You write well. I am an old, white, straight, Vietnam Veteran man who appreciates and agrees with your viewpoints. It is an insane world in which we live.
Again, Wendy, your well-researched and written message is like preaching to the choir. The people who need to hear it will never read this. But the most important thing for me is that a learn from you and those who add comments. You give my the talking points I need to confront any and every person I hear making transphobic comments. I appreciate you all.
It's ironic that the leading group of people linking trans identity to pedophilia is the leading group of pedophiles. Christian Nationalists, Christianists, Evangelicals, MAGA, priests and ministers. All are predators on innocent children, including trans children.
My ROGD so far has been unfolding it’s self upon me for 68 years and every day I wake up and experience it a little bit deeper. But experience it deeper doesn’t mean it’s easier. Today I was watching a trailer for the new Fantastic Four and after it ran I told my wife that they were my fav comic when I was young. I ask her to guess who was my fav character, she didn’t have a guess. I told her it should be obvious, still no guess. I told her it was the Invisible Woman. It’s nice to have a laugh together.
- [ ] René Girard said humans discovered a mechanism, over time, that prevents violence from breaking out in our various human groups — from smaller units like families and faith communities, to larger units like nation-states or empires. To save our various groups from self-implosion due to rivalries, group members can identify a scapegoat on which to project our collective anxiety and envy and rivalry.
- [ ] Scapegoats are used to control the amount of violence that takes place in anxious groups — if we can channel angry energy onto one person or a minority of people, then we can prevent violence from becoming widespread.
- [ ] Scapegoats often stand apart from the group for some reason — maybe they dress shabbily, or maybe they’re rich. Perhaps they smell bad by cultural standards, or the color of their skin is in the minority, or they’re queer, or they’re undocumented, or they’re smaller in stature than other people their age. Something sets them apart from the majority.
- [ ] Once a scapegoat is identified, the larger group succumbs to a form of mob mentality and falsely accuses the scapegoat of a taboo crime in order to dehumanize them. A ringleader makes the false accusation against the scapegoat, and then the rest of the crowd mirrors the ringleader’s violent desire. Almost always, the scapegoat is innocent of the charge, but the ringleader and the crowd are guilty of it. There’s a psychological projection of the sin of the ringleader and the group onto the innocent scapegoat, who is made to carry that sin.
- [ ] The scapegoat is then bullied, exiled, isolated, fired, incarcerated, killed, held in camps, and/or deported. And the violence enacted against the innocent brings a temporary sense of peace and unity to an anxious group. In other words: scapegoating works. It works temporarily in preventing wider violence. It channels rivalrous energy and redirects it from all against all, turning it into all against one.
It seems that haters gotta hate. The likes of Charlie Kirk and Riley Gaines fit that picture perfectly. I have no respect for them.
You write well. I am an old, white, straight, Vietnam Veteran man who appreciates and agrees with your viewpoints. It is an insane world in which we live.
I am honored. I aspire to the kindness of others.
I recall Republicans pulled this shit during the bush era with a fear campaign linking gay people with permiscuity and pedophelia.
Also running, however late, here: https://www.wonkette.com/p/welcome-to-wonkette-happy-hour-with-815/comment/110114625
It's gotten them talking, too...which is the goal.
Again, Wendy, your well-researched and written message is like preaching to the choir. The people who need to hear it will never read this. But the most important thing for me is that a learn from you and those who add comments. You give my the talking points I need to confront any and every person I hear making transphobic comments. I appreciate you all.
They used to do that to us LG folk too.
They are linking trans people to pedophilia to distract from the mountain of it within their own ranks. Vile. And effective.
It's ironic that the leading group of people linking trans identity to pedophilia is the leading group of pedophiles. Christian Nationalists, Christianists, Evangelicals, MAGA, priests and ministers. All are predators on innocent children, including trans children.
My ROGD so far has been unfolding it’s self upon me for 68 years and every day I wake up and experience it a little bit deeper. But experience it deeper doesn’t mean it’s easier. Today I was watching a trailer for the new Fantastic Four and after it ran I told my wife that they were my fav comic when I was young. I ask her to guess who was my fav character, she didn’t have a guess. I told her it should be obvious, still no guess. I told her it was the Invisible Woman. It’s nice to have a laugh together.
- [ ] René Girard said humans discovered a mechanism, over time, that prevents violence from breaking out in our various human groups — from smaller units like families and faith communities, to larger units like nation-states or empires. To save our various groups from self-implosion due to rivalries, group members can identify a scapegoat on which to project our collective anxiety and envy and rivalry.
- [ ] Scapegoats are used to control the amount of violence that takes place in anxious groups — if we can channel angry energy onto one person or a minority of people, then we can prevent violence from becoming widespread.
- [ ] Scapegoats often stand apart from the group for some reason — maybe they dress shabbily, or maybe they’re rich. Perhaps they smell bad by cultural standards, or the color of their skin is in the minority, or they’re queer, or they’re undocumented, or they’re smaller in stature than other people their age. Something sets them apart from the majority.
- [ ] Once a scapegoat is identified, the larger group succumbs to a form of mob mentality and falsely accuses the scapegoat of a taboo crime in order to dehumanize them. A ringleader makes the false accusation against the scapegoat, and then the rest of the crowd mirrors the ringleader’s violent desire. Almost always, the scapegoat is innocent of the charge, but the ringleader and the crowd are guilty of it. There’s a psychological projection of the sin of the ringleader and the group onto the innocent scapegoat, who is made to carry that sin.
- [ ] The scapegoat is then bullied, exiled, isolated, fired, incarcerated, killed, held in camps, and/or deported. And the violence enacted against the innocent brings a temporary sense of peace and unity to an anxious group. In other words: scapegoating works. It works temporarily in preventing wider violence. It channels rivalrous energy and redirects it from all against all, turning it into all against one.
Research assistance by: me. :)