Swinging to the extreme right is not a winning strategy in Canada.
You only have to look as far as is going on in the US house of representatives to know the chaos a few extremists can cause. They will never be satisfied until the province is a christofascist dictatorship.
On the other hand going to war over word use is not a good use of the left’s energy.
I understand the words are supposed to be proxies/symbols for inclusivity and respect for freedoms and charter rights, but that tends to get lost, to the point where both sides start to believe that it really is just about pronouns.
There are really big, scary things going on out there — corporatism, environmental disaster, and a geopolitical powder keg building — and I’m starting to worry we are spending way too much effort and energy on kindergarten-level righteousness.
With all due respect, if I started purposefully calling you ma’m or lil miss all the time (assuming you’re a dude) you wouldn’t like it.
If I suspended the charter to make a law that everyone has to call you lil miss you don’t think you’d be mad?
The left isn’t fighting a war of words, it’s just people asking for respect. The right however is going to war over this shit, look no further than this law, or what Florida is trying to do.
I’d have no issue with you calling me ma’am or whatever you feel comfortable with, but that’s only because that part of my identity is not something I’ve struggled with for much of my life.
I totally understand and empathize with people for whom perceived gender is not what they identify as, and I’m 100% in support of ensuring that everyone has the right to be referred to by their chosen pronouns.
My point is that I worry that this issue is overshadowing other issues that I think are existentially threatening to our entire way of life.
We’re busying ourselves over respectful word use, while the world crumbles around us.
Do you think anyone will respect anyone’s pronouns when the world’s superpowers are run by fascist governments or our ecosystems and food production have collapsed?
I think that’s a false dichotomy. Your logic applies to every problem in the world, from throwing your trash in the bin to putting on pants in the morning (will anyone really care when we’re all dead?!).
It takes incredibly little effort to respect people’s pronouns, everyone I know cares more that you try than succeed 100% of the time.
That’s why it’s frustrating that people are making this such a big deal that people are asking their identity be respected.
That’s exactly the point. There is a cost. The news media and the public discourse has limited bandwidth. There are only so many things we can talk about and fight for at any given time, and to me it seems like this issue may be drowning out more existential issues.
The irony is that the argument over pronouns is intentionally being amplified by right wing media and activists. They’re trolling us into being outraged about this, and we’re falling right into their trap.
It’s classic bikeshedding being used against us, and most of us seem to be entirely unaware.
Are you seriously finding calling people by correct pronouns difficult?
If there’s a bandwidth issue and right wing people are so concerned about it, then they should take their politicians to task for spending ask their time on those issues like Scott Moe and Desantis are doing.
Are you seriously finding calling people by correct pronouns difficult?
How would you ever know? You are not going to use third-person pronouns in front of the subject and there is no contention around the use of second-person pronouns that I am aware of. If you use the wrong third-person pronoun in front of others on the rare occasion that you need to talk about someone, they aren’t going to notice or care.
If there’s a bandwidth issue and right wing people are so concerned about it
He said they are trolling you, not that they have concern. There is nothing to be concerned about.
if I started purposefully calling you ma’m or lil miss all the time (assuming you’re a dude) you wouldn’t like it.
What’s not to like? The nerd trying to be a bully is funny.
If I suspended the charter to make a law that everyone has to call you lil miss you don’t think you’d be mad?
I would think you are mad (in the insane sense).
The right however is going to war over this shit
I’m sure there is no completely unified front, but many are pushing for this because they consider it to be a mental illness. If you look at it from that point of view, you can see why they do not see the problem with calling notwithstanding. It is already granted under the Charter for educators to notify parents when they see children displaying symptoms of illness. From their point of view, failing to do so is not complying with one’s rights.
In other words, the real clash is the idea of it being a mental illness v.s. it being normal human expression. Words are merely caught in the crossfire.
In an average year, one in three trans youth in Canada attempt suicide. ( source, which cites papers ). The rate is lower among those who are accepted for what they are.
By trying to trivialize this issue, you’re saying you want these kids dead.
I was raised to understand that respecting a person’s right to how they are called is not a symbol of respect, but a demonstration of respect.
While there are certainly some very big threats out there, it’s my opinion that they are another expression of some of the same ideologies behind the fight against the right to be called how you want to be called. Further, it’s my opinion that we cannot fight those threats without also fighting those ideologies, wherever we find them.
On the other hand going to war over word use is not a good use of the left’s energy.
So, here’s the thing: The “left” isn’t going to war over the use of words. The “left” isn’t engaging in some proactive, organized measure against some idea or innocuous mouth noises. The fascists are doing that. All that is happening is that a bunch of individuals are, individually, asking to be referred to by certain names, or in certain terms. It really isn’t that different from a bunch of people who are all named Richard asking people to call them “Richard” or “Rick”, and not “Dick” or “Dickie”.
Except the fascists have organized to make it very hard for the Ricks and Richards to do that, and to enable the assholes of the world to call them “Dick” and “Dickie”.
Now, if you’re at all familiar with the history of fascism, or the tactics fascists use to make inroads with the public, you might recognize this kind of wedge issue for what it is: A populist ploy to rise to power on the back of empowering pricks to bully a persecuted minority. And, if you don’t want fascists to have power in your society, you might then react by moving to oppose these really-actually-fairly-effective tactics. Also, if you’re someone who gives a shit about basic human dignity or just not letting the shit stains of the world smear their putrescence all over society, you might also act to defend the persecuted minority against their shitty, shitty behaviour.
The right is going to war over the use of words. Stop enabling them by blaming those who stand in opposition to them. Point the finger at the perpetrator, not the defender. They’re the ones spending their time attacking society’s vulnerable, rather than helping people who are struggling. Remember, Moe is the sitting Premiere of Saskatchewan. He’s the one in charge. He could be spending his time making life more affordable and more enjoyable for the people of his province, but instead he’s chosen to make the lives of scared kids harder while at the same time choosing to help big businesses over residents.
What do you want other people to do? Not protect literal children from the fucking Premiere?
You can also look to Manitoba for a more positive outcome. The PC started going a little too far right, and they got voted out. Maybe DUI-Hank Hill finds the same fate.
Harper was either getting cocky at that point and giving into his base instincts, or he was pressured by the the increasingly radical direction of the party and was trying not to get knifed by some up-and-coming fascist bootlicker like Scheer or Poillevre.
The CPC started going a little too far right, and they got voted out.
Which election are you talking about? As of the last election, there is no riding in Manitoba where the Conservative Party of Canada lost a seat that they held in the previous election.
The CPC started going a little too far right, and they got voted out.
I wish I agreed that this was an accurate description of the election - the PCs were projected to lose before they took the hard right turn, and then their final turnout was arguably higher than projected.
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