Welcome?
Secondly, I fully acknowledge that we are evolving. You may think, Retired Canadian Soldier, he's probably some misogynistic toxic masculine ultra right-wing homophobic redneck who tortures squirrels, with dental floss.
Well, not really no. I DO think you're transphobic, sure but I haven't figured out if it's out of ignorance, willfull denial of the reality of who and what trans people are, or you are just an asshole.
I'm not, I swear I am not, all of my issues arise with the people who throw out these labels because you don't agree with their particular stance.
On that I can, again, agree with you.
I didn't label you transphobic until you proved it.
I am a writer, maybe not on the level of Stephen King or Margaret Atwood, but I still know a lot of people in the writing community some are international bestselling authors. There are tons of people who live alternative lifestyles in that writing. I don't care who you screw, how you dress, whether you believe in an afterlife, or don't, and if you dig same sex, cool, if you dig dressing as the sex other than the one you were born with, I'm fine with that. I'm not going to talk behind my hand, "Get a load of this..." I am not built that way. If you are that committed, it's your body and life. Heck, a screenwriter for Star Trek invited me to his same-sex wedding, and had I not been working I would have been there because he is a beautiful human being. I knew him for two years before I found out he was gay, because it had nothing to do with our friendship or or our professional relationship as writers. He plugged one of my books, he is a writer I regularly endorse.
I'm a writer too though not published.
The rest of that... you say it and yet... you make exceptions.
The problem is that people assume because you don't agree with a particular stance, that you're an automatic hater.
There's not agreeing, then there's demanding that because you don't agree, that others now have to follow with your opinion/what you DO agree with.
Something that frightens me about cancel culture
Cancel culture... and who does the cancelling?
Hint: it doesn't include just one side.
is this, they are using phrases like, "words can be violent and hurtful," therefore we need to suppress such language.
As someone who has had to deal emotionally for YEARS with the things people have said - aka used words that were violent and hurtful - I can admit I'm back and forth on this issue.
On the one hand, hurtful and violent words do as much damage, if not more, than physical abuse. Violent and hurtful words can destroy the mentality of a person like maybe no one can get, unless they've suffered that. I STILL deal with things that were said to me years and years ago. And it varies in the type of people it was from, from bullies to an abuser. So yes, the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is a fucking lie we told our kids so parents and they would never have to deal with the repercussions of such words, because talking about emotions and feelings is still seen as wrong somehow, even today.
But on the flip side, if we want people to be able to speak freely and avoid such hurtful and violent language going underground where it can fester and become a growth that'll take over everything because there's no one to deny it or fight it, we have to let the assholes speak, as it were.
So right there, I'm out, even horrible language must be protected from the creeping malaise of do-gooders. There's plenty of examples where we've built a highway to hell with the best of intentions.
Which is why I'm for the balance of both - sure, say your shit, do whatever, but do NOT expect to be free from CONSEQUENCES of what you say, including being vilified, including behind berated back to and all the other 'fun stuff' that people seem not to like, but sure as shit love to say themselves. Take the trans example - want to be anti-trans, sure, go for it. But the moment you start to demand that because YOU think being trans is 'wrong' and that health care for trans people - kids or adults - is also wrong and should be denied, THEN you are stepping into the realm of words going beyond just words.
Or take this 10 commandments thing, just to keep things on topic: the religious in the US believe that having the 10 commandments is going to somehow be "Good" for kids. Now if there wasn't an actual separation of church and state implied in the US, then I can disagree all I want but that's all I can do. Since there is an implied separation, those same 10 commandments either need to be removed, or those who made this regulation now have to allow other faiths/beliefs to put up THEIR equal statements - commandments, priorities, sayings, whatever - to be equal.
But in saying all that, it doesn't mean I hate Christians. It just means they can't legally do this and think that ONLY their version of the 10 commandments gets to stay.
Or let's use another - the war in Israel/Palestine. I get called Jew Hater all the time by certain cretins here. I don't hate Jews, I hate what the current Jewish Government is doing to the innocent people of Palestine. I'm all for them going after Hamas, even all for wiping them out. But too many have also been too public about saying they want to destroy ALL Gaza and kill or push out ALL Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the same assholes have a field day going off about Palestinians because of their faith or because they're from Gaza and thus somehow are equal to Hamas and continually prove their bigotry and bias (since they don't call out Israel for ANY of it's war crimes).
It's not that they are bigoted even against Palestine that has me push back on their bullshit, it's their hypocrisy when it comes to Israel and giving them a free pass.
So I try to be as balanced as I can be when it comes to shit like this.
Last thing, just because someone says I disagree does not mean they harbor malice.
There's disagreeing, then there's proving that their disagreeing means that, as I said, we now have to do what that person said, BECAUSE they disagree.
And THAT is where the 'malice' comes in.
Anyway, that's it.
Cheers.
May your week go well, RCS.
Much as you frustrate the absolute fuck out of me sometimes in discussions, I do rather like them regardless.