"We may not always agree, we may not perfectly understand each other, we may not even like each other. But we do have to live with each other. And that means we can’t afford to think of issues as somebody else’s problem. That means talking. Especially when we disagree."
This.
I've long ago lost count of the times when I had characterized s…
"We may not always agree, we may not perfectly understand each other, we may not even like each other. But we do have to live with each other. And that means we can’t afford to think of issues as somebody else’s problem. That means talking. Especially when we disagree."
This.
I've long ago lost count of the times when I had characterized someone as on the opposite side of some divide from me, one of "them," and later actually discussed and managed to find some common ground.
It happened yesterday. I'm on an IT freelancing site that isn't getting many people jobs but spends all its time cultivating a sense of community, with a forced toxic positivity with tons of smiley emoji and that ghastly therapy-speak. There was one guy on there whom I had taken a dislike to for a number of reasons; he asked for a private chat. I was expecting him to tell me to get off the platform because my frustration with Nothing Happening Here was injecting "negativity." I was expecting a lot of sycophantic blather; turns out he's as frustrated as I am.
What you said about not even reading Rowling's remarks. I have read them; they're pretty mild. And anyway she is an author of children's books, not someone people turn to for what attitudes are permitted.
As we've discussed before there are a lot of people who get some validation out of seeing themselves as persecuted. The intermediate-gender folk view someone 99% supportive as a hardened enemy. I refuse to use "they" as a singular and I am reported as some sort of murderous sadist.
I'm often accused of making generalizations. Well, generalization is the most powerful logical tool we have. People put a lot of effort into conforming to human taxonomies.
"I was expecting him to tell me to get off the platform because my frustration with Nothing Happening Here was injecting "negativity." I was expecting a lot of sycophantic blather; turns out he's as frustrated as I am."
Good for you! Yeah, this is often a struggle for me too. It's so easy to pick up on a few markers of behaviour and fill in the gaps from there. I really consider myself to be fortunate that I have so many conversations with such a variety of people, that I'm constantly reminded that people are usually more reasonable than they appear if you interact with them in a non-confrontational way.
Some people are beyond hope of course,😅 But most aren't.
And yes, there's room to disagree with Rowling's tweets or even to claim her fears are overblown (I don't think they are). But to act as if she's some kind of icon of transphobia is absolutely preposterous.
"We may not always agree, we may not perfectly understand each other, we may not even like each other. But we do have to live with each other. And that means we can’t afford to think of issues as somebody else’s problem. That means talking. Especially when we disagree."
This.
I've long ago lost count of the times when I had characterized someone as on the opposite side of some divide from me, one of "them," and later actually discussed and managed to find some common ground.
It happened yesterday. I'm on an IT freelancing site that isn't getting many people jobs but spends all its time cultivating a sense of community, with a forced toxic positivity with tons of smiley emoji and that ghastly therapy-speak. There was one guy on there whom I had taken a dislike to for a number of reasons; he asked for a private chat. I was expecting him to tell me to get off the platform because my frustration with Nothing Happening Here was injecting "negativity." I was expecting a lot of sycophantic blather; turns out he's as frustrated as I am.
What you said about not even reading Rowling's remarks. I have read them; they're pretty mild. And anyway she is an author of children's books, not someone people turn to for what attitudes are permitted.
As we've discussed before there are a lot of people who get some validation out of seeing themselves as persecuted. The intermediate-gender folk view someone 99% supportive as a hardened enemy. I refuse to use "they" as a singular and I am reported as some sort of murderous sadist.
I'm often accused of making generalizations. Well, generalization is the most powerful logical tool we have. People put a lot of effort into conforming to human taxonomies.
"I was expecting him to tell me to get off the platform because my frustration with Nothing Happening Here was injecting "negativity." I was expecting a lot of sycophantic blather; turns out he's as frustrated as I am."
Good for you! Yeah, this is often a struggle for me too. It's so easy to pick up on a few markers of behaviour and fill in the gaps from there. I really consider myself to be fortunate that I have so many conversations with such a variety of people, that I'm constantly reminded that people are usually more reasonable than they appear if you interact with them in a non-confrontational way.
Some people are beyond hope of course,😅 But most aren't.
And yes, there's room to disagree with Rowling's tweets or even to claim her fears are overblown (I don't think they are). But to act as if she's some kind of icon of transphobia is absolutely preposterous.