A Controversial Opinion You Hold

[pErvinalia]

We need some more discussion here. Being a forum for a handful of lefties only isn't very interesting.

Here's one, but you lot might agree with it. Capitalism hasn't lead to increased wealth. It's all built on debt and theft. Both natural capital debt and financial debt.

[pErvinalia]

That's a bad one, as it's a lefty view. I'll try and think of some rightward opinion that I sympathise with.

[pErvinalia]

OK. I'm "uneasy" with transgenderism, for lack of a better word, regarding children. I only go with "uneasy" as I accept it's a fraught and difficult issue. But I find it upsetting that tweens and early teens are transitioning. I don't know what the correct approach should be, but nonetheless I still feel uneasy about it. I'm not convinced that kids are mentally/emotionally proficient enough to make such life altering decisions. I understand there are some adults who transitioned as children who have greatly regretted it. Would be interesting to see if this is a significant view among those who transited in such a way.

[laklak]

Yeah I feel the same way. My cousin, rest her tortured soul, was a true transgender. She was, literally, born into the wrong body. She was as masculine as any SEAL team 6 dude. So those people DO exist. I miss her terribly. But some of these kids I see out there are, IMO, just confused children who have been deeply influenced by social media. Look, before you're in your 20s you don't have the mental maturity to decide on such an unalterable course. So yeah, I'm torn.

[pErvinalia]

But some of these kids I see out there are, IMO, just confused children who have been deeply influenced by social media.

Yeah,this is my feeling as well. But admittedly I have no data to back this feeling up, other than knowing the insidious effect social media has on kids.

[JimC]

In some ways, it's a matter of wether people on either the left or the right are pushing uncertain young people in directions for their own ideological bent. A calm, compassionate, slow but rational approach needs to help them with serious gender issue decisions...

[Brian Peacock]

Hey lak. How's it going?

Yeah I feel the same way. My cousin, rest her tortured soul, was a true transgender. She was, literally, born into the wrong body. She was as masculine as any SEAL team 6 dude. So those people DO exist. I miss her terribly. But some of these kids I see out there are, IMO, just confused children who have been deeply influenced by social media. Look, before you're in your 20s you don't have the mental maturity to decide on such an unalterable course. So yeah, I'm torn.

What would you have said in your 20s to a retired person telling you you didn't have the mental maturity to decide who you were and how you wanted to live?

[Svartalf]

I believe there are 3 genders/sexes : male, female, and insane.

and i'm opposed to the use of lenifying words out of political correctness, i'm favorable to using words frankly so that groups don't feel they have a moral or effective right on certain words, and kkk material will expose themselves more easily.

[Brian Peacock]

I believe there are 3 genders/sexes : male, female, and insane.

and i'm opposed to the use of lenifying words out of political correctness, i'm favorable to using words frankly so that groups don't feel they have a moral or effective right on certain words, and kkk material will expose themselves more easily.

What about not using identifying words out of political correctness?

[Svartalf]

well, i think we might not be using "political correctness" in the same meaning, and since this thread is about being controversial, you don't expect me to give in to correctness in this place do you?

[laklak]

Hey lak. How's it going?

Yeah I feel the same way. My cousin, rest her tortured soul, was a true transgender. She was, literally, born into the wrong body. She was as masculine as any SEAL team 6 dude. So those people DO exist. I miss her terribly. But some of these kids I see out there are, IMO, just confused children who have been deeply influenced by social media. Look, before you're in your 20s you don't have the mental maturity to decide on such an unalterable course. So yeah, I'm torn.

What would you have said in your 20s to a retired person telling you you didn't have the mental maturity to decide who you were and how you wanted to live?

If they're legal adults then they can do whatever they want, which would mean 18 in the US and most countries. I'm talking here about children, not adults. Personally I think you're not an adult until your in your mid-20s, but that's just, like, my opinion, man. We've decided, as a society, that at 18 you're an adult and can make your own decisions. Though the USA is a bit schizo about it, you can do anything at 18 other than buy a beer. That's ridiculous, either you're an adult or you're not. But then again, a LOT of what the US does is schizophrenic.

My opposition is to the "grooming", for lack of a better word, that has and still does happen to children. Once you're an adult you're free to chop off whatever you want, or get an addadicktomy.

To answer your question Id tell them to fuck off.

I'm doing Ok. I just quoted Fargo to Mrs. Lak the other night, "you know, Norm, we're doing alright". I'm aging like a fine wine, albeit a bit corky and vinegerish.

[pErvinalia]

Who's doing the "grooming", lak, and what do you think the purpose is?

[pErvinalia]

Unpopular opinion? - Culture is important to humans. Not just in the sense that culture is nice, but more so that it's integral to the human experience. Therefore it's understandable and even reasonable that people resist cultural change. This relates to immigration. I believe it's OK to argue for reduced immigration. Nation states make no sense, but cultural states do.

[JimC]

In Oz, the main argument for somewhat reduced immigration is the burden on infrastructure, particularly water. But it is only a moderate reduction needed, without any discriminatory profiling.

[laklak]

Who's doing the "grooming", lak, and what do you think the purpose is?

I couldn't think of a better word. .The "trans-agenda", which the right wing has blown all out of proportion, does have a basis in truth. Schools, particularly in Blue states, were more than trans-friendly, they advocated for it, provided counseling and in some cases medical advice without the parent's knowledge. The number of people identifying as trans exploded. I believe the huge majority of them were just confused kids. The medical community fell in line, advocating for hormone treatment at a young age, including surgery. Suddenly it was cool to be trans. Schools enforced pronoun usage. Anyone disagreeing was shouted down and reviled as sexist, transphobic, or whatever the insult du jour was. In some schools, (I don't have the links to back this up) up to 25% of kids identified as LBGTQ, whereas the percentage of adults identifying as LBGTQ ranges from about 2-10% depending on location. So there is a huge element of "coolness" associated with it. This is proven by the huge drop in trans-identifying kids once the Feds clamped down on it. So the only word I could come up with is grooming, though I realize that's a bit of a stretch.