Imagine a machine with a big green button on it labeled START. Next to it is a much smaller label that says "If you hit the START button you will break the machine." Now, if you walk up to the machine and see the big START button, is it really your fault that you pressed it and thereby broke the machine? Could the machine's manufacturers exonerate themselves by saying "You didn't read the little label that says not to hit the big green START button. Sorry, no refund." You'd be pretty outraged.
"But that big green START button looks by all accounts to be how to run the machine."
"But we put that warning label on there."
"Why build a machine like that at all? "
"We have the right to build our machine however we want"
Now imagine someone who looks male to just about every person that ever sees them. MALE is the big green button. Pronouns are the little label that says "If you call me a 'he', you will break the machine."
If you look like one gender but claim to be another, it is entirely disingenuous for you to expect everyone you run across to ignore that fact and instead use some other pronouns. You have set a trap that triggers the "I'm offended" routine, making it all about YOU.
I never did this whole gender identification thing for the same reason I don’t stand up as soon as the plane comes to a standstill- I have a visceral contrary response to the herd mentality. Simple as that.
Hi Chana. Thanks for the question. It could perhaps have been more clearly phrased! What I was thinking about is something like the cosmetic surgery industry where people (mostly but not uniquely women) feel that they are empowered to make over their bodies to match some (internalised) ideal and therefore ignore (“feel better about” in my clunky phrase) the external forces that impose that ideal in the first place and perhaps see as saviours the practitioners who carry out the procedures. So I was implying that gender identity advocate is rather like the cosmetic surgeon: part of the problem not the solution!
The signature line I append to my emails changes periodically, depending on my mood, but the one constant is this:
Lisa Simeone
#AdultHumanFemale
Pronouns: zod/zock/zor
Imagine a machine with a big green button on it labeled START. Next to it is a much smaller label that says "If you hit the START button you will break the machine." Now, if you walk up to the machine and see the big START button, is it really your fault that you pressed it and thereby broke the machine? Could the machine's manufacturers exonerate themselves by saying "You didn't read the little label that says not to hit the big green START button. Sorry, no refund." You'd be pretty outraged.
"But that big green START button looks by all accounts to be how to run the machine."
"But we put that warning label on there."
"Why build a machine like that at all? "
"We have the right to build our machine however we want"
Now imagine someone who looks male to just about every person that ever sees them. MALE is the big green button. Pronouns are the little label that says "If you call me a 'he', you will break the machine."
If you look like one gender but claim to be another, it is entirely disingenuous for you to expect everyone you run across to ignore that fact and instead use some other pronouns. You have set a trap that triggers the "I'm offended" routine, making it all about YOU.
I never did this whole gender identification thing for the same reason I don’t stand up as soon as the plane comes to a standstill- I have a visceral contrary response to the herd mentality. Simple as that.
Could you unpack your statement that “feeling better by looking inward makes you feel better about your oppressors”? I’m not getting what you mean…
Hi Chana. Thanks for the question. It could perhaps have been more clearly phrased! What I was thinking about is something like the cosmetic surgery industry where people (mostly but not uniquely women) feel that they are empowered to make over their bodies to match some (internalised) ideal and therefore ignore (“feel better about” in my clunky phrase) the external forces that impose that ideal in the first place and perhaps see as saviours the practitioners who carry out the procedures. So I was implying that gender identity advocate is rather like the cosmetic surgeon: part of the problem not the solution!