Who hasn't tripped in the band room and ended up with their head inside a tuba Michael. Happens all the time. I suppose my biggest beef with the folks who do things like throw a fit and destroy the display at Target during Pride month is they pretend like I don't have to deal with their bullshit all the time. I do. You know why? Because it's a free country. And just like I can walk by and not attend their gun show they can do the same to things they don't care for. Freedom has never meant freedom from being uncomfortable. In fact American freedom will guarantee discomfort through the lives and choices of other citizens. It's baked in. And just because you have a problem with how one person lives their life or how a store (that you don't have to shop at) chooses to display their merchandise doesn't make you special. It just makes you one of us, living together in the magic of a country that strives to provide freedom to all its citizens. P.S. if you are gonna describe yourself as a "tough alpha male" you might want to, you know, toughen up a bit when presented with something you don't like.
this paragraph especially leapt out to me: "What even is propaganda? Need it be nefarious? Or can all information be viewed as propaganda depending on who’s doing the viewing? That seems to be the crux of the arguments I was having on Twitter. Those opposed viewed any sympathetic portrayal or positive representation of trans people as propaganda, as is any iconography associated with the LGBT movement, such as rainbows. So, obviously, is Pride Month. Those of us who express love and support for our LGBT friends and family are either spreading the propaganda ourselves or hapless stooges too dumb to recognize our own gullibility in the face of all the money to be made from Big Trans."
your first line there is a great question: "What even is propaganda?"
when having discussions about it, do the people you're having these discussions with agree on the definition of the basic terms you're all using?
Since you asked: This is not happening to minor children, No?
These stories are incredibly numerous and all so similar. Not just here in the US, but in every western country. I know you think I’m exaggerating; most people do. Before 2023, none of this made it into anyone’s consciousness. Thankfully, things are beginning to change.
Check your source. I don't say this because all sources that support...um...right wing causes are suspect as such. I say this because I read daily wire article that left pretty important context out, which I only found from reading the source material.
Well, I did check lots of sources over the years. Finally just had to use my critical thinking skills and believe what my eyes could see. Like I said, I’ve been in this nightmare for nearly 9 years. You don’t have to believe me or any other source of information that has a right wing bent. Here’s what I say to any skeptics: just be curious, that’s all I ask. The information is out there.
I think that's a fair and reasonable thing to say. This is a very difficult topic, with a lot involved in it. I don't have children so I can't pretend to know your nightmare (as you put it) or why you feel it is such. At the same time, I have trans friends (including one is very close to my wife and I) and I know, from what he has told me personally, transitioning has meant to him and for his mental health.
Despite that, I don't claim to understand what it is be trans, because I am not trans.
And we should all be curious. No disagreement there.
The reason transgender ideology has infiltrated our politics, media, schools, the medical profession and society at large is because it has been so effectively tied to being gay and gay rights (of which I’m a big proponent). But the fact is, there is no connection. Being gay or bisexual is about attraction. Transgender ideology is the belief that one can be born in the wrong body and with the help of hormones and surgery, one can in fact become the opposite sex and we must accept and believe this or we are transphobic and lack compassion.
Mammals, of which we humans are, produce gametes. Males produce small gametes called sperm. Females produce large gametes called eggs. Hormones and surgery and one’s declarations cannot change that fact.
I know, I know, there are rare acceptions to the strict binary; I.e. intersex individuals.
There has been an extraordinary increase in young people identifying as ‘transgender’ or non binary. Call it what you want; propaganda, social contagion, progressive thinking, marginalized youth (stats are very high for kids on the autism spectrum identifying as transgender).
Non binary is simply people who don’t fit our stereotypes of male/female, blue/pink. So what? That’s basically our personalities or characteristics . We’ve always had effeminate males and masculine females. Are their hormonal levels a bit different? I have no idea 🤷♀️.
But to tell young people that they can actually change their identity and sex and encourage them to become lifelong medical patients with hormones and surgeries with irreversible consequences is just criminal really.
We don’t allow minors alcohol, tobacco or tattoos…..but this?? Good god!
Believe it or not, I understand the concern but I think it's probably overblown. I read the Daily Wire article you linked to and I found the tone of the article didn't match the substance of the article, which suggested that a middle school was PUSHING kids to have irreversible procedures, whereas the actual facts within the article seemed to contradict that assertion, instead making the point that professionals were laying out options for families who are dealing with a child declaring themselves to be trans.
Setting that aside, it sounds like you don't have a problem with trans adults, only the potential for minors to come to harm from irreversible procedures. I am no expert in this, obviously, but I think the law does not allow any gender correcting surgeries before adulthood, no?
All I know is, if it were my kid, my only concern would be supporting them with the help of medical professionals, and my guess is, that's exactly the way most parents handle it. Which is how it should be. As for the adults, I just want people to be able to live their lives with as few problems as possible. Making anything harder for trans people because you don't agree with their lifestyle just strikes me as pointless and cruel. (I'm referring to a generic "you," not the specific you)
P.S. The Daily Wire is exactly the sort of publication I would label as propaganda. In fact, the article you sent is a great example. The tone is designed to agitate and frighten while the facts belie the piece's argument.
Thanks for replying Michael. I would be in exactly the same camp as you about 8-9 years ago. Unfortunately, I’m a parent in this nightmare. I began as a parent who loved their child more than anything and only strived to understand what my child was experiencing.
I can pretty much say, I have a PhD in transgender ideology at this point. I could supply you with an enormous amount of information, resources and statistics that you can easily verify. You are correct about the daily wire having a bent. Only thing is, any other outlet won’t touch this stuff, even if it can be verified. Believe me, we have tried. They’re too captured or too afraid of the backlash.
"Only thing is, any other outlet won’t touch this stuff, even if it can be verified. Believe me, we have tried. They’re too captured or too afraid of the backlash."
You say this but there are multiple NY Times articles/op-eds that do touch it and generally are...uh...critical of transgender medical care. So forgive me if I don't believe this statement.
My 17 year old grandson asked me why there are so many more people “showing off ” being Gay or Trans. I know he doesn’t think there is anything wrong with the people making their choices. But he did express that he felt the “in your face” enthusiasm (aka know to some as propaganda) made him feel uncomfortable. Was he being hit with too much information or was he feeling stressed by propaganda.
My explanation was multilayered. First there have always been people who identified as non-cisgender. But the social norms at that time and place made it hard or even impossible to be open about their sexuality and/or gender. The consequences of being out could be severe and that hasn’t changed.
I used the analogy of a pendulum representing the mores of gender and sexuality. The pendulum arm was at the far right for hundreds of years. Change is a slow process.
In 1969, the Stonewall Riots were covered on national TV. Primarily gay men were standing up against police harassment and violence. The pendulum inched a little to the left. The AIDS epidemic caused more people to open up about being gay (during these years everyone was lumped into into two categories- gay or straight.)
As the disease roared through gay communities, many gay men and some lesbians confessed to their families that they were going to die from a “gay disease”. Public stands by celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor who openly supported the sick financially and emotionally moved the arm a little bit more to the left. When handsome leading man Rock Hudson was outed on front pages everywhere as gay man dying from AIDS people were shocked. Attitudes moved the arm a tad more to the left but still not to the center. When Princess Diana visited AIDS patients in hospitals AND she touched them! Attitudes moved the arm again. Movies and television began including gay characters often as comic relief. There were many incremental events that made “STRAIGHT” people less fearful and more understanding.
Flash forward to more recent times where Pride Parades and openly LBGTQ business owners, entertainers, etc. have become woven into our culture. Even all kinds of backlash didn’t stop LBGTQ people from becoming emboldened and assertive. The power of numbers and a broader acceptance by all age groups has made the pendulum swing to the left. This swing (some would say way too far left) represents not just public acceptance but also self acceptance and internal feelings of value and worthiness.
The pendulum swing from far right to far left is a normal result of establishing oneself as a full part of society. Outliers want to be heard and seen. They want to be respected and loved. But even in the face of discrimination, they often continue to bearing the their drums in people’s faces. The enthusiasm can make people uneasy. You don’t have to be allies but LBGTQ members deserve to be treated with dignity, equality and compassion. Humanity means we live and work together in harmony allowing each person to own who they are and for everyone else to respect that right.
Being LBGTQ can make life difficult and even deadly. We may be at a crossroads of acceptance and intolerance which has moved the pendulum arm back towards the right. For most evolving beliefs, the pendulum moves left and right but not to extreme.
I told my grandson that often polarizing ideas require much patience while society finds the right balance for all.
Is it verifiable and reproducible? The sum of 2+2 is. A binary definition of sexuality is not. Many people seem mystified why it’s so much more common to see openly LGBTQ folks now, when they didn’t see them in the past. The conclusion they draw from this so-called mystery is that kids are (through coercion or peer pressure) affecting an identity that isn’t true. The alternative is much simpler (just as Occam would advise): you didn’t see them because you didn’t see them. The easiest way to just go on living your life in peace is just to accept people as they are. No drama. One less thing to worry about. It’s really not all about you (or me).
Good questions and good points abound. I recall some parts of discussion of propaganda in my AP history class in high school. The way my history teacher helped us learn to recognize potential propaganda was to look for verbs beyond a state of being. One of many phrases we examined was “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it”. Is it harmful? Not in my opinion. I am very pro lgbtq and always have been. But the assignment was for highschool students to determine whether it is propaganda. Maybe not the first 2/3rds of the statement but the last third could push it over the line (again, for the purpose of the lesson). The lesson in the end was to always be critical of anything directly telling you what to do or telling you about the actions of others which you have not witnessed. If someone is saying “I’m gay” or “trans people exist” I’m not willing to treat it as potential propaganda until I see the verbs.
Who hasn't tripped in the band room and ended up with their head inside a tuba Michael. Happens all the time. I suppose my biggest beef with the folks who do things like throw a fit and destroy the display at Target during Pride month is they pretend like I don't have to deal with their bullshit all the time. I do. You know why? Because it's a free country. And just like I can walk by and not attend their gun show they can do the same to things they don't care for. Freedom has never meant freedom from being uncomfortable. In fact American freedom will guarantee discomfort through the lives and choices of other citizens. It's baked in. And just because you have a problem with how one person lives their life or how a store (that you don't have to shop at) chooses to display their merchandise doesn't make you special. It just makes you one of us, living together in the magic of a country that strives to provide freedom to all its citizens. P.S. if you are gonna describe yourself as a "tough alpha male" you might want to, you know, toughen up a bit when presented with something you don't like.
That’s all I ask…just be curious.
I myself have stuck my head in the bell of a tuba on many occasions. I'm not proud of it, but it got me out of many a jam.
dear michael,
thank you for this.
this paragraph especially leapt out to me: "What even is propaganda? Need it be nefarious? Or can all information be viewed as propaganda depending on who’s doing the viewing? That seems to be the crux of the arguments I was having on Twitter. Those opposed viewed any sympathetic portrayal or positive representation of trans people as propaganda, as is any iconography associated with the LGBT movement, such as rainbows. So, obviously, is Pride Month. Those of us who express love and support for our LGBT friends and family are either spreading the propaganda ourselves or hapless stooges too dumb to recognize our own gullibility in the face of all the money to be made from Big Trans."
your first line there is a great question: "What even is propaganda?"
when having discussions about it, do the people you're having these discussions with agree on the definition of the basic terms you're all using?
thanks for sharing as always!
much love,
myq
Since you asked: This is not happening to minor children, No?
These stories are incredibly numerous and all so similar. Not just here in the US, but in every western country. I know you think I’m exaggerating; most people do. Before 2023, none of this made it into anyone’s consciousness. Thankfully, things are beginning to change.
https://substack.com/redirect/e13f9954-bb56-49d2-9a62-9efeea92bf81?j=eyJ1IjoiMTBha3lsIn0.Mj029Cw9Aei0wXSz-cjYUQLYQ8mcT-9J1b66uBOCops
Yes, the truth indeed will set us free!
Don’t believe me?
https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-how-one-of-americas-largest-school-districts-became-a-pipeline-for-a-trans-youth-clinic
Check your source. I don't say this because all sources that support...um...right wing causes are suspect as such. I say this because I read daily wire article that left pretty important context out, which I only found from reading the source material.
Well, I did check lots of sources over the years. Finally just had to use my critical thinking skills and believe what my eyes could see. Like I said, I’ve been in this nightmare for nearly 9 years. You don’t have to believe me or any other source of information that has a right wing bent. Here’s what I say to any skeptics: just be curious, that’s all I ask. The information is out there.
I think that's a fair and reasonable thing to say. This is a very difficult topic, with a lot involved in it. I don't have children so I can't pretend to know your nightmare (as you put it) or why you feel it is such. At the same time, I have trans friends (including one is very close to my wife and I) and I know, from what he has told me personally, transitioning has meant to him and for his mental health.
Despite that, I don't claim to understand what it is be trans, because I am not trans.
And we should all be curious. No disagreement there.
You covered the tuba in the face situation very well. Thank you.
Please, now do the pressing problem of a SCOTUS with its collective head up its arse.
The reason transgender ideology has infiltrated our politics, media, schools, the medical profession and society at large is because it has been so effectively tied to being gay and gay rights (of which I’m a big proponent). But the fact is, there is no connection. Being gay or bisexual is about attraction. Transgender ideology is the belief that one can be born in the wrong body and with the help of hormones and surgery, one can in fact become the opposite sex and we must accept and believe this or we are transphobic and lack compassion.
Mammals, of which we humans are, produce gametes. Males produce small gametes called sperm. Females produce large gametes called eggs. Hormones and surgery and one’s declarations cannot change that fact.
I know, I know, there are rare acceptions to the strict binary; I.e. intersex individuals.
There has been an extraordinary increase in young people identifying as ‘transgender’ or non binary. Call it what you want; propaganda, social contagion, progressive thinking, marginalized youth (stats are very high for kids on the autism spectrum identifying as transgender).
Non binary is simply people who don’t fit our stereotypes of male/female, blue/pink. So what? That’s basically our personalities or characteristics . We’ve always had effeminate males and masculine females. Are their hormonal levels a bit different? I have no idea 🤷♀️.
But to tell young people that they can actually change their identity and sex and encourage them to become lifelong medical patients with hormones and surgeries with irreversible consequences is just criminal really.
We don’t allow minors alcohol, tobacco or tattoos…..but this?? Good god!
Believe it or not, I understand the concern but I think it's probably overblown. I read the Daily Wire article you linked to and I found the tone of the article didn't match the substance of the article, which suggested that a middle school was PUSHING kids to have irreversible procedures, whereas the actual facts within the article seemed to contradict that assertion, instead making the point that professionals were laying out options for families who are dealing with a child declaring themselves to be trans.
Setting that aside, it sounds like you don't have a problem with trans adults, only the potential for minors to come to harm from irreversible procedures. I am no expert in this, obviously, but I think the law does not allow any gender correcting surgeries before adulthood, no?
All I know is, if it were my kid, my only concern would be supporting them with the help of medical professionals, and my guess is, that's exactly the way most parents handle it. Which is how it should be. As for the adults, I just want people to be able to live their lives with as few problems as possible. Making anything harder for trans people because you don't agree with their lifestyle just strikes me as pointless and cruel. (I'm referring to a generic "you," not the specific you)
P.S. The Daily Wire is exactly the sort of publication I would label as propaganda. In fact, the article you sent is a great example. The tone is designed to agitate and frighten while the facts belie the piece's argument.
Thanks for replying Michael. I would be in exactly the same camp as you about 8-9 years ago. Unfortunately, I’m a parent in this nightmare. I began as a parent who loved their child more than anything and only strived to understand what my child was experiencing.
I can pretty much say, I have a PhD in transgender ideology at this point. I could supply you with an enormous amount of information, resources and statistics that you can easily verify. You are correct about the daily wire having a bent. Only thing is, any other outlet won’t touch this stuff, even if it can be verified. Believe me, we have tried. They’re too captured or too afraid of the backlash.
Thanks again for reading.
"Only thing is, any other outlet won’t touch this stuff, even if it can be verified. Believe me, we have tried. They’re too captured or too afraid of the backlash."
You say this but there are multiple NY Times articles/op-eds that do touch it and generally are...uh...critical of transgender medical care. So forgive me if I don't believe this statement.
My 17 year old grandson asked me why there are so many more people “showing off ” being Gay or Trans. I know he doesn’t think there is anything wrong with the people making their choices. But he did express that he felt the “in your face” enthusiasm (aka know to some as propaganda) made him feel uncomfortable. Was he being hit with too much information or was he feeling stressed by propaganda.
My explanation was multilayered. First there have always been people who identified as non-cisgender. But the social norms at that time and place made it hard or even impossible to be open about their sexuality and/or gender. The consequences of being out could be severe and that hasn’t changed.
I used the analogy of a pendulum representing the mores of gender and sexuality. The pendulum arm was at the far right for hundreds of years. Change is a slow process.
In 1969, the Stonewall Riots were covered on national TV. Primarily gay men were standing up against police harassment and violence. The pendulum inched a little to the left. The AIDS epidemic caused more people to open up about being gay (during these years everyone was lumped into into two categories- gay or straight.)
As the disease roared through gay communities, many gay men and some lesbians confessed to their families that they were going to die from a “gay disease”. Public stands by celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor who openly supported the sick financially and emotionally moved the arm a little bit more to the left. When handsome leading man Rock Hudson was outed on front pages everywhere as gay man dying from AIDS people were shocked. Attitudes moved the arm a tad more to the left but still not to the center. When Princess Diana visited AIDS patients in hospitals AND she touched them! Attitudes moved the arm again. Movies and television began including gay characters often as comic relief. There were many incremental events that made “STRAIGHT” people less fearful and more understanding.
Flash forward to more recent times where Pride Parades and openly LBGTQ business owners, entertainers, etc. have become woven into our culture. Even all kinds of backlash didn’t stop LBGTQ people from becoming emboldened and assertive. The power of numbers and a broader acceptance by all age groups has made the pendulum swing to the left. This swing (some would say way too far left) represents not just public acceptance but also self acceptance and internal feelings of value and worthiness.
The pendulum swing from far right to far left is a normal result of establishing oneself as a full part of society. Outliers want to be heard and seen. They want to be respected and loved. But even in the face of discrimination, they often continue to bearing the their drums in people’s faces. The enthusiasm can make people uneasy. You don’t have to be allies but LBGTQ members deserve to be treated with dignity, equality and compassion. Humanity means we live and work together in harmony allowing each person to own who they are and for everyone else to respect that right.
Being LBGTQ can make life difficult and even deadly. We may be at a crossroads of acceptance and intolerance which has moved the pendulum arm back towards the right. For most evolving beliefs, the pendulum moves left and right but not to extreme.
I told my grandson that often polarizing ideas require much patience while society finds the right balance for all.
Is it verifiable and reproducible? The sum of 2+2 is. A binary definition of sexuality is not. Many people seem mystified why it’s so much more common to see openly LGBTQ folks now, when they didn’t see them in the past. The conclusion they draw from this so-called mystery is that kids are (through coercion or peer pressure) affecting an identity that isn’t true. The alternative is much simpler (just as Occam would advise): you didn’t see them because you didn’t see them. The easiest way to just go on living your life in peace is just to accept people as they are. No drama. One less thing to worry about. It’s really not all about you (or me).
Good questions and good points abound. I recall some parts of discussion of propaganda in my AP history class in high school. The way my history teacher helped us learn to recognize potential propaganda was to look for verbs beyond a state of being. One of many phrases we examined was “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it”. Is it harmful? Not in my opinion. I am very pro lgbtq and always have been. But the assignment was for highschool students to determine whether it is propaganda. Maybe not the first 2/3rds of the statement but the last third could push it over the line (again, for the purpose of the lesson). The lesson in the end was to always be critical of anything directly telling you what to do or telling you about the actions of others which you have not witnessed. If someone is saying “I’m gay” or “trans people exist” I’m not willing to treat it as potential propaganda until I see the verbs.
Tubist!