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Culture War Roundup for the week of February 24, 2025

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I can't speak for every Republican (I'm not even American, so my exposure to them is extremely limited), but my perspective is that even after conceding that it is better for a given person to not feel discomfort with their gender identity, I still think it's better to convince them to accept their discomfort, rather than for them to modify their body.

I'm telling you, it's a difference of values. I have a feeling the mistake theorists have a hard time accepting that such a thing is even possible.

I can't speak for every Republican (I'm not even American, so my exposure to them is extremely limited), but my perspective is that even after conceding that it is better for a given person to not feel discomfort with their gender identity, I still think it's better to convince them to accept their discomfort, rather than for them to modify their body.

Yeah I broadly agree with this.

If a magical pill existed that instantly flipped somebody's gender in a full, non-reversible way I'd be not against an adult who's deeply convinced of their gender identity being incorrect for the body they're born with. Or if in our society all people wearing a blue hat were treated 100% as a woman, and red hat 100% as a man, and somebody wishing to change their hat. But right now it's a ton of surgery, expense and treatment to create something that's a distant facsimile of a man or a woman that doesn't seem to lead to meaningful improvement of the underlying psychological issues whilst creating a bunch of externalities

Once we're in the territory of 'magic pills' why not have the pill allow them to be happy with their natal bodies?

Would your magic pill for anorexia help them loose weight or keep them alive without eating?

A pill that lets one cope with the lack of (bodily, in this case) freedom rather than provide more freedom is inherently more suspect and abusable. Or in other words, it serves the interests of those who reject transhumanist ideals and want everyone to remain in the image that they were born in, and this is why trans people, when queried, generally reject that idea in favor of the free sex change pill.

Similarly I would rather be more attractive than be able to tolerate the fruits of being less attractive; would rather be able to achieve my goals with less work than be able to work more, etc. "Be happy with natal bodies" pill is the proposal of the conformist solution rather than the personal freedom one. It is, although I admit it's a stretch, akin to "curing" the black men's desire for freedom rather than making them more suited for independent life.

To me this sounds like the sort of rationalization you hear from people non-compliant with their meds or treatment.

Many bipolar people enjoy the mania, anorexics like losing weight. Their family and doctors just want them 'normal' and fat.

If wanting the goal of medical treatment to be a return to a natural state of health is a rejection of 'transhumanist ideals', ok.

If wanting the goal of medical treatment to be a return to a natural state of health

This would be the state of medical progress as exhibited by hunter-gatherer tribes who are limited to mending acquired injuries. In all other cases, such as inborn defects and genetic predispositions? If they die, they die.

The "natural state of health" is way too low of a bar even if you set immortality ambitions aside.

Trans ideology and transhumanist ideals seem more likely to lead to suicide than immortality. Personal and cultural / civilizational suicide. This shouldn't be surprising that the wages of sin is death, has been long known.

Natural state of health just means free of pathology, physical and mental.

the wages of sin is death

As opposed to?

the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

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