ChatGPT 4.o consulted ONLY for a grammar question/common usage (of a word) help.
I finally got around to reading J.K. Rowling's extremely controversial essay on trans rights.
Good god. Why is there so much vitriol spewed about J.K. Rowling over this? This is the world's best selling author (last I checked a few years ago), and one of the wealthiest women on the planet, and she clearly is one of the smartest people in the world as well (masterpieces take genius!); people burn her books because she's a witch (lmao, lern2read n00bs); and yet, she gets cancelled because of HER expression of freedom of speech? And she actually gives a damn about making society a better place for trans youth? The cancelling of Rowling is armchair activism at its very worst, and grass touching or a consultation with Professor Sprout is in order.
Last-part-kidding aside, as a trans activist, I will criticize the following end-of-statement written out by J.K. Rowling: "[...] one of the central tenets of trans activism, which is that a person’s gender identity is innate, like sexual orientation." (Rowling, 2020). I disagree that this is a central tenet, and if it is, then I do not support that ideology.
So far in her piece, that's really the only thing I strongly disagree with, but I'm actually not altogether all that involved in LGBTQ+ activism these days (I'm not in university anymore) so probably her perspective is broader than mine.
Anyway, Rowling goes on to write this, which really caught my attention:
The writings of young trans men reveal a group of notably sensitive and clever people. The more of their accounts of gender dysphoria I’ve read, with their insightful descriptions of anxiety, dissociation, eating disorders [emphasis mine], self-harm and self-hatred, the more I’ve wondered whether, if I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. I struggled with severe OCD as a teenager. If I’d found community and sympathy online that I couldn’t find in my immediate environment, I believe I could have been persuaded to turn myself into the son my father had openly said he’d have preferred.
I feel like Rowling has a powerful, astute observation about folks like us. The way she mentions how she can empathize with younger men warms my heart, in a way... anyway, because I've read the Harry Potter series in English and in French and this is a pride of mine and so, I mention that she's on my top five English authors list (P. Pullman, C.S. Lewis, B. Russell, W. Nicholson are probably the others). I know this part of my critique might seem childish, but without childlike wonder, what is the point of being an author?
I appreciate that she goes on to cite Simone de Beauvoir: as a (former?) studious sociologist, I will say that I have it on good authority that Beauvoir is a good authority on matters of sex & gender roles - and I'm not even a woman.
It's all relevant. She mentions the "porn-saturated online culture" as a huge force and affecting girls (and, though unsaid, affecting young men just as much if not less; no cap).
Before I forget, that "porn-saturated online culture" that Rowling speaks of is also a topic that a massively influential voice in classic québécois rock - Serge Fiori - very eloquently (as usual) sings about in today's Song of the Day:
 | |
| Not 100% sure what species this is; tastes "cloudy", but smells like strawb. =o |
---
Anyway, I'm probably picking up Hogwarts: Legacy on the Nintendo Switch. Ideally, it'd be a 50% off physical version, but I'll take the digital sale if it finally gives me the chance to escape (temporarily) from literally only playing Overwatch 2 with randos online.
I'm not sure if there's any multiplayer, but if there isn't, I can always go back to Dragon's Dogma 1. I really think it's a game I'll enjoy if I can get into it.
For now, I'm learning Dota 2 because the heroes look just as good as Overwatch's. Crystal Maiden is a sweet support hero.
No comments:
Post a Comment