Shapiro
Ben Shapiro is the human equivalent of a turd. Pint-sized and helium-voiced, he preaches a mantra of “facts don’t care about your feelings” using the crutch of biology (an argument not lost on trans people) and with the fervent belief that he has wrapped up the issue of what he terms “transgenderism”. Like most social conservatives, he simplifies what is complex and also heavily tinged with sociological implication and nuance, into a black and white sound bite. "Boys are born with pee-pees and girls with vaginas" is his checkmate position stated with the hubris and self-satisfaction of someone who is convinced he has you cornered.
That Shapiro isn’t cleverer yet still manages to attract a
large audience speaks to me about the gullibility of many people who cannot
think beyond the tip of their nose. For if one thought hard enough, one would realize
that the sheer numbers of trans people (roughly 1.4% of the global population) and their insistence represents science
which must be studied and understood. But when you have an agenda poised and meant to discriminate,
it is easier to dismiss any inconvenient details which muddy your tidy argumentation.
There will always be people like Shapiro in the world because,
at the root, our biases are drilled into us in childhood with Pavlovian repetition. When we are schooled by people and societies who don’t
know any better, we will struggle to analyze deeper into issues which challenge
our preconceived thinking. As someone who also fell victim to much programming in my life, I can only imagine how much worse it must be when you are saddled with a dogmatic
fundamentalist orthodoxy which stifles your thinking as well as your empathy.
So many are looking for someone to legitimize their ignorance. Luckily for them, the world is full of haters who are looking for a microphone.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Deanna
ReplyDeleteMs Shapiro is annoying, but self-owns herself enough that she proves the position of how many people are just looking for a conduit to pre-approve their own thoughts on the matter, without being challenged. Sorry, like Benisha herself says, it's hard not to misgender someone. :)
ReplyDeleteNew to your blog, but I like what I see!