On this day I am grateful. I am grateful for all the usual—love & partnership, home & hearth, the prospect of adventures to come.
Today I am also grateful for the moon, waning, high in the sky on a blue sky morning. And a grassy hill, with one tree, in whose shade I can sit. 1/4
I am grateful for a perfectly brewed cappuccino from a café that also sells art, the walls lined with beauty, the owner wondering how to proceed in these strange times, told that her efforts are noticed, appreciated. 2/4
I am grateful for the sounds of activity and connection, traveling up the air of this park where I sit: the scrape of a skateboard on concrete, the pop of tennis balls against racquets; the romping of dogs playing. 3/4
And I am grateful for the rising and falling pitch of conversation, too far away to extract meaning, close enough to know this: they are friends. They find reason to be kind to one another, whether or not they agree on other things. May we all have such friends. /end
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Here are three conversations that brought me hope, laughter, and depth of understanding. Six outstanding humans sharing thoughts about childhood, language, society, what is coming and what to do now. The common theme: all six are unflinching.
“Men menstruate. Some have even given birth.” If you disagree, you are “attacking trans lives,” and likely one of those deplorables who support Trump.
I’m no Trump supporter, just a biologist who knows that this “new trans reality” is a dangerous fiction. nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opi…
“The only difference between a trans woman and a cisgender woman is the sex assigned to her at birth.”
No. Really not.
Most people know this is flat out wrong.
Most people who hear this nod abjectly, eyes averted, hoping this will pass by and leave them intact.
Again, no.
The vast majority of us who call bullshit on reality-denial are not “anti-trans.”
Nature is not anarchic re: sex. We have 2 types of gametes, by which we sexually reproduce. Small and mobile -> sperm -> male. Large and sessile -> egg -> female. Where’s the anarchy?
Proclaim something to be true that is patently not. Do not mock those who disagree. Not yet. Instead, ask them, with sadness in your eyes, why you cannot just be generous and kind.
Most people will roll their eyes and move on. At first.
But after repeated exposure to the thing-that-is-proclaimed-to-be-true-that-patently-is-not, some will begin to question their understanding of reality. Now you make your next move. 2/
Most people have an inadequate knowledge of biology (and other manifestations of reality), and know this. When pushed to the limits of what they are sure of, they may entrench (“er, no, men and women are different…?”) or they may cede small points. 3/
Totalitarianism always flies in on the wings of beautiful ideals.
It lands gently, flatters you and charms you, makes you feel smart for recognizing how beautiful it is.
Do not be fooled. It is dangerous. Those ideals? They are not what they seem. (1/23)
Democracy’s ability to reveal value depends on its members being able to freely decide what they think, and what they say. 2/
How do we assess truth, and how do we assess value?
The “naturalistic fallacy” reminds us that that which *is* true (e.g. in nature) is not inherently that which *ought* to be true. Truth and value are, therefore, distinct and unique. 3/
I thought “safe spaces” were necessary to protect the sensitive ears, hearts and minds of the youth from ideas they find troubling. Why is discomfort only laudable when it’s other people being uncomfortable? (thread 1/5)
Pandering to the mob is a big part of what’s wrong with the democrats now.
In her essay, Clinton aptly recommends fiction by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Yes. These are exquisite writers, who have written excellent books, and we can all learn from them. 3/
I am still on the left, politically, despite seeing many gnawing and growing problems among others on the left, because my political positions are not inherently social positions. 1/11
By this I mean: My thinking doesn’t change because some people who claim to be in my political neighborhood are inane, or worse. It also doesn’t inherently change because the beliefs and actions of those people (whom I disagree with) are ascendant, and causing harm. 2/
I *do* feel that it is my responsibility to point out the dangers of this style of thinking, though. Some people read those critiques as evidence that I am not in fact on the left (as if ideological conformity is either honorable or recommended in a free-thinking populace). 3/