yep thats cool, like I said, anybody can do what they like to themselves, on the condition that they are not forcing someone else to do something they dont want to do. That is to say; no special treatment, no I must be called this or that, no I'm a minority give me public funds and no forcing me to play along with their charade. I am about freedom and choice.
I will never consider this person to be what they identify as, I will only ever consider this person to be a man, likely with a mental illness or trying a publicity stunt. Probably the former.
I will disagree on one point and that is the need to know gender roles (in the west). Because in the west at least, a person is free to choose what ever they want to do regardless of gender, and an assumption on their role, based on gender should not be made (and cannot be accurate). Their roles can be determined on a case by case basis. Gender is no longer required.
No thats not what I said. I said gender roles does not need to be known. The roles can be determined on a case by case basis, not assumed because of ones gender.
You're way off, but keep trying.
No its my opinion.
Cherry picking my comment again? Trying to elude that I am suggesting he be committed? The only thing suggested is that he needs professional help. You are wrong once again @baah, who is hanging themselves with their own logic?
I understand that you think that you are doing the world a favour but now you are just trolling.
yeah, that's why gender should be abolished. So they can behave how they want without the restrictions and expectations of gender roles. They would be able to behave as masculine or as feminine as suited them without gender expectations and still feel comfortable with their biological sex. It is only an issue because gender exists.
Abolish was the not the right word (my apologies), let go of maybe, I can't think of anything better, you can have a go at that too if you like.
its unnecessary, except for those that feel the need to cling to an identity. People can do what they like, but don't lobby my government to create laws and education programs to teach me to accept that they are a 6 year old girl when they are a 40 year old man. It is not normal and that is a fact. Although I note that there is a trend towards more people having these issues and perhaps one day it will be normal, and also, seemingly a trend towards blaming cis white men for their issues.
In my personal life I have been smashed a little by circumstance and had to question many of the things I had clung to as an identity, letting them go allowed me to clearly move forward, but I did that for myself. That is why I'm not interested in people and their identity politics and their need to force me to validate their identity or to confirm to this on or that one. With all due respect they can Bah FucOff.
They can behave how they like, but because their behaviour is outside their own ideas of gender roles, they need to create one that fits their situation. If you did away with gender altogether, there would be no need to conform to one gender or the other. After all, they keep telling us that gender is a social construct. I don't know why identitarians feel the need to further categorize people, into multiple arbitrary genders. The only reason for this that I can see (there might be others) is that identitarians can use these minority groups to bring in hate speech laws and the like.
What an interesting post, I congratulate you! @louisbettong is still like this: D
Thanks for the support mate, I appreciate it
yes almost rit @louisbettong
Nice ad homenim opening, so identification exists to give you comfort? Why do you take comfort in illusion that your loved ones are suffering? Is there something wrong with you?
Hello, my name is Urma and I am Baah's caretaker.
I think it's great that you've decided to start a conversation with my little baah baah black sheep, however there is something that you should know.
Baah has autism and as such struggles with a few things like differentiating fact from opinion, and the like.
Please remember this when debating with him, after all he is my special little friendly guy!
don't spam/troll from this account
It is a fact of life that you're a fuck knuckle and nobody should listen to you because you're a hypocrite and a peddler of nonsense. See how ad homenims work.
Its no fact of life. Just someone's opinion. That's right, you have trouble distiguishing fact from opinion.