Wanted to share this insightful comment from Lee Patterson (@Bio_logical on Twitter) on my recent post, All About Doubt: As you signal by making it the subhead, the theme of your article is summed up in this quote: "The ways in which the decision to identify as trans and transition mirrors an authentic journey of self-discovery makes it harder to question."
Very interesting. I've always thought gender identity ideology can be best understood as a religious (mania) phenomenon. A religion in its embryonic cult-like stage with its own apostates (detransitioners), heretics (rationalists) and faith-based "magical thinking" (a girl who has her breasts removed becomes a boy).
People are of course free to believe anything they like, however wacky it seems to anyone else, but they're not free to insist that everyone else believes it or abides by it - which is my fundamental problem with gender identity ideology. Laws are being passed and enforced which are based on this irrational, faith-based belief system, which hasn't happened in a developed-world democracy for centuries. Forcing people to pretend they believe in a subjective, anti-scientific idea with no basis in reality, will go very badly wrong.
There is no route to self discovery without being challenged from outside yourself. A self delusion doesn't yield to introspection but to examination in the cold light of anothers mind. This does not mean that another gets to judge, simply that they force the self explorer to look at the issue from different perspectives. If I have a belief but can't explain why or justify it then I am forced to admit that it is a belief that I hold rather than a provable fact.
The greatest crime being committed on trans youth is that their flawed beliefs are unchallenged. This allows others to hijack their minds and persuade them to mutilate their bodies to try to match the broken mind.
The biggest hypocrisy is that the genuinely gender dysphoric who need the treatment and support can't get heard because the activists are too busy shouting down people with real concerns.
You have to know yourself before you can be yourself.
Very interesting. I've always thought gender identity ideology can be best understood as a religious (mania) phenomenon. A religion in its embryonic cult-like stage with its own apostates (detransitioners), heretics (rationalists) and faith-based "magical thinking" (a girl who has her breasts removed becomes a boy).
People are of course free to believe anything they like, however wacky it seems to anyone else, but they're not free to insist that everyone else believes it or abides by it - which is my fundamental problem with gender identity ideology. Laws are being passed and enforced which are based on this irrational, faith-based belief system, which hasn't happened in a developed-world democracy for centuries. Forcing people to pretend they believe in a subjective, anti-scientific idea with no basis in reality, will go very badly wrong.
There is no route to self discovery without being challenged from outside yourself. A self delusion doesn't yield to introspection but to examination in the cold light of anothers mind. This does not mean that another gets to judge, simply that they force the self explorer to look at the issue from different perspectives. If I have a belief but can't explain why or justify it then I am forced to admit that it is a belief that I hold rather than a provable fact.
The greatest crime being committed on trans youth is that their flawed beliefs are unchallenged. This allows others to hijack their minds and persuade them to mutilate their bodies to try to match the broken mind.
The biggest hypocrisy is that the genuinely gender dysphoric who need the treatment and support can't get heard because the activists are too busy shouting down people with real concerns.
You have to know yourself before you can be yourself.
Thank you so much for these posts Eliza. You are a voice of sanity.