Abigail Thorne, a.k.a. PhilosophyTube, is a Philosopher ... which is why ... you should take everything she says ... with a grain of salt.
Or ... a boulder of salt. I know that from myself; Because I'm a bit of a philosopher also - which is why on and off I'll say purposefully ...
well ... dumb shit ... as I know that it gets the ball rolling.
Just like that. Is it dumb shit? Well, that's not the point. The point is ... it's raw. In the context it gets the point accross. What matters
isn't the potentially dumb shit, but what comes out at the end.
I've had to think about this particular statement; As I've seen the video she originally made that statement in, and recently TJ Kirk had a bit
of a debate where that was taken back up as an anti-Trans argument, similar to how Kyle Kulinsky reasons out in "Contrapoints v Philosophy Tube
On Gender Dysphoria | The Kyle Kulinski Show".
And in my opinion he's doing a good job dissecting the matter.
So he brings up the case of "othering" in comparison to gay people. So I would add, that yea - we could say that being gay, in a heternormative
world that demands heterosexuality of its inhabitants, gayness could become some kind of gender dysphoria. As so, being forced to be a way that
you are not. Then however to be gay, one isn't dependent on medical intervention - and that would be ... one way to put it.
What Abigail's stance seems to be, if I also recall that video of hers correctly, ... well. I recall that I was a bit like "WTF?" - but managed
to make sense of it. So at long last I'd say, that gender dysphoria is this poorly understood thing that people would try to approach as they
would a medical illness or such, so that as according to the book one has to meet X and Y criteria to be diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria. That
approach makes sense once an illness manifests itself that has rather clear than unclear symptoms; As say ... one kind of thing affects another
kind of thing, or a certain part of the body malfunctions, so that causes and effects remain within a certain margin of error. With something
such as gender however, the situation is not quite as simple. Technically one might try to focus more on the sex hormones and how they manifest
and such ... and regarding that, my impression has so far been that that ... isn't really all that simple either. It just isn't.
I so think that individuals have aspects about them that resonate more or less with the hormone profile - and in consequence you get peaks and
valleys, in a sense. So, hyper fem to butch on the one side and hyper masc to ... uh ... femboy?/Drag ... on the other - though all that
possibly very much still on the cis-het spectrum.
And that is enough to get me shrug. To say ... I don't know.
In all that, my experience comes down to genital dysphoria. Which would medically speaking fit the expectation on Gender Dysphoria. Although,
I remember I had a hard time convincing that one of the two people that were to assess me on that. And so I get the part where Abby means,
that we'd look up the right answers and lie about it anyway - just so to get accross the line. At the very least because somewhere inside me
I want to expand on that experience, the back and forth, THAT I eventually felt like he wouldn't believe me - and so what I had to say to
ultimately convince him. The problem, in my opinion, there often being that those evaluators get hung up on a certain impression ... and then,
well, good luck having thought about that long enough ... or good enough ... to not fall into their prejudice on the matter.
So was the big trouble for him, that I wasn't feeling like I had to cut my dick off - constantly; Or whatever it may have been that would ...
. And sure, there were times where I felt like that, but ... between HRT and trying to live my life - it wasn't really that prominent issue
in my head at the time. Or, all things considered, at all. And I suppose that me telling that might raise a few red flags here and there -
which then is exactly the problem we're talking of here.
Or the kind of problem.
So to me the point is - now, in hindsight - that I had better things to do than to wallow in my own misery. To so bear whatever burden that yet
remained. To the conclusion, that I had not been in therapy - and had the evaluation first - maybe I'd have had an easier time getting a proper
diagnosis. But ... time overall can be a bitch. So to me, getting onto the way was already an improvement. Sorting out the stuff I had bought
in order to mask my transness for instance - being true to myself to the extent I was financially capable of - wearing the the kind of clothes
I wanted - all that was enough of a shift for me to get my mind settled on some kind of "good enough".
But so one may wonder, why not just ... continue that way?
Well. If I so brought up Gender Dysphoria - the truth is that the experience over time has been varied; And possibly can't be treated as some
kind of standard. I'd say that it would be the right answer - still - although the impression is there, that the term or the concept thereof
does us a bit of a disservice also.
Or, to skip ahead - now after I had my bottom surgery - the thing is that technically, the dysphoria isn't all gone either. So, depending on
how we wanted to describe it. But if I'm thinking of my overall ... daily average ... or general well-being ... it is gone. I'm mostly
where I wanted to be - or more like: A lot more in line with how I want to feel. Or entirely so. So, what remains is that I eventually get
misgendered - or have a bad hair day - but that also doesn't affect me as much anymore because a new normal has settled in. One in which I'm
not constantly reminded of having a dick. And so instead of that ... as a source of dysphoria ... I even have ... moments of euphoria. Nothing
too too amazing, but ... I suppose how one would imagine a healthy and normal life around these things. Or as my social worker commented at
some point about being a cis-woman herself: One isn't constantly extatic over being a woman. Or so a man, if that's what you are.
And so, being where I want to be - for as far as I could help it - allows me to be a lot more unphased by external nonsense. Although, getting
misgendered still ... does a number on me. And yea, I realize that the narrative here then shifts. It's less about a black and white relief;
And more of a gradual transition, where "because I want it so" becomes more and more ... the pivot of the narrative.
---
And before I move on to what else and ever - so, to just smack it on the table raw: dysphoria and this "because I want it so" are linked.
But more so on the level of 'why' I want it so. Like so - we can say that I'm trans because I have dysphoria. But why do I have dysphoria?
Well, because I'm trans? Well, because I want it so? But there again. Why do I want it so? Because I'm a degenerate? Well - I guess ...
depending on how we want to look at it - sure; But at that point things are getting too abstract. They do so as the term 'degenerate' is
basically a value judgment. Like ... "piece of shit". It describes something objectively real and neutral - ish - but applied to a person
it puts a value judgment prior to the neutral thing that is described. Well, because ... reasons. So ... shit is disgusting - as in, just
physically repugnant.
But so - if we want to keep it cool and say that 'degenerate' only means 'different' or 'abnormal' - yea. Or what other terms need to be
brought up to really fill out the concept of what 'degenerate' is to mean? Psychopathic? So, I don't know. Whatever. The thing is that we've
never really gotten a clear argument or case being made for that either. Oh well - "there are plenty". But which one of them makes actual
sense?
To wonder: OK, why am I degenerate or how? As, that is ... the question here.
So, "people can't change their sex" - well, doesn't matter. Say I suffer a condition - a mix of psychological and physiological things that
make me trans, cause dysphoria, whichever the chicken and the egg is. Me being unable to change my sex doesn't change anything about that,
me expressing myself in accordance with how I feel however does alleviate the dysphoria.
"There are only two genders" - well, there already are three sexes. Male, female and intersex. Sure, the latter is a mix between the other
two - something, "undetermined" or "undefined" or whatever ... but then again, it is neither male nor female by any common norm. And as
3 is obviously greater than 2 - I think ... we can discard this bullshit idea.
But oh "the Chromosomes" - same thing. You can have XY or YX and still be the other - and you can have XXY or some weird stuff like that -
and so the story continues.
And yea, animals can change their sex. Like so - this whole anti-trans iceberg is an enormous mountain of hogwash.
So, God created Mankind as man and woman. Cool. But still they give birth to intersex people. Here's the thing: Binary systems are pretty
basic for as far as nature - and even just theory - is concerned. But if you want to talk God and the potential for us to be as God; Or Godlike;
As however the Bible eludes to ... the idea of our part in the divine ... there is the potential that we don't fit into the binary and I don't
know what mental gymnastics one has to do to deny that.
"God doesn't do mistakes" ... well ... what does that leave us with? Where do all the handicapped or stillborn come from? And what about intersex
people? Why can animals and plants change their sex? Why can women have emasculating conditions; And men be skinny as an asparagus sprout?
It might not be related - but, just before the ---, I was watching a Video. And ... it's a pretty interesting video for scientific purposes.
For all I care, only the first 7 minutes really matter. To say, I haven't watched more than that just yet - but already we can see the symptoms
of ignorance. And I'd be surprised if it wouldn't just go downhill from there.
So, Ethan is having a discussion - and he probes the other guy for specific answers. In the meantime the other guy feels challenged - and resorts
to saying that he has made his case; That Ethan can only "snap at him" - to say, he's on the defensive. The other guy that is. Which means as much
as that he doesn't even have the concept of what a serious discussion looks like. And we'd expect a similar attitude regarding his "wife" that
ought to better not have an attitude except of course ... it's justified ... but ... that's kinda the crux here. Who is to say what is justified?
So, for redundancy: The other guy so thinks he is owed acknowledgment for having stated what to him is obvious and infallible. Or however to put it.
Of course so, as Ethan is probing him for the logic in his statements; Which so leads him to the uncomfortable truth that he ... well, to move on,
let's be a little mean, isn't the type of guy people should pick to pass wisdom on to their children.
So, though it's unrelated, it's ... something we basically see all the time. Some are better at masking their ignorance than others - but generally
speaking it's the "I'm right - "change my mind"" attitude. Where, they will focus on making points that the simple minded and the ignorant can
understand - even if everything they said is nonsense. In this particular case it's easy to say ... or see ... that they're living in a dreamworld.
And when reality says "nu uh" - they get mad and everything is everyone else's fault because their worldview is so logical and everything would be
so much better if things just followed "the rules" (its rules) - and that's the crux of the issue.
The simple and primitivistic worldview that is really just this giant construct of hypotheticals - that is further so adamantly insisted on, that
it becomes difficult if not impossible to have a normal conversation with them. And stupid girls - that fall in line with that - eventually have
to learn that being a fuck-doll isn't the end-all be all; And then it comes down to navigating the minefield. Like, when he gets mad at you for being
the idiot himself - but yea ... what you wanna do?
What part about "it's them and nothing else" isn't understood thereby?
Protecting their children? From what? From your stupid mouth if you're not careful!
Certainly not from the catholic church though!
I mean, what would one need to protect their children from? Joining the Mafia? Well - in that case, good FUCKING Luck!
Sure - I'm no parent, but I kinda get the experience as this whole Planet is at the end of the day just a giant Kindergarten.
Just ... BY THE WAY!
Because I know conservatives love to meme about how soft the Libs are.
And whatever copium they can scrap together on that, the next piece is: We live in a Society!
But to be fair, germany is a lot more densely populated.
And still - the thing is that, so for what US conservatives are crying about, if a government were to take over, start to enact authoritarian control as via
state enforced censorship, segregation, persecution - all that - ... hmm. Is that putting the cart before the horse? Well, the assumption were: You'd have to
vote them in. And people who believe that being asked to wear masks for public safety is equivalent to the Holocaust ... ??? ... I'd label that as "Nicht
Zurechnungsfähig" - 'rechnung' means 'calculation', zu in this context means towards, 'zurechnung' ... to 'account' something onto someone or something, and
fähig means capable/able. So ... Zurechnungsfähig roughly translates into sane or accountable. Responsible. "Compos mentis". 'Of sound mind'.
So ... "Unzurechnungsfähig", which is the same as "Nicht Zurechnungsfähig", then means ... 'cannot be trusted with basic stuff' - basically.
I mean, sorry topic, so they want 'small government' because they're worried of authoritarian overreach - while being motivated by emotions, so that when
the government does an authoritarian overreach (as based on religious beliefs), they're all down for it.
Which brings us back to ...
Gender Dysphoria.
Is it real?
So, we've checked the Religious part off our list I'd say ... the science part also ... at least, concerning the concept of transsexuality. Which is the
whole ... list of talking points. Beyond that, when talking of actual transsexuality, we should all - by now - know what evolutionary biology has to say
about that. So, we can all move on - I'd say ... sure.
So, at the end of the day, a person can only know for themself if they're trans. Is the argument. A conversation about that, with children, could look
a little something like:
parent: Do you know what a trans-person is?
child: No!
parent: It is when a person is born into the wrong body!
Simple as that! And don't mind telling them about souls. You'd also shamelessly tell them about Santa. Or other things you may or may not believe exist.
To say, that's not the point - unless you insist that they believe in the concept of souls. Which, I'd say is one of the more harmless beliefs one might
grow up with - also. Now, from a Biblical perspective ... it's not entirely clear what a Soul is either or anyway. I know of one verse in the Bible that
mentions it - stating that we should be cautious of those that can snatch our souls - but here it works also, to say that the soul is more of an abstract
concept. So rather than 'taking' your soul in any literal sense - they might capture you in stupid beliefs, sotospeak.
Saying "born into the wrong body" is also very clear. If we say that it's a biological condition for instance - we merely imply the psychological abstract
that emerges therefrom as "the soul". Whatever. It's universally comprehensive. I'd say. Rather than saying: "When a person identifies as the opposite sex"
or worse: "When a person feels like the opposite sex" - because those are more indirect; And it is too binary, some might add.
However - and having told them that, they understand - relative to how trans people they would learn about - how trans people are treated in society.
Well, regardless of that they - say they're trans - grow up with that understanding and sooner or later that'd ... just be relevant. Somehow. Whether the
person in question is willing to share that or not.
So, do I agree with Abigail? Yes and No!
And how about that? It's a non-binary issue! Keeeheheheheheeheee!
I made a mistake. I continued watching that video ... . Well, I guess I'm held back from oversharing ... so, uhm ... yea. I guess ... I can wrap this up?
I mean, maybe there's more to say. But ... that's then just theory and theory. Hmm ...
Well, I'll say this: to me dysphoria was very real. And allowing myself to want to overcome it - changed things for the better. And hence - and that is
very real, I'd say - like ... ought to be 100% - when being prevented from doing so, the opposite is going to happen. Some may find ways to cope with that,
others not so much ... though overall, it shouldn't be required of us. In the short term, when there's a foreseeable end to it - sure, no biggie. We ...
can understand that, right?