Wednesday Ruminations

Now that I have other websites for marginally more professional writing (ESP and Jasper Bared), this website is for sloppy observations and, I'm realizing, controversial ones. Today is theoretically the latter.

I've been in a down mood the last 24 hours, and looking online lately has made me more pessimistic. I want to explore it through two examples.

Housing is a case study where I feel strongly about one view, but I realize that many people disagree with me. I'm interested in the ideas of Georgism, and generally I believe that everyone has a right to the land and natural products of the land. I support generous immigration for everyone to everywhere, and a tax on land rents that is redistributed to the populace ("land" might also include oil in this example). I think that policies inspired by Georgism can lead to prosperous and equitable societies, and those societies are popular. So I believe that Georgist policies could become popular.

But I understand that the ideas themselves are really unpopular right now, and that is reflected in my interactions on a place like Twitter. Some form of land-based nationalism is almost certainly the most successful ideology of the past century. The basic feeling that "people should get to live on and have power over land based on how long their ancestors have been there" feeds into everything. Nazi blood and soil, sure. But also all anti-colonialist movements, both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict, anti-immigration conservatives AND native land back progressives. Throw in the fact that I want a new tax and well, nobody likes taxes.

All that is to say that I understand you can have an unpopular position and still believe you're right.

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How then is the more controversial topic the one where I feel like I have the most milquetoast, uncontroversial opinions possible. I feel the need to plant my almost invisible boring grey flag in the trans debate.

I believe that trans people deserve love, respect, and excellent medical-care, including hormones, surgeries, and therapy as chosen together with expert help. I believe society is morally called to help trans people be happy in their bodies, this includes negotiating access to the safest spaces possible, and sometimes creating those spaces. I believe it should be illegal to fire or evict someone because of their gender identity.

Almost everyone I know would agree with the above, at least in private. Unfortunately, these beliefs makes me a pedophile.

I believe that the average male is much stronger than the average female. I believe that young children can be bad at planning for the future, and change their minds often. I believe we should use 1% common sense to call the bluff of people who are very obviously lying to gain attention (I link to an easy case, but even on the very slightly harder cases).

Everybody who hasn't been educated WAY too much believes that stuff. Twelve year olds can vouch for it. Alas, this makes me a Nazi.

Seriously, this has to be the worst example of all the sane humans agreeing to shut up so that only the worst specimens can shine through and kill my Wednesday.

US Republicans, people with power, are currently comparing the act of "telling kids that trans people exist" with "grooming". They are writing bills to abduct kids if they don't like the family's politics. I don't want to live there. I'm concerned for family I have growing up as young kids in Texas. What the actual fuck.

And this is so bad, and don't you agree it's so bad, that good progressives can agree the only answer is to... Lie. A lot. Lie like there's not tomorrow. This has to be one of the worst papers (link to rebuttal) I've seen in a highly respected journal in a good while (What replication crisis?). Then I have to wade through the worst logic on the internet daily from people whom I genuinely respect ("If this specific trans woman isn't now the world's greatest soccer player, testosterone can confer no advantage in sports"). I'm straw-manning, I don't care, this is a vent post.

But to complain about any of this is definitely to be a Nazi. If you don't like the lies, you're a super-duper Nazi now.

Which is one reason I don't hate the Republicans digging down into the pedophile trench. There's nowhere to hide anymore, you have to decide: Pedophile or Nazi? Since you're really neither, how much worse is it to be a Nazi Pedophile.

...And that's where the post should end.

Okay, I'm not done yet, because I'm just venting, and I don't care if this is readable or not.

Can you imagine if we did this for cancer? The Republican (I'll use them to hold out some unjustified hope for "conservatives") position is that cancer doesn't exist. Anyone who claims to have had cancer is lying. There are no treatments for cancer, and anyone who claims to have benefited from chemotherapy is lying. Also, anyone who wants to teach kids that cancer exists, or tell kids that their partner has cancer, well they're a pedophile.

How the Flying Fuck do you not win the argument against a position like that? The only problem of course, is that cancer patients in this scenario sure do a hell of a lot of lying.

The progressive position is not only does cancer exist, but cancer has never, ever, in the history of medicine, ever been misdiagnosed. They don't actually say that, but anyone who even mentions a cancer misdiagnosis is called a Nazi and sent death threats. Chemotherapy? There are literally no downsides to chemotherapy. Even if you're misdiagnosed, you might as well go on chemo, because it's fully reversible with no downsides.

Please imagine being me, and believe me when I actually say that I feel as you would for the following responses to my banal beliefs.

"I think young women should be taught to check for lumps to find breast cancer when they get older" - PEDOPHILE!

"With no previous signs, my daughter had a biology class today and has self-diagnosed, along with two friends, that she has ovarian cancer. We're going to seek medical attention to help with the pain and will work with everyone to find the best option. We'll probably wait more than a year to give permission for a double historectomy." - NAZI!

"My brother is a cancer survivor" -CHILD GROOMER!

There are actual niche positions that I will disagree about with real friends. But on the basic love and science we should give to trans people, I couldn't find anyone to disagree with me in real life, and nary a soul to agree with me online. Answer, get offline.

But it's hard, okay.