No consequences because cancel culture = bad.
Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
- Thread starter GasBandit
- Start date
If you're canceling the wrong people, of course
That's just it. Everyone gets to hide behind the defense, "I'm the wrong person. Cancel the [libs/Nazis/etc.]" Tribalism rules over sense.
GasBandit
Staff member
I mean, if you're not one of Matt Gaetz's venmo tots, you must be an overeducated lonely cat lady who eats microwave food, right? And by that logic, do you even count as a person?
GasBandit
Staff member
An AP study has found more than 2,200 dams in the US in "poor" or "unsatisfactory" condition that could fail leading to loss of life.
apnews.com
Biden's infrastructure bill included $3 billion for dams, which is a huge increase... but turns out that around $76 billion is needed.
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
An Associated Press analysis has found a growing number of hazardous dams in poor condition across the U.S.
apnews.com
Biden's infrastructure bill included $3 billion for dams, which is a huge increase... but turns out that around $76 billion is needed.
Naw, we don't need no more investments! Lower taxes and less laws about environment! Yeehaw!An AP study has found more than 2,200 dams in the US in "poor" or "unsatisfactory" condition that could fail leading to loss of life.
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
An Associated Press analysis has found a growing number of hazardous dams in poor condition across the U.S.
Biden's infrastructure bill included $3 billion for dams, which is a huge increase... but turns out that around $76 billion is needed.
GasBandit
Staff member
And this isn't even talking about environmental damage. These are dams that will directly, immediately kill people when they fail. There's even more that will just damage property/environments.
I think you're missing the important question, which is...what kinds of people, exactly?
--Patrick
Rereading myself I see that one may also strike some as anti American.
I do not really mean it that way, other than this specific example being from America.
A large poll found 94% of Belgians want the government to do "anything in their power" to lower gas and electricity costs, "except raise taxes". And, at the same time, a vast majority (68%)was in favor of a total boycott of Russian gas and oil, and that we should not open any new power plants (73%) and do more for the environment (67% I think though I'm not sure anymore) .
Yeah, I'm also waiting for magical leprechauns to come provide us with infinite free and green energy. Dumbasses all.
I do not really mean it that way, other than this specific example being from America.
A large poll found 94% of Belgians want the government to do "anything in their power" to lower gas and electricity costs, "except raise taxes". And, at the same time, a vast majority (68%)was in favor of a total boycott of Russian gas and oil, and that we should not open any new power plants (73%) and do more for the environment (67% I think though I'm not sure anymore) .
Yeah, I'm also waiting for magical leprechauns to come provide us with infinite free and green energy. Dumbasses all.
GasBandit
Staff member
Reminds me of the old political cartoon "Hands up everybody who wants more education, better health care, well maintained roads, etc etc etc..." everybody raises their hands... next frame, "Hands up everybody who wants to pay for it" no hands
That's the funny thing about regressive conservatism... once they actually get they shitty policies back, people start to remember why they got rid of them in the 1st place.The "lie back and enjoy the rape" guy lost, in a deep red area.
GOP Candidate Who Told Women to 'Enjoy' Rape Suffers Surprise Loss
Democrat Carol Glanville has reportedly scored an upset victory over Robert Regan in a Michigan House district.www.newsweek.com
That's why they always turn to dictatorship eventually, since it's the only way to keep the shitty stuff in place once they actually affect enough people.
GasBandit
Staff member
She beat cancer.
He killed her.
He confessed to the murder.
He led police to her body.
He's in jail pending trial.
He won the Republican primary.
www.newsweek.com
He killed her.
He confessed to the murder.
He led police to her body.
He's in jail pending trial.
He won the Republican primary.
Indiana Man in Jail For Suspected Murder of Wife Wins GOP Primary
Andrew Wilhoite has been incarcerated in the Boone County Jail since March for allegedly killing his wife and is being held with no bond.
www.newsweek.com
Sounds horrible at first, but... I....kinda get it? Innocent until proven guilty and that stuff? Despite the confession.She beat cancer.
He killed her.
He confessed to the murder.
He led police to her body.
He's in jail pending trial.
He won the Republican primary.
Indiana Man in Jail For Suspected Murder of Wife Wins GOP Primary
Andrew Wilhoite has been incarcerated in the Boone County Jail since March for allegedly killing his wife and is being held with no bond.
I don't understand putting him on the ballot, but...I guess technically it can happen.
GasBandit
Staff member
He was put on the ballot before he was arrested.
But the vote came after he confessed and led police to the body.
The real story here is the voters.
Dave
Staff member
He came in third and was only on the ballot because it was too late to take him off. The top three move on and there were ONLY three names so even had he gotten 0 votes he would have moved on. The only real need to his primary “victory” is that he STILL got 60 votes.She beat cancer.
He killed her.
He confessed to the murder.
He led police to her body.
He's in jail pending trial.
He won the Republican primary.
Indiana Man in Jail For Suspected Murder of Wife Wins GOP Primary
Andrew Wilhoite has been incarcerated in the Boone County Jail since March for allegedly killing his wife and is being held with no bond.
The people that support these policies need fear and ignorance to keep them in power, because they have no policies that would actually help the general public. It's how we keep the power in the hands in the few.
(Not that you didn't know this, it just bares repeating. )
Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely DO believe trans/enby/whatever people should all have all the rights they want and such. I'm all in favor of everyone being who they are.
I do think some prepuberty transition cases can be "iffy", but I accept that that's in large part simply because of my upbringing and because, well, it's not always being handled as well as it should which leads straight back to it being better if it was more normalized and accepted.
Having said that, looking at those numbers, that's 8 kids who transitioned back, and 11 who moved on to other gender identities (NB or whatever), out of 317. And I do have to say: those are higher numbers than I expected, honestly. 8 out of 300 is far from "one in a million".
Now, obviously, I agree that as far as some of these right wing nuts are concerned, a million trans kids could go hang themselves and as long as their little Bobby didn't have to face those filthy degenerates they couldn't care less., and that that's horrible.
However, these numbers do, up to a point, reinforce my hesitance towards (early) prepubescent medical transitioning. Teen years and puberty are a period in life where it's normal and important to experiment (with sexuality and plenty of other stuff). The amount of people who have kissed at least one person of the sex they don't end up preferring as a partner is pretty high. *
Now, I very emphatically don't believe in indoctrination/brainwashing/grooming by trans people forcing kids to transition. I don't. It's BS. In fact, I believe closed-minded people are a much more likely factor in pushing people - boys wearing make-up or liking fashion, girls liking baggy pants and climbing trees (and all kinds of variations on "not exactly fitting into the gender-assigned box" in some people's minds) have been told they "should behave like a real lady"/"aren't a real man"/"should dress more appropriately"/are gay/etc a million times. I think practically everyone here has heard at least something in that area at least once from some aunt or grandfather. THAT is actually more likely to push people to wondering if there is "something wrong" with them, if they really aren't a "normal" boy/girl, etc.
Anyway, point being, yes, this may sound/read like a long way of saying "oh it's just a phase", but, just like anything else at that age, it might be a phase. That study itself says it is, for about 2.5%. I'm certainly NOT saying the dipshits are right, nor am I saying prepubescent transitioning should be illegal or is wrong, BUT, it does mean that there is a decent percentage - yes, small, but let's be honest: the total percentage of trans people in society is also a minority and we do want to have them accepted and taken into account - for whom it was not the right call.**
Part of (my) hesitance about it is linked to the slippery slope and lack of proper follow-up and control. It's somewhat similar to, say, euthanasia, or abortion. I'm in favor of giving people the right to choose in all of those areas. But: I'm also somewhat afraid of making it "too" easy.
Should abortion be available, freely, anonymously to everyone? Yes.
Should abortion be available without a waiting period or given safe and correct information about the (medical) possibilities and risks, and other options? Hmmmaybe not.
Should euthanasia be available, freely, to everyone? Yes
Should euthanasia be available in cases of "mental anguish" without a second opinion, a psychological evaluation? Hmmmaybe not ("mental anguish" is actually a valid reason for euthanasia in Belgium, and there's currently a case ongoing about a 30-something old woman who chose euthanasia after her husband died. The children are suing for allowing it to go through)
Should euthanasia be available for people who can no longer express their own will? Yes.
Should euthanasia become an "easy out" for family who want to get rid of an elder family member in a coma or with dementia? Fuck no.
Should prepubescent transitioning be available, freely and openly? Yes.
Should prepubescent transitioning be available without a waiting period, a psychological consult, whatever? Hmmmmaybe not.
And just to mess it all up even further:
Should guns be available? Yes.***
Should guns be available without a psychological evaluation, a waiting period, a criminal background check? Hmmmmaybe not.
The goal should be to minimize (needless) suffering, and try to have as many people happy, with the minimum of intrusion or government control, while still protecting society and some people from themselves. Of course, the problem is that, in almost ALL of the above instances, those checks or controls can and will be abused by some who think the answer should be "no", to make it exceedingly hard (a 3 month waiting period for abortion, only allowed in the first trimester; a euthanasia waiting period of 6 months, a transitioning waiting period of 2 years and only after having 5 different psychiatrists all say there's no other way,...). Which is definitely not what I want. But it's hard to accept that in most of those topics, both "full YES" and "full NO"' are bad answers that will lead (or have already lead) to unnecessary suffering.
*If everyone girl who ever kissed a girl was then told, "sorry, you're now not allowed to EVER "go back" to being with a guy", we'd have a whole lot more unhappy women.
**Which will always happen. Some people will see transitioning as a solution while, for them, it isn't. The same is true for moving house, changing jobs, or whatever. People can get it wrong about what's ailing them. A lot of people who quit their job because they're unhappy may find they're still unhappy in another job. Some people may run from a relationship and find they never find someone else half as good.
***Yes, I've changed my mind on this topic over the years. It's allowed. It's called growth.
GasBandit
Staff member
Company notices a trend of late workers always being at least 10 minutes late. This is because if you're more than 5 minutes late, you get docked an entire 15 minutes, even if you're just 6 minutes late. So if you're going to be 6 minutes late, you might as well be 14 minutes late, so grab a coffee and have a smoke before you clock in, right?
"We'll show those slackers!" management decides, and updates the policy to penalize an ENTIRE HOUR for being over 5 minutes late. That'll surely make people get in on time, right?
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
"We'll show those slackers!" management decides, and updates the policy to penalize an ENTIRE HOUR for being over 5 minutes late. That'll surely make people get in on time, right?
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Where are those numbers from?
Princeton University's Trans Youth Project. They followed 317 children/teens, and said 94% stayed (so 6% didn't) and 2.5% transitioned back (leaving 3.5% for other transitions). 2.5% of 317 is 7.95; 6% is 19.02. Any joking aside, I assume those can be rounded to 8 and 19, respectively. The percentage and total numbers are in the article posted.
My understanding - and it is certainly far from complete, so I am very open to bring corrected - is that it's less actively transitioning (in the form of medical treatments, e.g. hormones, obv they're socially transitioning) and more delaying physical development to what is seen as the "wrong" gender via puberty blockers.
That being the case I would question what the long term effects are for the 8 in 300? After they re-transition, do they just go through a late puberty & 5 years later they are in the same physical state they would be without this intervention? Or do they have long term issues from it?
If the 8 have no, or only minor, long term issues from going through this but the 300 have major long term issues from this being denied, then that seems like an easy choice.
Of the 8 children in question 7 stopped their transitions before the age of 9 and the only one that went on puberty blockers stopped at age eleven.
As for the long term effects I’ve heard that the most severe outcome is that about an inch and a half is taken off their height as adults.
The one that talks about how only one kid went on puberty blockers and then went onto identify as cisgendered when they were 11?
That was the starting point for you comparing transitioning to euthanasia? One kid on puberty blockers for a short time?
It would, indeed. But, while prepubescent transitioning is indeed mostly hormone blockers (later added to with hormones of the opposite sex), once you're in that stage the life-long influence can be huge. The article didn't provide enough details to really gauge that: "most" stopped identifying as trans before starting hormonal blockers, and they were following children from 3 to 12 (starting age). A 3-year-old who gets dressed in what they later deem to be the "wrong" gender's clothing won't have any physical effects (heck, skirts and long curls used to be typically boy clothing).*
So, you know, mostly, right. For the few - let's say it's one of those eight, I really don't know what they mean by "almost all" -who did start hormone treatment, though, it will probably mean life-long hormone treatment and/or less "developed" secondary sexual characteristics (small or no boobs; or if the other way around underdeveloped penis, no facial hair growth,...). And any psychological effects stemming from that and the transitioning to-and-fro (which is probably less severe than the psychological effects of a trans person who transitioned later in life, so, you know).
However, of course, you're also comparing to the effects of the other 300-odd. And there, again, the difference between starting prepubescent or starting hormone blockers later or starting transitioning later, is mostly more development of undesirable secondary sexual characteristics (wider shoulders, lower voice, Adam's apple, body and facial hair patterns, etc) and the psychological effects of those physical characteristics and the prolonged dysphoria.
Like I said, I'm principally in favor of transitioning, and I do think it should be available and possible. My hesitance mostly stems from my own childhood, I guess. Some people of a certain generation can be all in favor of homosexuality and openness about it, and still find it a bit weird to see two guys kiss; some people from a generation before that might feel the same about interracial couples. I'm definitely not saying those feelings of mine are in the right or anything. I'm an ally, but that doesn't mean I can just jettison my own cultural baggage that easily.
* I do seriously wonder how you can ever classify a 3-y-o as trans if they're biologically traditionally gendered. I've claimed I was a bunny rabbit when I was 3 for days on end, that doesn't mean I have long floppy ears - but that's a completely different matter, and the age at which gender discussion can even be considered meaningful is yet something else. I personally think it's absurd that some want 10 year olds to have the choice to have gender affirmative surgery [the actual, you know, cutting off or turning inside out of things], yet we consider them legally incapable of determining right and wrong in most instances and in some states they're literally not allowed to bike to school alone. I'm absolutely not an expert and have no sensible opinion on this other than "let the experts sort it out", but from my perspective, children under 5 or 6 don't have the mental capacity to separate the social construct from the psychological identity. A 5-y-o boy can prefer dresses, Barbie and make-up, and if asked they may say they like being a "girl", but intrinsically identifying as female and liking things that our culture happens to associate with women isn't the same. But, again, I assume a good psychologist will be more knowledgeable and know what they're doing. I also don't think there is some hidden epidemic of people turning their 5 year olds into what they're not against their will. A 10 year old is quite a different matter - though even there you're still stuck with the whole "teenage brains aren't fully grown yet and can't properly evaluate threats".
But, by now I'm way out of my depth.