Non contributing members aka Lin fans don’t pay anything @AroundTheWorld @CrixusTheUndefeatedGaul @Os Trigonum they are freeloaders or unwanted migrants in the country of Clutchfans
There is a very long history of media and cultural influenced phycological epidemics. They tend to hit the most vulnerable and confused portions of society when it comes to self esteem and physical changes: young girls going through puberty into their teens. In the 80s and especially the 90s there were large spikes and epidemics in bulimia and anorexia, both real psychiatric diseases, but that had explosions of prevalence. They have actually fallen to pre epidemic levels in most places. These may have been driven by the fashions, media and expectations of the time: be skinny, that's healthy, that's what super models look like, that's what men want. Young girls that are already feeling out of place in their changing bodes (and some boys too) are naturally going to be influenced and take on psychiatric issues from that influence. A shifting backlash against that type of body type, the fashion industry, and a changing cultural preference has really removed the "be skinny at all cost" attitude and the prevalence of those diseases has fallen dramatically over the last decade. Interestingly, the rates tend to fall once the children grow into late teens early 20s..they "grow out of it" Another similar epidemic was "self harm" or "cutting". For about a 15 year period from ~2000s-2015, "cutting" and "self harm" skyrocketed, predominately in girls 12-15 years old either going through puberty or right after. Again, a strange cultural phenomenon seems to have been spurred by access to social media and the internet. What were usually localized instances of groups of girls (and sometimes boys) practicing self harm went viral through the United States. Its still a thing, but has waned quite a bit. Again...the group that goes through this are young people that are not comfortable in their bodies, are experiencing anxiety and depression at the changes in their lives. Instead of treating with more cutting, you'd treat with phycological counseling. Again, after this tough part of life, this type of self harm usually self corrects as they tend to grow out of it in late teens and early 20s as they mature and become more self aware about their body and how they fit into it. We're seeing it again: transgenderism or gender fluidity, virtually unheard of before a decade ago, with numbers so tiny they almost didn't warrant any discussion is now a phycological epidemic. Did it exist, for real, before? Yes, just like eating disorders and self harm existed before. Did they spike to epidemic proportions based on cultural and media influence? Yes. The same age group seems to be affected. Young children experiencing puberty, not feeling comfortable in their bodies, already with high levels of anxiety and depression. "I don't feel comfortable in my new body? I must be another gender because that's what I hear on twitter!" Where were all of the gender fluid or trans teenagers before? Some would say hiding, but then you'd see a ton of older adults transitioning or finally becoming fluid...but we're not seeing it. Did they commit suicide? Suicide rates were lower in the past...you'd have hundreds of thousands more dead teenagers...it just didn't exist to the rate we are seeing today. The other fascinating thing is that its almost all geographically contained to the United States and Canada. The rates are not rising in Europe or Asia like they are here. It is very much culturally and media influenced. And what else is common with those other epidemics? They grow out of it. The vast majority of "trans" children and teenagers grow out of it. All of these gender fluid or "bi" girls end up marrying men and living as straight women after 20 years old, at astonishingly high rates. So what's different? Now instead of treating the root cause of these epidemics, counseling, therapy, anti-anxiety and depression treatments we're leaning into and encouraging the disease. Hormone blockers, puberty blockers, physical surgery...all for people that have a gigantically high chance of "growing out of it". Are there real trans people or gender fluid people? Yes, absolutely. There always has been at a small percentage of the population. They have a right to live happily and pursue their lifestyle once they've done the due diligence of seeking therapy and growing up a little bit, and I wish those people the best life possible. I violently disagree with possibly permanent "treatments" in children that have a strong chance of regret however. I predict a reckoning soon...a myriad of young adults are going to be suing the hell out of their medical providers and maybe even their parents once they realize their bodies are irrevocably destroyed.
Yes transgender existed long before today. The Tina Brandon / Brandon Teena story of the movie Boys Don’t Cry happened 30 years ago. There has always been “Tomboys” and “girly boys” and even in ancient history there were stories of girls who wanted to be boys and vice versa. As has been pointed out several times actual transgender people make up less than 1% of our population. There isn’t really an epidemic of people becoming trans. There is more visibility because of more acceptance of trans people just like we’ve seen more gay people in the last decade because being gay is more accepted. It’s not like a majority or even a plurality of the population has gone gay.
https://www.arlnow.com/2024/04/08/n...t-family-oriented-drag-event-in-crystal-city/ Bomb threats and protests at a family friendly drag brunch in my neighborhood. Don't mess with Freddie's. Best karaoke in the DMV. I have a theory.
I don't believe anything that I have not vetted, and even then - I am aware that it can be a ruse. This subject especially results in a lot of disinformation spouted by both sides. Having said that, the idea pushed by some trans advocates that there was no harm or consequence for hormone treatment/puberty blockers. These are very strong drugs, and really should not be used on children - nor should there be surgical procedures concerning gender identity on minors without a lot more information than we have. The good news is that I have seen more people in the scientific community willing to question the value of giving children puberty blockers and transition surgery. I have no moral qualms with an adult living their life as a different gender. I think it is really misogynistic for males that transition and society liberals to tell women what being a woman means.... but otherwise, I think a male should be able to live as a woman if he do chooses....... but as adults we need to be very careful on letting children make life altering decisions.
Media contagion. We are also seeing it with conspiratorialists and some Trumpers as well. There is no doubt that social contagion plays a part in the increase in those that identify as transgendered. That isn't to say that there are not people that are transgendered - as there are, but not everyone claim gender dysmorphia actually has it. Culture developed a problem, and some smart people spear headed the change and pushed it until it was adopted by society. When people are older, they tend to develop better coping and management skills. The question is if the total number of those harming themselves has decreased, or if they just found another outlet to hurt themselves. I have actually seem a large number of adults that are transgendered or gender fluid. These were people before would not or were afraid to express themselves. I do not know what percentage of these people will remain transgendered. I know there was some early research on the topic that was discredited because no one is tracking the information. It is all self reporting. As for children - it is certainly more prevalent than with adults. There is no stigma against being queer in a lot of places in the West. However, it has been long known and understood that children questioned their sexuality and gender around the time of puberty. Most of the research coming out shows that many of those questioning ultimately settle on being their natural sex. Gender questioning is fairly common in Western Europe, especially after the adoption of the Dutch protocol. However, unlike the USA, Western Europe has taken the new information learned and pivoted away from promoting transgenderism. There are laws protecting transgendered rights, and the public in general is supportive - but schools are not pushing it or celebrating it. I predicted this several years ago, and the amount of lawsuits is what is going to make the change in the USA away from promoting and celebrating transgenderism. Schools will now be more accepting than before, as will students - but it isn't going to be promoted. You will see a lot of medical providers and facilities sued and likely even some schools. I suspect you will see big judgments but little actually collected as most of these places are free like the Wild Wild West, with little agreed upon protocol.
A lot of insincerity around this topic too. First, those pro-drag sometimes point to entertainers like Milton Berle or George Burns having drag performers 60 years ago, and then say that this is no different. It is different - George Burns, Milton Berle and Buddy Hackett did not perform in front of children. Second, I thought a lot of those against drag performers reading to children in the library or in a private event - wanted government OUT of their lives, and that is why so many of them home school. It is hypocrisy, what they really want is the government to always side with them. Third - what does it matter if a drag performer is reading books to children or infants? They are clothed and they are not strippers. It is not my idea or a good time, but if someone wants to take their kid to see a man performing as a woman and reading a book - I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with it.
My wife has been on a Love Boat" kick recently. In one of the episodes Gopher sees someone he swears he knows. He figures it out. It is college roommate's sister. Nope it is his old college roommate. This was 40 years ago.
Someone told me they know parents who put their 4 year old boy on puberty blockers This sounds like his life will be terrible And that it’s medically and ethically messed up @ROXRAN
I have to assume that the mass appeal to this topic is politics as its less then 1% of the population as I don't see any of you talking about how gop states are not feeding kids this summer even though they can qualify for it. Where is the outrage?? I personally don't want any children to be hurt or scarred for life but to be honest I have only met one person who was trans and she was super happy so I don't have a personal sample size of this dilemma but I do have a large sample size of kids going hungry, our Church donates to needy families every week and I see so many kids who need help that it breaks my heart. But the onslaught of tweets about this topic by people who are not experts but twitter bullies who want to make these political and downgrade individuals................I feel the same way on this as I do about abortion. The government has no business in my house, or my bedroom and they sure don't get to tell me how to raise my kids. Are there horrible parents everywhere, of course there are and by all means pass whatever bills you feel are appropriate to slow this down if that's how you feel, but let's stop making this political as all your doing is making the people affected by this feel like outcasts when in reality that is the main issue. Maybe a little focus on the masses of children who need help. Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year. The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children. The impact falls on people like Otibehia Allen, a single mom of five in Clarksdale, Mississippi, who makes too much to qualify for some public assistance programs. She could have received $480 in aid over three months this summer if her state participated. https://apnews.com/article/states-r...s-summer-ebt-8a1e88ad77465652f9de67fda3af8a2d
Unfortunately changing your sex based on your mental state affects others: Women's swimming, Girl's bathrooms and locker rooms. Health insurance.. etc @AroundTheWorld
This is half true. What Mrs. Reed described has happened quite a bit in the USA. In some cases it only required two 30 minute zoom meetings and then they would dispense medication and in some cases do things like mastectomies. This was largely because there was no overreaching protocol, it was the Wild Wild West. Also some clinics were doing it for simple greed. Europe was doing the same but they stopped and made it very difficult. As for the hormone blockers - I wouldn't say there is no coming back. We don't know what the long term health consequences are but we know that they are not good. This is an example of why free market medicine can be a real problem.
