How we got here

How we got to this point in our history is fascinating because without a breakdown of trust in governments and public institutions in general we wouldn't be here. 

When we introduced the internet we democratized information. Suddenly we had the world at our fingertips but we didn't necessarily possess the skills to analyze it. 

Sure, we could access all sorts of research papers, reports, studies, etc but they were also becoming fodder for conspiracy theorists who could get captive audiences and show them how the work and conclusions were flawed. 

As our economies got worse for the average person that dissatisfaction was helping to build echo chambers where people could vent and blame those responsible. 

I've lived long enough to know that most people are not particularly well-informed yet their opinions are quite strong. This signals a contradiction since one's viewpoint should ideally be anchored in some knowledge. 

However humans are emotional before they are rational and when you introduce uncertainty into their lives, that emotional response is magnified. 

Watch any reporter stick a microphone into the face of a random passerby and we are often treated to complete nonsense.

Once we gave people the impression that they had all the keys to the knowledge center we seemed to give them false confidence along with it. Suddenly the Dunning-Kruger effect was being illustrated on a 24/7 basis. 

The tribalism of this era comes from people being readily able find others who share their ideas. There is no one to tell them otherwise within their echo chambers where they find reinforcement instead of pushback. 

Most people mean well but they don't understand the forces at play at a geopolitical level. They can't connect the dots and fall for strawmanning tactics of political systems that aren't necessarily functioning towards a common overall good for the largest number of people.

Historically, the masses worked under the combination of monarch and clergy to tell them what to do but with a loss of confidence in both, people have less trust that there is an ordered system looking after them.

Trumpism was a misguided cry for help particularly among the most disenfranchised of low information voters.  They have now been finding out that no populist saviour will magically deliver them from all their problems.

Agency

The nature versus nurture debate has been going on forever. The inputs that go into creating a human being are understood to be sourced in both genetic predisposition as well as in social influences. 

We just don't know the exact proportions of each. 

However, being the product of both doesn't mean we don't have some agency over the process because we do. We can work on ourselves and allow the brain's neuroplasticity to create a modified version of the self. 

New neural pathways are created which negate the idea that we can't change when we indeed can. 

At the same time we should acknowledge that no one is going to come to our rescue. No specialist is going to rid us completely of childhood trauma or some other issue we need to repair. Here we are going to have to be our own best resource which we always are. 

Therefore the inputs go in (including all the messy little errors of our parents) and we then take the reins for the rest of the way.

Plenty of people use distractions such as over consumption to skip this part which is a shame because a lived life is one worthy of examination.

A little chaos is a good thing

The bus was full of camp kids going to the pool and Patricia my neighbor wasn't happy about it. It was hot and she was tired from having run morning errands. 

The kids were making noise and they were a little too rowdy for her liking as she tried to show me pictures on her phone. 

Patricia and I had happened to run into each other and both thought that the 11:30 bus was going to leave on time. However, suddenly the driver turns towards the passengers and tells us there is a mechanical problem and he cannot start the vehicle. 

Everyone gets off. 

After a short reflection, Patricia and I make our way towards a stop where another bus will get us close enough to be able to walk the rest of the way home. She has to make little rest stops along the way due to her lung capacity issue. Her health problems have been frequent of late. 

We wait and talk and after a while we see the entire camp crew coming towards our stop obliging Patricia to blurt out a disappointed "oh no" 

This was all a good thing for a recovering control freak like me.Things are not going my way and yet I'm fine which signaled I have improved dramatically. 

Finally the other bus arrives and Patricia and I board, making sure she has a seat. 

I end up smiling and talking to the young chaperones who have more youthful patience than I do. One of the young camp attendees is clearly disabled and Patricia makes eye contact and smiles at her. 

When our stop comes up we weave through the crowd and one of the young counselors and I exchange smiles and she wishes me a good day. 

For me it's mission accomplished and I tell Patricia that as we make our way slowly up the street towards her house. I had enjoyed both our overlap and the one with the counselors on the bus. 

I hadn't anticipated any of this but just went with the flow and made the best of it. It ended up being more interesting than a routine ride home.

Perhaps there's hope for me yet.

Once it's gone

Neil deGrasse Tyson warns of the brain drain currently happening in the US which has seen scientists and academics leaving the country in droves due to the current political climate. 

Many academics are accepting positions in other countries where science isn't considered a dirty word. They are being enticed by more stable and welcoming environments where laboratories and universities are ready to receive them. 

The US used to be the place many scientists escaped to in the early to mid 20th century, but now it is openly bleeding talent. Thanks to the country's penchant for fascistic policies and Christian nationalism cultism, it's become a bad time to work on science projects which don't align with official government policy. 

All this is part of an anti-intellectualism which has been building for years. A pro-business environment where climate change warnings and EPA regulations are a regular thing, is not a good homestead for science expertise which acts as a deterrent for making big profits. 

The problem is that once you lose the expertise it won't be easy to get it back which means you end up not being in the forefront of new developments in science and technology. 

When many of the people running your country don't think the planet is particularly old, climate change is a hoax and the Rapture is right around the corner, you aren't going to get their friendly ear when it comes time for science funding.

The Anthony Fauci witch hunt is yet another telltale sign that scientists would do well to practice their business elsewhere.

No shit Sherlock

Zagria's recent article on quack science prompted this post. 

Toxic theories about transgender and gender variant people tended to focus on phenomena rather than looking deeply behind it. 

In other words, "look there is arousal present. Full stop". 

The problem is that this is like making no distinction among the general population between one person getting aroused by feet, the other by having threesomes and someone else by looking at pictures of little kids. 

Not only is there unique psychology going on, but some of these cases might be problematic and need to be examined deeply. 

Instead, people were happy to identify dysfunction and ran with the ball. They weren't interested in looking further. 

"These people aren't normal!" No shit Sherlock. For their part, transgender people represent roughly 1% of the population and the gender variant population (gender non-conforming, non-binary, etc) is a bit larger. So technically you are correct that you are dealing with a minority; now how are you going to help them. 

As it turns out, not at all. Eradication is the way instead.

The hard work is always looking beyond the surface level of anything to determine what is going on and then decide on a course of action or, conversely, to do nothing at all.

The thing we need to eradicate most is stupidity and I don't hold out any hope whatsoever for that.

Three criteria

Dietrich Bonhoeffer used three criteria for identifying stupidity in humans which were: 

- Outsourcing of critical thinking 

- Willful ignorance

- Conformity 

All three of these we are able to witness today and it will be futile to argue with anyone who espouses some or all of them. 

Humans aren't more or less stupid than we've ever been, except today everything is more visible thanks to the internet and social media. 

Our desire to belong to tribes rather than risk being alienated means we will more readily abandon critical thought. 

Higher education doesn't necessarily solve the problem of stupidity because people who may be experts in one very particular area may be just as willing to have cult ideas about a whole range of topics outside their field. 

Stupidity isn't the lack of knowledge but instead the refusal to undertake the process of looking into things. It is the lazy embracing of ideas or concepts passed on to us second hand. 

People are less afraid to openly display ignorance today because they see others do it. It has propagated the idea of personal truth over objective truth. Interestingly some replace one for the other and sell their ideas as if they had already passed critical thinking inspection.

Pseudoscience has sometimes been created to give the appearance of critical thinking rigor.  It was then accepted by dogmatic warriors who wanted its conclusions to be true. 

We may yet return to an era where critical thinking is praised and prioritized but for the time being we will need to suffer the wrath of social media experts a little while longer.

Loren

Most people aren't nearly as challenged as Loren is. It's a reminder for all of us when we think our life is hard...

There I got it out!

It took me a while to pinpoint exactly why the "crossdresser" subculture increasingly irritated the shit out of me over the years. It started to feel more and more creepy, secretive and petrified as if trapped in a timeloop. 

The big challenge for some of walking in the mall made me want to scream "for f*ck's sake just do it already it's not 1985 anymore!" 

I wasn't mad at them but more mad for them that so much hand wringing had to happen for something as bloody boring and tame as that. A big production number was made over outings that no one else cares about. 

Is the world full of prejudiced idiots? Yes but we don't let them win.

I understand the fear completely in my bones because as an almost 64 year old, older people grew up with gender policing engraved into their brains such that any contravention could potentially get you beat up. For some it could mean the end of a marriage which ultimately happened to me even if this wasn't the true reason for it. 

Seeing people make videos strolling around at night or in motel rooms also looked creepy and weird and I wanted nothing to do with that. I also didn't like clubs or events and I met a few people over the years who plain weirded me out. I found out one was a dominatrix on the side which made me say sayonara. 

All this helped me discover I was more on the transsexual side of things.

In the end what I truly want is for people to feel free to be themselves. Transition or don't transition that's your business but move out of the shadows and flesh out who you are in the bloody daylight. Stop overthinking everything. 

Young people are running around everyday wearing what they like and no one cares because their expression and body language challenges you make a face at them. They don't give a shit what you think of them and it shows. 

It's what I love about them and yes they had it easier than us. 

However, the world of gender variance is extremely broad and includes all kinds of characters and motivations which is why I really don't like to put everyone into the same soup bowl. I go on a case by case basis.

There I got it out!

We all are

As we begin to get our house in order moving about society as transgender people, we begin to observe others much more carefully instead of worrying about being observed. 

We notice the idiosyncrasies and sense of entitlement many people have which we find strangely and oddly reassuring. 

This relaxes our body language which increasingly enters us into more calm. 

In case you hadn't noticed it before, people are strange. 

We all are.

Every bit helps

Zohran Mamdani is putting his money where his mouth is. 

His latest announcement is about municipal grocery stores in NYC. His campaign against hunger is about helping the people in most need, which is turning him into a pariah with the right wing. 

A Muslim making them look bad is a slap in the face, which is why FOX News is working overtime to turn him into a villain and Stephen Miller must be grinding his teeth at night at the sheer chutzpah.

Mamdani's city-run grocery stores will have basic food staples set at prices 30% below the cost of what other grocery stores charge. This will help people who are struggling with feeding themselves every month. 

Maybe it's a small drop in the bucket compared of the problems of the world, but it is an example of how government can be charged with helping people improve their lives rather than tell them why it can't.

Protect this man.

Myth