I always wonder if you're ever quoting my own daughter who went from pansexual to lesbian to gay man -- 6th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade respectively. Now she's "queer/nonbinary" which I pray is her cunning way to back slowly away from medicalizing as she's perched on the precipice of college and adulthood. She is not autistic or body dysmorphic or dysphoric and never has been. She's simply enamored of the scene and wants in. Pretty certain she's straight too but it would be fine if she weren't. It's the bullshit I can't bear. The mental gymnastics of these kids reminds me of me at 16/17 convincing myself that the boy who ignored me and never returned my calls was actually in love with me. Now at 54 I'm white knuckling life until my daughter's prefrontal cortex develops. It's a shitty and wild ride and I hate it.
OMG I can hardly imagine. I find this shit show such a train wreck, I just can't look away, but luckily it hasn't affected me personally. Its just the... most... fucked... up....thing I've seen happen to society in all my 51 years and something we could all settle in about 2.5 seconds if people were honest about it. That's why I support Eliza, I think she's going to be the game changer. I hope your daughter comes back from the brink. Reason dictates that most people are going to just flirt with this scene and come back to reality, just like most people involved in a cult go to a few weekend seminars and don't turn over their life savings.
That's the thing, it's set up so cult members can never come back to reality. They have paid with the bodies they live in. Sexual function, ability to pee, bones, heart, lungs ... their skin is in the game and they can never get it back.
That's a good analogy--life savings to the cult. So far I've counted four or five of my daughter's friends who have given their life savings, ie puberty blockers and/or hormones. It's rampant at her school, especially in the arts. I'm happy she's going to a state school where the possibility increases that she'll grow tired of it.
My lefty friends want to paint this as "Republicans worried about where trans people use the bathroom." That's going to sort itself out. Thousands of gay, mentally ill and autistic kids being sterilized is something people are going to be talking about for 100 years.
One of my good college friends is transing both her girls. Once just had a double mastectomy. No one in my old circle of friends wants to talk about it. I'm like HELLO. She used to be the coolest girl I knew in college. Now I wouldn't let my kids trick or treat at her house!
100% to everything you say. My daughter has a trio of friends--all sisters who ID as trans or NB. One on testosterone. It boils my blood. Like who is their mother? They're all brainwashed. And the gaslighting, ugh I'm with you. It's willful blindness.
Its like the Olympics of gas lighting. Really. And the HORSE SHIT my liberal friends come up with when I try to talk about it with them. "After all, one person in a gazillion is a hermaphrodite, so whose to say what sex anybody really is": My God, did their brains leak out? If someone thinks they were born in the wrong body, and the absolute worst thing you could possibly say to them is "You're right!"
It really woulnd't hurt democrats if they stopped acting like a stereotype of the brain dead liberal conjured up by the Rush Limbaugh show.
The parents who transed their kids cannot stop. It would mean admitting that they committed human rights violations against their own children. Very smart people I know - doctors, lawyers, teachers -are in this trap. And they get their claws out for anyone who even intimates that there's something wrong with Trans Ideology.
I get not one iota of a chuckle from the corrupted "social justice" movements the USA has unleashed from its crazed academia. In the last 7 years I've devoted half my life to protecting my granddaughter along with trying to resurrect my reputation in the local arts after being cancelled by social justice warriors who deemed me a bigoted racist for unapologetically using the word kimono. I have visited the USA 5x and was a great respecter of your culture, history and society. No longer.
If it helps, that's what I did, and both my daughters eventually desisted. My older went to college with a firm hatred of the Gender Clowns who rained this shit on her adolescence.
This might sound odd, but it looks to me like the heart of the problem is a lack of critical thinking skills.
Many of us know that the mind can play weird tricks on us. I mean, we dream and, at the time of the dream, it feels real. And then we wake up, and understand that none of it was real, because the dream doesn't integrate with objective reality.
We check objective reality all the time.
SIDENOTE: I hate that I have to do this but, yes, I understand we can never be entirely sure of our own perception of objective reality. We don't have to be; we assess our certainty by comparing notes with others and taking multiple independent measurements. We do this all the time, and certainty is useful, even when it's not 100%.
Anyway... Many of us understand that if feelings or beliefs don't concord with reality, they're probably wrong. These trans people seem to have got it into their heads that everything they experience MUST BE indicative of some objective truth, even when it negates some other objective truth.
That's a basic lack of critical thinking skills. How did this happen?
i am not sure how it happened but i do think some of them got so swallowed by the internet that they just don't know what is real anymore. and they are completely confused.
There is some truth in that. Some believe that the trans delusion begins in some of these games which allow you to choose gender and body. If you are a male, but wish to be a hot babe with luscious boobs, this is in some online venues a choice you can make. The delusional self-concept can be set up there.
Part of the problem is queer theory which throws objectivity out the window. They're operating on a level without a solid foundation let alone a safety net.
I think so. But I wouldnt expect all teenagers to have critical thinking skills. Its members of the professional community with zero critical thinking skills who have let us down. It was twenty years ago they passed "No Child Left Behind" and made the amount of money a school makes contingent on how well the kids score on standardized tests. Now we have a generation of Doctors and shrinks who were very good at memorizing equations and facts and not good at much else.
Each of us has a voice in our heads - our thought process. This is not the schizophrenic voice. This is the normal voice we listen to internally.
This internal voice is the key to trans and other cult delusional states. When that "still small voice" has the trans belief, it's going to be impossible, or at least extremely difficult, to change that internal notion. This is the reason I completely oppose the use of pronouns or the trans name when a person has convinced himself that he is the other sex. At that moment, the internal voice is on the brink - if the parent or teacher affirms, the voice can be tipped into the delusional state of trans.
I generally use the sexed pronouns if I know the person's sex, and more emphatically the more they're abusing their position (like male athletes competing against women, rapists, etc.), but I'm also aware that there was a mostly very humble, almost invisible, transsexual contingent of society before the trans cult got into gear, who sometimes feel they've also been harmed by the cult, by the attention to the subject causing them to be outed, and by being characterized as deluded or narcissistic when they just felt it was impossible to live without transitioning, often later in life after suffering for decades, and - as was the process in most places back then - had the therapy and proper gatekeeping and everything else failed. I'm thinking of Debbie Hayton.
I don't feel right referring to someone by their previous name (except for the worst offenders like Mark Bowers). I feel ordinary victims of this have the right to change their name as everyone does, and are probably likely to be further entrenched by what they perceive as "deadnaming" by a "bigot". Some names are used for both sexes, so it's a bit like a gender stereotype to assume a personal name must indicate a sex rather than being a trend to that effect (where English pronouns are designed to make that distinction). Harriets were often called Harry in my neck of the woods, and Charlottes might choose to be Charlies, with no transgender intention at all. I have to say, this is mostly theory on my part, since I know precious few trans folk anyway!
It's mind-blowing that this person is so confused that she'd say "So if we take down all of the arbitrary socially constructed ideas of gender, what's left?" and "biological sex" never crosses her mind. That is literally the only thing left. What have we done to these kids? How will they be handling life 20 years from now??
I am bothered by this quote: "I think that it’s weird to say [transition]'s a social thing considering trans ppl have always existed and will continue to exist." This is something people seem to take for granted, and they try to "trans" historical figures to prove the point, but there were no "trans" people until medical transition became a thing, starting with the first experiments in Germany in the 1930's.
If there was no way to medically transition, there would be people who are unhappy with their lot in life as a male or a female (as there always have been), and there would be a smaller number who are convinced they really should have been born the opposite sex (as their always have been), and an overlapping number who have severe body dysmorphia related specifically to their primary and/or secondary sex characteristics (and there always have been).
The above described people are not "trans." They are not born with the inevitable need to medically alter their appearance to the opposite sex (or to a more androgenous look by muting sexed characteristics) in order to ever have any semblance of happiness. That is a cruel lie.
Instead, people with distress over their lot in life as a man/woman/boy/girl, or who truly wish they were the opposite sex and think themselves much better suited to it, or with severe body dysmorphia over sexed characteristics can (and in the past usually did) find ways to get over the negative feelings associated with being disappointed in their bodies' sexual characteristics. If there was no medical transition, all or mostly all of them would ultimately learn to accept their bodies. And if medical transition was not seen as inevitable, most still would learn to accept their bodies, although a few might decide to transition, and some of those would be happy with the choice - while others would not be happy with the choice (as all of the above comments indicate the complexity of these choices and the difficulty living with them).
That really troubles me, too. Historical revisionism and erasing the possibility that people who MIGHT think of themselves as trans today would have thought of themselves in different terms in the pass. It erases other ways of seeing oneself by denying other ways of seeing the self have ever existed.
Absolutely agree. Not only did this all start less than 100 years ago, but the main impetus occurred with the advent of the "Dutch protocol" in 1993 or so. Before that, there were very very very few trannies.
The key issue is that the ABILITY to transition (although this is of course false) has led to the interest in transition. Rather than dealing with whatever problem in the current situation, this "la-la-land" of tranniehood opens the door to a possible solution. We need to shut that door.
One thing I would like to research and wish others would look into as well, is how many of these girls were/are on pharmaceuticals that directly affect their hormones. What is little discussed due to all the affirmation and push to destigmatize diagnoses is that SSRIs have long documented side effects of anhedonia and sexual dysfunction. The blunting of emotions and embodied sensation of sexual attraction or feeling is the ABSOLUTE WORST thing one can do to a young body transitioning into and through puberty - due to the fact that these feelings help to define one's reality, even if they are difficult.
I suspect that the majority of these troubled teens ARE on some sort of SSRI, if not some cocktail of meds. Because this has been the protocol for managing the difficult realities of teen girls in particular since the 80's.
And yet, just like the GAC medicalization route there has been this reckless promotion of the protocol with more evidence of harm than of help. Strong pharmaceuticals that were never tested on children have been handed out like candy to adolescents since the 80's. And in spite of these drugs causing suicides in teens - black box warning on all SSRIs says they can increase suicidal ideation and aggression in adolescents - Doctors continue to describe them. And not only that, since these drugs have NOT been working and making children less resilient or able to cope with their emotions or reality in general - the medical system has increased the intensity of treatment. Instead of any self-reflection into - whether medical pharmaceutical intervention was actually HARMING children - they continue to drive not just down a ditch but further full speed down a cliff.
Why do you think the correlations are so little discussed? My main thought is that questioning this massive medication of kids - has ALSO been verboten. I have noticed the same defensive attitudes when it comes to questioning the psychiatric medicalization of children. Mental Health Awareness Day was created in 1992 - and since then it has been used to destigmatize mental health problems and diagnoses. But also "pill-shaming." For questioning WHY it is necessary to prescribe developing kids heavy-duty psychiatric meds - one is quickly labeled a "pill-shamer" - as quickly as one is labeled a "transphobe" when one questions the extreme protocols of transitioning. It is the same strategy but different playbook.
Body Dysmorphia and Gender Dysphoria are just fancy ways of saying - embodied Self-hate/mental self-loathing. We as a society do not want to FACE the truth of the incredible misogyny/hatred of women and girls that is constantly directed at them which they end up internalizing and taking it out on their bodies. This body hate started out with excessive dieting in the 70's, then morphed into anorexia and bulimia, and self-harm. And now this self-harm has become monetized as GAC.
The pattern is so incredibly clear - if one has paid any attention at all to the patterns of behavior of the most troubled teen girls in society. Who ironically, are often the most financially and potentially blessed - socioeconomically. Again all the negative and misogynistic messaging that caused their grandmothers to take "mother's little helpers" which was amphetamines to lose weight, or for their mother's to starve themself, or their older sisters to cut themselves up - has been intensified through social media and living their life via screens where the bully culture is alive and well.
I see the way out - as social and creative. We as a society have to break our addiction to the money we get from teaching girls and women that they are not enough, that they are not lovable or attractive unless they make never-ending changes to themselves in order to MAYBE be worthy of love or connection. We need to teach our girls and model as women - that peace/happiness is not something you buy or do to yourself.
Interesting question (I mentally added a question mark). And our boys...? What the hell do we need to teach our boys. (Thankfully, I have neither boys nor girls...or any other-gendered children!) I offer these for starters: that it's important to develop a full range of emotional expression, especially warmth, tenderness and vulnerability, not just rage. That your biology sets you up to be a jerk, and as a member of civilization you need to correct for that. Aim well, and put the seat down after.
The main reason I didn't mention boys - is that the original article was referring to girls and their particular gender confusion. Boys have different issues regarding gender confusion, and need different lessons.
That's a jaundiced take and not one I would subscribe to. As far as I can tell it's many women who are reigning in today's liberal West, and women are just as capable of being jerks as anyone. Feminists construction of the fallen, sullied other in the form of the male, against the transcendent feminine arc is tiresome. In this formulation it is just another Marxism (substitute Patriarchy for Capitalism) and is a form of 'splitting' of the natural into a dualism as well as a denial of the potential of female agency broadly speaking.
No, I would provide structure, and try to instill all qualities, and would try to be a good father, which then provides an orientation for him to look towards. Some of this transmission is activated in male symbols/archetypes that people can hew to, aspire to. The narrative of toxic masculinity is not needed when you promote masculinity, it's a byproduct of broader social problems, which when you look at the elites and government, women are just as well positioned to address. You can't achieve the success of feminism and keep blaming men for everything, notwithstanding what we know about some men.
Which "male symbols/archetypes" are you thinking of? And which "broader social problems" would you say are the cause of toxic masculinity, that "women are just as well positioned to address"? We agree on the "all qualities", although I'd emphasize "helping to develop" rather than "instilling", which makes me think of beating goodness into a boy, as has been all too common.
I agree we shouldn't blame men for everything, but feminism hasn't achieved much success while the vast majority of violence and sexual violence in society is perpetrated by men, and women suffer it very significantly. I don't see acknowledging our different biology and psychology as unnatural "splitting" - it is part of our nature.
Yes my rant was a bit of a provocation and now you're calling me to account, which is more than fair.
Extreme violence and sexual violence are indeed most likely to be committed by men and I'm sure there's a lots of situations across all walks of life where men perpetrate harms on women (and other men) and others aid its perpetuation, but I see it as a problem with some males, not a male problem. Most men that perpetrate violence are brought up with abuse and neglect so really it's a broader social problem in my view. While men predominate in the worst extremes, the average man isn't part of toxic masculinity, like some mark of Cain (or is that Adam?)
I don't know the answers for violent men and don't claim that feminism doesn't identify and address true and relevant issues, I'm rather talking about the narratives - it's actually past time to attribute every wrong to patriarchy when as I say women are now well represented across business, government and professional life.
It also ignores the dark side of women, who also account for a chunk of partner violence, albeit with lesser consequences in terms of physical trauma, and much less likelihood of sexual assault.
As for symbols, being a man, it's subtle but as you say there are differences between the sexes. I know it's not a universal, sex isn't destiny, but if 'shit goes down' in a particular way, I will tend to be calmer under pressure and provide the bedrock for my family. Say, imagine a swollen river crossing. There is such a thing to 'be a man' that means something.
Sounds like a lot of socio-political mumbo-jumbo - and cannot be practically applicated. Every woman or girl I have ever met - has dealt with some kind of body-shaming - from purity Religious cultures that place the burden of male sexuality upon women to the "liberated" girls who are bullied in school for being too fat, too skinny, too slutty (aka pretty and popular w/ boys not the girls - also slutty), too prudish to the tween girls who feel ignored or misunderstood and dream of finding love by looking like the Instagram influencers and tiktok queens. Do you notice any "Marxist agenda" in this commentary?
There is NONE. You don't have to be a dusty Marxist to understand that advertising has capitalized on making people feel less than, in order to inspire them to spend their money. Maybe if you took a basic marketing class you would learn how it is a fundamental marketing strategy to find the consumer's "pain points" & construct your marketing strategy to trigger that pain and then offer your solution to that pain. That is basis marketing 101.
Advertising has been historically saturated with this type of psychological manipulation - any media savvy influencer will automatically use the same strategies just by mimicking what they see.
One can STILL make bucketloads of money by not marketing in a way that instills insecurity & body-loathing to women & girls. And one doesn't need to be a fricking Marxist to call this type of BS marketing manipulation out.
Your take on my post was rather hostile and seemed to be knee-jerk boilerplate attack on feminism.
Nowhere in my post did I mention "Patriarchy". Perhaps you projected that upon my comment when I mentioned several times mysogyny in society. Guess what? Women can be mysogynists, too! That is why I didn't mention the Patriarchy. Although absolutely it has a part to play - but I am not interested in pointing specific fingers as to where this mysogyny came from - fact of the matter - is it very much exists. And gender ideology which encourages girls to turn against their female bodies due to them NOT wanting to be human barbies and encourages boys to transform their bodies so they WILL become human barbies - is the perfect example of a misogynistic opinion of female bodies and their purpose - to be or not to be a sex doll.
Yes, I've always felt sad how women and girls base their self-worth on their perceived attractiveness...long before this madness started. I don't know how deeply biological it is, since in some cultures men dress up and put makeup on and dance to impress and win a wife. Anyway, in our Western culture, I suppose there's been a breakdown of the traditional roles of mothers and grandmothers, as society become more structured and education was outsourced to schools perhaps...and now anyone on the Net. I imagine not so long ago girls would turn to their grandmothers in particular for comfort in their confused times, and the wisdom of age and experience would guide and support the young woman. I know it still happens, because my partner has a great relationship with her granddaughters, but she's competing with TikTok etc., and in many instances the multi-generational links have been weakened. I expect there will be a pendulum swing back again, when the fallout of all this obsessive preening and abuse by men hits home. Hopefully back to real grandmothers, but possibly AI ones. At the moment, of course, older people are the scourge of the planet and complete idiots.
I adored my grandmother my whole life, but definitely thought she was behind the times in many ways. I respected my Mother as a guide and modeled myself after her independence, strength and intelligence. I didn't flow with the crowd because I never really fit in with the crowd as an autistic/adhd girl, although I never knew it at the time. I moved around a lot with my Mom - so I knew that I learned to adapt superficially so as not to get bullied. But I knew that wasn't WHO I was. I think too many girls have no idea who they are. I relied on astrology and self-help books more than my peers. I was never a follower - I kind of looked down on people who couldn't make up their own minds up about things. I guess I still do ; /
I am not sure why "nobody has a gender identity or even a gender unless it is the same thing as sex" isn't the logical realization from all this nonsense. It is really identical to evangelical "soul" talk or nonsensical religious formulations like "having a personal relationship with Jesus" in its confusion of introspection with empirical etiological account.
Thanks for your revealing posts. It's such a contrast between the confused, angsty incoherence you show here, and the smug trans ally or activist with all the lines you might come across elsewhere on Reddit. For those latter it's the tidiest medical/distress born in the wrong body thing that they can muster up to argue with, but when you see the confused masses, self-reinforcing in such nonsense, you realise not only are you being gaslit by the activist, ally, but that they don't actually care about the distressed person.
As an aside, your Notes appeared without warnings for me today.
Egads. When one reads the actual thread it is shocking just how desperate for reassurance the ftms are and how quickly assuaged their concerns are. Lack of critical thinking skills indeed!!
this exchange was about whether simply reading the T consent forms for 20 minutes then signing them and getting T might nit sufficiently weed out those people who might not actually “be” trans:
„ahhh okay. i guess that makes sense that consenting to testosterone==trans man…
i guess i thought for an ‘official gender dysphoria’ diagnosis they would want to actually talk to me more lol. rather than take my acceptance of taking T as proof enough. but when you put it like that, it makes much more sense. thanks”
Well then, asked and answered! Now hit me with that T, baby!
I always enjoy Eliza’s analyses. In 2021, I desisted from a ~5 year “non-binary” identity, but I still experience “gender dysphoria” or body dysmorphia, however, when it comes to confusing these two things, there are a couple of important aspect to consider for FtM, or whatever females who claim trans identities want to call themselves.
First, I want to say this is probably not news to Eliza, but I really feel this is relevant for other readers. We have to acknowledge the effect of media and culture constantly telling girls and women that being female carries the expectation of being sexualized or scrutinized for being imperfect in any way. Obviously, this would cause women and girls who don’t want to be perfect princesses to feel like they must be the ones who are wrong, not the sexist media and cultural messages.
Next, it’s important to distinguish between ROGD and persistent “gender dysphoria” which presents at an early age, and does not resolve after puberty. I don’t want to make this comment an essay in itself, so I won’t try to explain my understanding of all the differences here. However, some key differences are that ROGD can be easily explained by body dysmorphia IF the female claiming the trans identity is 1) straight, and 2) is interested in having a slim androgynous body but IS NOT interested especially in having male reproductive function, such as the case of having “autoandrophilia”. Obviously it is not possible for females to achieve male reproductive function even with gender surgery, but anyway…
Much of the gender critical sphere can recognize that males who claim gender identities can have a fetish known as “autogynephilia”, but not much is mentioned about autoandrophilia in females. Perhaps because some wish to conserve the illusion of female purity/naivety/shallowness/stupidity regarding emotions, attraction, and sex. I’ve seen all kinds of takes from gender criticals.
However, I am not necessarily validating gender dysphoria or ROGD as a good reason to affirm or transition. I am stating that aap is a fetish, just like agp, and that it is a factor for some “FtMs”.
Where does a girl or woman acquire such a niche fetish? Eliza made a post or two which explores this. Check the profile pics of these FtM internet users on various websites (reddit may not be the most indicative, but tumblr, discord, etc will neatly prove the point). The are obsessed with anime or online cultures revolving around fantasy and fiction. They read, write, and draw cartoon characters 24/7 and “identify” with them because they don’t leave their houses.
How can they identify with females characters when 99% of entertainment is deeply misogynistic and teaches women to self-censor? How can they identify with their own natural bodies if they never use them to walk in the fresh air, train them, and test them? How can we expect these girls and women to do anything but sit at home, ruminating about their feelings when society keeps separating humans from each other using things like the covid lockdowns, work-from-home, grocery delivery, and other forms of increased isolation?
These things are presented as “convenient solutions” to increase comfort and safety. And while some are able to maintain a precarious balance of personal realization, physical and social fitness, and purchasing certain “conveniences” or working from home, others cannot balance these things. And the focus on buying comfort is whittling away with the resilience of young people. They don’t need therapy or mood-altering drugs; they need to accept that in-person human interaction is necessary and pushing their bodies and willpower to accomplish things for themselves and their loved ones are what brings peace to the mind and body.
Anyway that’s my 2 cents as to the “social contagion”.
Incredibly sad. This is one of those areas that the media won't even TOUCH-It's not a matter of difference of perspectives. They literally deny that these problems exist. "Nothing is happening... and it's good that it fucking is"
They've *just* started to touch it. The NY Times has run some gender critical op eds. I think the damn is breaking. And the right wing media is *all over it*. Every time a biological male on the volleyball team smashes a girl in the face, she's on Fox News.
Those are tangentially related but have you seen any exploration of the link between GD and other mental illnesses or delusions? Have you seen any article which acknowledges this strange new development among thousands of teenage girls (often autistic)? Have you seen any investigation of the dynamics of peer groups or social contagion among social media users? I have not.
That's strange considering this is a recent development sweeping through the Western world which is completely unrelated to any mental health crisis in the past and has urgent public policy implications. It's almost like they're actively suppressing it.
I saw the NYT articles but if I recall correctly those focus on the policy debates about medicalization of minors with GD. They don't explore any of these insular social and psychological dynamics. I don't watch FOX News but I doubt they do either.
No I havent. They have closed ranks. And if *anyone* in the newsroom of CNN has transed their kid (and odds are they have) no one else in the whole organization will want to talk about it.
Helen Lewis made the exact same point... no parent can confront their error on this issue and their blindness infects an entire organization, like a virus. Excellent point
A girl I knew in college is transing her kids. I dare not put anything on social media *for fear of alienating someone I *havent seen in 20 years* I talk about it with my college friends in hushed tones off the record. What if this was at my place of employment and and happening in the cubicle next to me?
KidS? Wow. The whole issue is so sordid and tragic. Most of these kids are just sick, or lonely, or awkward-normal teen shit. Even if this path forward is not best for kids (and it's not) we're on it now until the wheels fall off... because of the narcissism and insecurities and ideological commitments of a million adults. God damn us.
Its like the SNL Skit, Honest Travel Agency "If you're sad where you are, and then you get on a plane to Italy, the you in Italy will be the same sad you as before, just in a new place. Does that make sense?"
I always wonder if you're ever quoting my own daughter who went from pansexual to lesbian to gay man -- 6th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade respectively. Now she's "queer/nonbinary" which I pray is her cunning way to back slowly away from medicalizing as she's perched on the precipice of college and adulthood. She is not autistic or body dysmorphic or dysphoric and never has been. She's simply enamored of the scene and wants in. Pretty certain she's straight too but it would be fine if she weren't. It's the bullshit I can't bear. The mental gymnastics of these kids reminds me of me at 16/17 convincing myself that the boy who ignored me and never returned my calls was actually in love with me. Now at 54 I'm white knuckling life until my daughter's prefrontal cortex develops. It's a shitty and wild ride and I hate it.
OMG I can hardly imagine. I find this shit show such a train wreck, I just can't look away, but luckily it hasn't affected me personally. Its just the... most... fucked... up....thing I've seen happen to society in all my 51 years and something we could all settle in about 2.5 seconds if people were honest about it. That's why I support Eliza, I think she's going to be the game changer. I hope your daughter comes back from the brink. Reason dictates that most people are going to just flirt with this scene and come back to reality, just like most people involved in a cult go to a few weekend seminars and don't turn over their life savings.
That's the thing, it's set up so cult members can never come back to reality. They have paid with the bodies they live in. Sexual function, ability to pee, bones, heart, lungs ... their skin is in the game and they can never get it back.
Its so sad. It takes real courage to back down from this. Courage from someone who really didnt have it all together to begin with.
That's a good analogy--life savings to the cult. So far I've counted four or five of my daughter's friends who have given their life savings, ie puberty blockers and/or hormones. It's rampant at her school, especially in the arts. I'm happy she's going to a state school where the possibility increases that she'll grow tired of it.
My lefty friends want to paint this as "Republicans worried about where trans people use the bathroom." That's going to sort itself out. Thousands of gay, mentally ill and autistic kids being sterilized is something people are going to be talking about for 100 years.
One of my good college friends is transing both her girls. Once just had a double mastectomy. No one in my old circle of friends wants to talk about it. I'm like HELLO. She used to be the coolest girl I knew in college. Now I wouldn't let my kids trick or treat at her house!
100% to everything you say. My daughter has a trio of friends--all sisters who ID as trans or NB. One on testosterone. It boils my blood. Like who is their mother? They're all brainwashed. And the gaslighting, ugh I'm with you. It's willful blindness.
Its like the Olympics of gas lighting. Really. And the HORSE SHIT my liberal friends come up with when I try to talk about it with them. "After all, one person in a gazillion is a hermaphrodite, so whose to say what sex anybody really is": My God, did their brains leak out? If someone thinks they were born in the wrong body, and the absolute worst thing you could possibly say to them is "You're right!"
It really woulnd't hurt democrats if they stopped acting like a stereotype of the brain dead liberal conjured up by the Rush Limbaugh show.
The parents who transed their kids cannot stop. It would mean admitting that they committed human rights violations against their own children. Very smart people I know - doctors, lawyers, teachers -are in this trap. And they get their claws out for anyone who even intimates that there's something wrong with Trans Ideology.
Its funny how this movement started in America. What is the unique, distinguishing feature of our medical system again?
I get not one iota of a chuckle from the corrupted "social justice" movements the USA has unleashed from its crazed academia. In the last 7 years I've devoted half my life to protecting my granddaughter along with trying to resurrect my reputation in the local arts after being cancelled by social justice warriors who deemed me a bigoted racist for unapologetically using the word kimono. I have visited the USA 5x and was a great respecter of your culture, history and society. No longer.
For using the word kimono!
Let me guess, none of the offended parties were Japanese, were they?
Whatever you do, do not affirm.
I'll die on that hill, George.
If it helps, that's what I did, and both my daughters eventually desisted. My older went to college with a firm hatred of the Gender Clowns who rained this shit on her adolescence.
It does help thank you. you're living my happy ending. 🙏🏼
Mrs Miller, we are #twinning except I’m like FloridaMom too in that it’s my TWO girls. Hoping to live FloridaMom’s happy ending too.
Aaaahhhhh I scream in solidarity!
I actually wondered this too, about my person:/
This might sound odd, but it looks to me like the heart of the problem is a lack of critical thinking skills.
Many of us know that the mind can play weird tricks on us. I mean, we dream and, at the time of the dream, it feels real. And then we wake up, and understand that none of it was real, because the dream doesn't integrate with objective reality.
We check objective reality all the time.
SIDENOTE: I hate that I have to do this but, yes, I understand we can never be entirely sure of our own perception of objective reality. We don't have to be; we assess our certainty by comparing notes with others and taking multiple independent measurements. We do this all the time, and certainty is useful, even when it's not 100%.
Anyway... Many of us understand that if feelings or beliefs don't concord with reality, they're probably wrong. These trans people seem to have got it into their heads that everything they experience MUST BE indicative of some objective truth, even when it negates some other objective truth.
That's a basic lack of critical thinking skills. How did this happen?
i am not sure how it happened but i do think some of them got so swallowed by the internet that they just don't know what is real anymore. and they are completely confused.
There is some truth in that. Some believe that the trans delusion begins in some of these games which allow you to choose gender and body. If you are a male, but wish to be a hot babe with luscious boobs, this is in some online venues a choice you can make. The delusional self-concept can be set up there.
"The blizzard of the world has overturned the order of the soul ..." -- to coin a phrase ... 😉🙂
LC: Things are going to slide (slide) in all directions
Won't be nothing (won't be)
Nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it's overturned
The order of the soul."
https://www.poetryverse.com/leonard-cohen-poems/the-future
Part of the problem is queer theory which throws objectivity out the window. They're operating on a level without a solid foundation let alone a safety net.
I think so. But I wouldnt expect all teenagers to have critical thinking skills. Its members of the professional community with zero critical thinking skills who have let us down. It was twenty years ago they passed "No Child Left Behind" and made the amount of money a school makes contingent on how well the kids score on standardized tests. Now we have a generation of Doctors and shrinks who were very good at memorizing equations and facts and not good at much else.
Each of us has a voice in our heads - our thought process. This is not the schizophrenic voice. This is the normal voice we listen to internally.
This internal voice is the key to trans and other cult delusional states. When that "still small voice" has the trans belief, it's going to be impossible, or at least extremely difficult, to change that internal notion. This is the reason I completely oppose the use of pronouns or the trans name when a person has convinced himself that he is the other sex. At that moment, the internal voice is on the brink - if the parent or teacher affirms, the voice can be tipped into the delusional state of trans.
I generally use the sexed pronouns if I know the person's sex, and more emphatically the more they're abusing their position (like male athletes competing against women, rapists, etc.), but I'm also aware that there was a mostly very humble, almost invisible, transsexual contingent of society before the trans cult got into gear, who sometimes feel they've also been harmed by the cult, by the attention to the subject causing them to be outed, and by being characterized as deluded or narcissistic when they just felt it was impossible to live without transitioning, often later in life after suffering for decades, and - as was the process in most places back then - had the therapy and proper gatekeeping and everything else failed. I'm thinking of Debbie Hayton.
I don't feel right referring to someone by their previous name (except for the worst offenders like Mark Bowers). I feel ordinary victims of this have the right to change their name as everyone does, and are probably likely to be further entrenched by what they perceive as "deadnaming" by a "bigot". Some names are used for both sexes, so it's a bit like a gender stereotype to assume a personal name must indicate a sex rather than being a trend to that effect (where English pronouns are designed to make that distinction). Harriets were often called Harry in my neck of the woods, and Charlottes might choose to be Charlies, with no transgender intention at all. I have to say, this is mostly theory on my part, since I know precious few trans folk anyway!
It's mind-blowing that this person is so confused that she'd say "So if we take down all of the arbitrary socially constructed ideas of gender, what's left?" and "biological sex" never crosses her mind. That is literally the only thing left. What have we done to these kids? How will they be handling life 20 years from now??
I am bothered by this quote: "I think that it’s weird to say [transition]'s a social thing considering trans ppl have always existed and will continue to exist." This is something people seem to take for granted, and they try to "trans" historical figures to prove the point, but there were no "trans" people until medical transition became a thing, starting with the first experiments in Germany in the 1930's.
If there was no way to medically transition, there would be people who are unhappy with their lot in life as a male or a female (as there always have been), and there would be a smaller number who are convinced they really should have been born the opposite sex (as their always have been), and an overlapping number who have severe body dysmorphia related specifically to their primary and/or secondary sex characteristics (and there always have been).
The above described people are not "trans." They are not born with the inevitable need to medically alter their appearance to the opposite sex (or to a more androgenous look by muting sexed characteristics) in order to ever have any semblance of happiness. That is a cruel lie.
Instead, people with distress over their lot in life as a man/woman/boy/girl, or who truly wish they were the opposite sex and think themselves much better suited to it, or with severe body dysmorphia over sexed characteristics can (and in the past usually did) find ways to get over the negative feelings associated with being disappointed in their bodies' sexual characteristics. If there was no medical transition, all or mostly all of them would ultimately learn to accept their bodies. And if medical transition was not seen as inevitable, most still would learn to accept their bodies, although a few might decide to transition, and some of those would be happy with the choice - while others would not be happy with the choice (as all of the above comments indicate the complexity of these choices and the difficulty living with them).
That really troubles me, too. Historical revisionism and erasing the possibility that people who MIGHT think of themselves as trans today would have thought of themselves in different terms in the pass. It erases other ways of seeing oneself by denying other ways of seeing the self have ever existed.
Absolutely agree. Not only did this all start less than 100 years ago, but the main impetus occurred with the advent of the "Dutch protocol" in 1993 or so. Before that, there were very very very few trannies.
The key issue is that the ABILITY to transition (although this is of course false) has led to the interest in transition. Rather than dealing with whatever problem in the current situation, this "la-la-land" of tranniehood opens the door to a possible solution. We need to shut that door.
There must be a special place in Hell reserved for the inventors of "gender identity". Or there should be.
One thing I would like to research and wish others would look into as well, is how many of these girls were/are on pharmaceuticals that directly affect their hormones. What is little discussed due to all the affirmation and push to destigmatize diagnoses is that SSRIs have long documented side effects of anhedonia and sexual dysfunction. The blunting of emotions and embodied sensation of sexual attraction or feeling is the ABSOLUTE WORST thing one can do to a young body transitioning into and through puberty - due to the fact that these feelings help to define one's reality, even if they are difficult.
I suspect that the majority of these troubled teens ARE on some sort of SSRI, if not some cocktail of meds. Because this has been the protocol for managing the difficult realities of teen girls in particular since the 80's.
And yet, just like the GAC medicalization route there has been this reckless promotion of the protocol with more evidence of harm than of help. Strong pharmaceuticals that were never tested on children have been handed out like candy to adolescents since the 80's. And in spite of these drugs causing suicides in teens - black box warning on all SSRIs says they can increase suicidal ideation and aggression in adolescents - Doctors continue to describe them. And not only that, since these drugs have NOT been working and making children less resilient or able to cope with their emotions or reality in general - the medical system has increased the intensity of treatment. Instead of any self-reflection into - whether medical pharmaceutical intervention was actually HARMING children - they continue to drive not just down a ditch but further full speed down a cliff.
I think this is a big part of it... disconnecting kids from their bodies, drugging and muting hte body.
Why do you think the correlations are so little discussed? My main thought is that questioning this massive medication of kids - has ALSO been verboten. I have noticed the same defensive attitudes when it comes to questioning the psychiatric medicalization of children. Mental Health Awareness Day was created in 1992 - and since then it has been used to destigmatize mental health problems and diagnoses. But also "pill-shaming." For questioning WHY it is necessary to prescribe developing kids heavy-duty psychiatric meds - one is quickly labeled a "pill-shamer" - as quickly as one is labeled a "transphobe" when one questions the extreme protocols of transitioning. It is the same strategy but different playbook.
Body Dysmorphia and Gender Dysphoria are just fancy ways of saying - embodied Self-hate/mental self-loathing. We as a society do not want to FACE the truth of the incredible misogyny/hatred of women and girls that is constantly directed at them which they end up internalizing and taking it out on their bodies. This body hate started out with excessive dieting in the 70's, then morphed into anorexia and bulimia, and self-harm. And now this self-harm has become monetized as GAC.
The pattern is so incredibly clear - if one has paid any attention at all to the patterns of behavior of the most troubled teen girls in society. Who ironically, are often the most financially and potentially blessed - socioeconomically. Again all the negative and misogynistic messaging that caused their grandmothers to take "mother's little helpers" which was amphetamines to lose weight, or for their mother's to starve themself, or their older sisters to cut themselves up - has been intensified through social media and living their life via screens where the bully culture is alive and well.
I see the way out - as social and creative. We as a society have to break our addiction to the money we get from teaching girls and women that they are not enough, that they are not lovable or attractive unless they make never-ending changes to themselves in order to MAYBE be worthy of love or connection. We need to teach our girls and model as women - that peace/happiness is not something you buy or do to yourself.
And our boys...
Interesting question (I mentally added a question mark). And our boys...? What the hell do we need to teach our boys. (Thankfully, I have neither boys nor girls...or any other-gendered children!) I offer these for starters: that it's important to develop a full range of emotional expression, especially warmth, tenderness and vulnerability, not just rage. That your biology sets you up to be a jerk, and as a member of civilization you need to correct for that. Aim well, and put the seat down after.
The main reason I didn't mention boys - is that the original article was referring to girls and their particular gender confusion. Boys have different issues regarding gender confusion, and need different lessons.
That's a jaundiced take and not one I would subscribe to. As far as I can tell it's many women who are reigning in today's liberal West, and women are just as capable of being jerks as anyone. Feminists construction of the fallen, sullied other in the form of the male, against the transcendent feminine arc is tiresome. In this formulation it is just another Marxism (substitute Patriarchy for Capitalism) and is a form of 'splitting' of the natural into a dualism as well as a denial of the potential of female agency broadly speaking.
No, I would provide structure, and try to instill all qualities, and would try to be a good father, which then provides an orientation for him to look towards. Some of this transmission is activated in male symbols/archetypes that people can hew to, aspire to. The narrative of toxic masculinity is not needed when you promote masculinity, it's a byproduct of broader social problems, which when you look at the elites and government, women are just as well positioned to address. You can't achieve the success of feminism and keep blaming men for everything, notwithstanding what we know about some men.
Which "male symbols/archetypes" are you thinking of? And which "broader social problems" would you say are the cause of toxic masculinity, that "women are just as well positioned to address"? We agree on the "all qualities", although I'd emphasize "helping to develop" rather than "instilling", which makes me think of beating goodness into a boy, as has been all too common.
I agree we shouldn't blame men for everything, but feminism hasn't achieved much success while the vast majority of violence and sexual violence in society is perpetrated by men, and women suffer it very significantly. I don't see acknowledging our different biology and psychology as unnatural "splitting" - it is part of our nature.
Yes my rant was a bit of a provocation and now you're calling me to account, which is more than fair.
Extreme violence and sexual violence are indeed most likely to be committed by men and I'm sure there's a lots of situations across all walks of life where men perpetrate harms on women (and other men) and others aid its perpetuation, but I see it as a problem with some males, not a male problem. Most men that perpetrate violence are brought up with abuse and neglect so really it's a broader social problem in my view. While men predominate in the worst extremes, the average man isn't part of toxic masculinity, like some mark of Cain (or is that Adam?)
I don't know the answers for violent men and don't claim that feminism doesn't identify and address true and relevant issues, I'm rather talking about the narratives - it's actually past time to attribute every wrong to patriarchy when as I say women are now well represented across business, government and professional life.
It also ignores the dark side of women, who also account for a chunk of partner violence, albeit with lesser consequences in terms of physical trauma, and much less likelihood of sexual assault.
As for symbols, being a man, it's subtle but as you say there are differences between the sexes. I know it's not a universal, sex isn't destiny, but if 'shit goes down' in a particular way, I will tend to be calmer under pressure and provide the bedrock for my family. Say, imagine a swollen river crossing. There is such a thing to 'be a man' that means something.
Sounds like a lot of socio-political mumbo-jumbo - and cannot be practically applicated. Every woman or girl I have ever met - has dealt with some kind of body-shaming - from purity Religious cultures that place the burden of male sexuality upon women to the "liberated" girls who are bullied in school for being too fat, too skinny, too slutty (aka pretty and popular w/ boys not the girls - also slutty), too prudish to the tween girls who feel ignored or misunderstood and dream of finding love by looking like the Instagram influencers and tiktok queens. Do you notice any "Marxist agenda" in this commentary?
There is NONE. You don't have to be a dusty Marxist to understand that advertising has capitalized on making people feel less than, in order to inspire them to spend their money. Maybe if you took a basic marketing class you would learn how it is a fundamental marketing strategy to find the consumer's "pain points" & construct your marketing strategy to trigger that pain and then offer your solution to that pain. That is basis marketing 101.
Advertising has been historically saturated with this type of psychological manipulation - any media savvy influencer will automatically use the same strategies just by mimicking what they see.
One can STILL make bucketloads of money by not marketing in a way that instills insecurity & body-loathing to women & girls. And one doesn't need to be a fricking Marxist to call this type of BS marketing manipulation out.
Your take on my post was rather hostile and seemed to be knee-jerk boilerplate attack on feminism.
Nowhere in my post did I mention "Patriarchy". Perhaps you projected that upon my comment when I mentioned several times mysogyny in society. Guess what? Women can be mysogynists, too! That is why I didn't mention the Patriarchy. Although absolutely it has a part to play - but I am not interested in pointing specific fingers as to where this mysogyny came from - fact of the matter - is it very much exists. And gender ideology which encourages girls to turn against their female bodies due to them NOT wanting to be human barbies and encourages boys to transform their bodies so they WILL become human barbies - is the perfect example of a misogynistic opinion of female bodies and their purpose - to be or not to be a sex doll.
I think you'll find I was responding to John Freeman and his "What the hell do we need to teach our boys".
Yes, I've always felt sad how women and girls base their self-worth on their perceived attractiveness...long before this madness started. I don't know how deeply biological it is, since in some cultures men dress up and put makeup on and dance to impress and win a wife. Anyway, in our Western culture, I suppose there's been a breakdown of the traditional roles of mothers and grandmothers, as society become more structured and education was outsourced to schools perhaps...and now anyone on the Net. I imagine not so long ago girls would turn to their grandmothers in particular for comfort in their confused times, and the wisdom of age and experience would guide and support the young woman. I know it still happens, because my partner has a great relationship with her granddaughters, but she's competing with TikTok etc., and in many instances the multi-generational links have been weakened. I expect there will be a pendulum swing back again, when the fallout of all this obsessive preening and abuse by men hits home. Hopefully back to real grandmothers, but possibly AI ones. At the moment, of course, older people are the scourge of the planet and complete idiots.
I adored my grandmother my whole life, but definitely thought she was behind the times in many ways. I respected my Mother as a guide and modeled myself after her independence, strength and intelligence. I didn't flow with the crowd because I never really fit in with the crowd as an autistic/adhd girl, although I never knew it at the time. I moved around a lot with my Mom - so I knew that I learned to adapt superficially so as not to get bullied. But I knew that wasn't WHO I was. I think too many girls have no idea who they are. I relied on astrology and self-help books more than my peers. I was never a follower - I kind of looked down on people who couldn't make up their own minds up about things. I guess I still do ; /
I am not sure why "nobody has a gender identity or even a gender unless it is the same thing as sex" isn't the logical realization from all this nonsense. It is really identical to evangelical "soul" talk or nonsensical religious formulations like "having a personal relationship with Jesus" in its confusion of introspection with empirical etiological account.
Exactly, their ceaseless ruminating and "feeling gender" is no different to praying and hearing the voice of the holy spirit.
Thanks for your revealing posts. It's such a contrast between the confused, angsty incoherence you show here, and the smug trans ally or activist with all the lines you might come across elsewhere on Reddit. For those latter it's the tidiest medical/distress born in the wrong body thing that they can muster up to argue with, but when you see the confused masses, self-reinforcing in such nonsense, you realise not only are you being gaslit by the activist, ally, but that they don't actually care about the distressed person.
As an aside, your Notes appeared without warnings for me today.
That's good! Maybe it was the saucy bit of the tulpa article and not my general heresies.
Egads. When one reads the actual thread it is shocking just how desperate for reassurance the ftms are and how quickly assuaged their concerns are. Lack of critical thinking skills indeed!!
this exchange was about whether simply reading the T consent forms for 20 minutes then signing them and getting T might nit sufficiently weed out those people who might not actually “be” trans:
„ahhh okay. i guess that makes sense that consenting to testosterone==trans man…
i guess i thought for an ‘official gender dysphoria’ diagnosis they would want to actually talk to me more lol. rather than take my acceptance of taking T as proof enough. but when you put it like that, it makes much more sense. thanks”
Well then, asked and answered! Now hit me with that T, baby!
I always enjoy Eliza’s analyses. In 2021, I desisted from a ~5 year “non-binary” identity, but I still experience “gender dysphoria” or body dysmorphia, however, when it comes to confusing these two things, there are a couple of important aspect to consider for FtM, or whatever females who claim trans identities want to call themselves.
First, I want to say this is probably not news to Eliza, but I really feel this is relevant for other readers. We have to acknowledge the effect of media and culture constantly telling girls and women that being female carries the expectation of being sexualized or scrutinized for being imperfect in any way. Obviously, this would cause women and girls who don’t want to be perfect princesses to feel like they must be the ones who are wrong, not the sexist media and cultural messages.
Next, it’s important to distinguish between ROGD and persistent “gender dysphoria” which presents at an early age, and does not resolve after puberty. I don’t want to make this comment an essay in itself, so I won’t try to explain my understanding of all the differences here. However, some key differences are that ROGD can be easily explained by body dysmorphia IF the female claiming the trans identity is 1) straight, and 2) is interested in having a slim androgynous body but IS NOT interested especially in having male reproductive function, such as the case of having “autoandrophilia”. Obviously it is not possible for females to achieve male reproductive function even with gender surgery, but anyway…
Much of the gender critical sphere can recognize that males who claim gender identities can have a fetish known as “autogynephilia”, but not much is mentioned about autoandrophilia in females. Perhaps because some wish to conserve the illusion of female purity/naivety/shallowness/stupidity regarding emotions, attraction, and sex. I’ve seen all kinds of takes from gender criticals.
However, I am not necessarily validating gender dysphoria or ROGD as a good reason to affirm or transition. I am stating that aap is a fetish, just like agp, and that it is a factor for some “FtMs”.
Where does a girl or woman acquire such a niche fetish? Eliza made a post or two which explores this. Check the profile pics of these FtM internet users on various websites (reddit may not be the most indicative, but tumblr, discord, etc will neatly prove the point). The are obsessed with anime or online cultures revolving around fantasy and fiction. They read, write, and draw cartoon characters 24/7 and “identify” with them because they don’t leave their houses.
How can they identify with females characters when 99% of entertainment is deeply misogynistic and teaches women to self-censor? How can they identify with their own natural bodies if they never use them to walk in the fresh air, train them, and test them? How can we expect these girls and women to do anything but sit at home, ruminating about their feelings when society keeps separating humans from each other using things like the covid lockdowns, work-from-home, grocery delivery, and other forms of increased isolation?
These things are presented as “convenient solutions” to increase comfort and safety. And while some are able to maintain a precarious balance of personal realization, physical and social fitness, and purchasing certain “conveniences” or working from home, others cannot balance these things. And the focus on buying comfort is whittling away with the resilience of young people. They don’t need therapy or mood-altering drugs; they need to accept that in-person human interaction is necessary and pushing their bodies and willpower to accomplish things for themselves and their loved ones are what brings peace to the mind and body.
Anyway that’s my 2 cents as to the “social contagion”.
This just sounds total psychological disintegration to me.
Incredibly sad. This is one of those areas that the media won't even TOUCH-It's not a matter of difference of perspectives. They literally deny that these problems exist. "Nothing is happening... and it's good that it fucking is"
They've *just* started to touch it. The NY Times has run some gender critical op eds. I think the damn is breaking. And the right wing media is *all over it*. Every time a biological male on the volleyball team smashes a girl in the face, she's on Fox News.
Those are tangentially related but have you seen any exploration of the link between GD and other mental illnesses or delusions? Have you seen any article which acknowledges this strange new development among thousands of teenage girls (often autistic)? Have you seen any investigation of the dynamics of peer groups or social contagion among social media users? I have not.
That's strange considering this is a recent development sweeping through the Western world which is completely unrelated to any mental health crisis in the past and has urgent public policy implications. It's almost like they're actively suppressing it.
I saw the NYT articles but if I recall correctly those focus on the policy debates about medicalization of minors with GD. They don't explore any of these insular social and psychological dynamics. I don't watch FOX News but I doubt they do either.
No I havent. They have closed ranks. And if *anyone* in the newsroom of CNN has transed their kid (and odds are they have) no one else in the whole organization will want to talk about it.
Helen Lewis made the exact same point... no parent can confront their error on this issue and their blindness infects an entire organization, like a virus. Excellent point
A girl I knew in college is transing her kids. I dare not put anything on social media *for fear of alienating someone I *havent seen in 20 years* I talk about it with my college friends in hushed tones off the record. What if this was at my place of employment and and happening in the cubicle next to me?
KidS? Wow. The whole issue is so sordid and tragic. Most of these kids are just sick, or lonely, or awkward-normal teen shit. Even if this path forward is not best for kids (and it's not) we're on it now until the wheels fall off... because of the narcissism and insecurities and ideological commitments of a million adults. God damn us.
In ancient times, there were religions in which children were sacrificed. Today, parents mutilate their own children out of shared delusion.
Helen Joyce!
Yes, thank you!
Thank you, this is as always very helpful. Not least as we have some very difficult conversations with our daughter coming up.
Its like the SNL Skit, Honest Travel Agency "If you're sad where you are, and then you get on a plane to Italy, the you in Italy will be the same sad you as before, just in a new place. Does that make sense?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwlC2B-BIg