Thread by @genderisharmful

Lesson time - a lesson in laziness.

I recently posted a link to a Safe Schools Alliance critique on a proposed RSE curriculum, currently up for consultation - in a parents group.

Initially, there was tumbleweed, then, from nowhere...

Someone posts something, "for balance"...1/

The link posted for balance?

A PinkNews article 🙄

In particular...this one: pinknews.co.uk/2020/05/07/saf…

Most of us know that PinkNews are far from "balanced" in their worldview, of themselves and of other people. I wasn't expecting a PN article, but here we are. 2/

In the PN article, it goes through all the usual ad hominem tactics, comparing SSAUK to holding views which align with then far right and Trump and which are therefore 'fascist' in their outlook.

Nevermind that people can overlap on odd issues *and* for differing reasons. 3/

At the top of the SSAUK piece, was a link to the consultation document, for ease of access. I felt that was a fair thing to do - if people didn't want to read SSAUK's critique in its entirety, they could follow the consultation link & make their own minds up.

Very fair. 4/

PN on the other hand, spent large portions of the article conducting an assault on SSAUK's character and I suppose by association, on anyone who shared SSAUK's concerns.

They linked to all manner of other PN articles on related issues they raised & rambled on and on and on. 5/

But then, PN started to do something really special.

They linked to some SSAUK tweets, complete with the visuals of said tweets, so you could see exactly what their concerns were.

The concerns didn't come across as unhinged or extreme, but in fact, rather reasonable. 6/

Now, here's what made me laugh out loud - incredulously, not because I thought it was humorous...

...PN shoed a tweet by SSAUK objecting to a particular drag queen called "Flowjob" who had visited a primary school, apparently doing a 'story time'.

7/

So I dutifully followed the link to the tweet, which in turn, had linked to a Daily Star article about the crudely named 'Flowjob', to be greeted with a series of public images on Flowjob's profile.

Here they are below👇

Which led me to return to the comment, "for balance".

8/

Here we have parents, in some well-meaning and misguided attempt to 'support' a group who are supposedly 'marginalised' etc.

It struck me that they couldn't have possibly thought this through. More so, they couldn't have read the SSAUK critique of the proposed curriculum. 9/

Even beyond that, it didn't look like they'd even bothered to fully read their own link, "for balance".

I mean, unless I'm wrong, please prove me wrong, but...

...what parent would be happy for a highly sexualised character like "Flowjob" to be educating their 5-6 yr olds?
10/

This is where we appear to be at now. People find headlines to suit their narrative and bounce them off others to 'prove' their point.

Have people degenerated so much that they can't be arsed to read their own evidence? Not even inspect the basic details of it? 11/

We appear to be rapidly losing the art of debate, the ability to research & think for ourselves, to critique views, or more importantly, to critique our own point of view.

People get so lost in ideological capture, they seem incapable of recognising other perspectives. 12/

If we are to survive in an age of misinformation and manipulation of facts and figures, particularly in an internet age where people don't read past the shock headlines...

...we need to be prepared to take a step back & recognise each angle, in detail & in depth. 13/

We must get beyond the "no debate" mantra.

Without debate, discussion & discourse, we'll forever be at war & the ones who will be harmed the most, are the children.

Stop pulling, drop the abuse & the ad hominems & engage with the matters at play.

Safeguard children.

14/End

Apologies for typos.

Also, if anyone is interested in the SSAUK critique - here it is: safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2021/07/02/hel…

Oh and just one more thing....

If anyone should ever claim that PinkNews can be used "for balance", because you posted something by Safe Schools Alliance, or Transgender Trend, just show them this: pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/22/why…

...and maybe they'll change their mind 🤷