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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 5, 2022

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You think it's more likely that this many parents are abusing their children than that they genuinely have bought the meme that this is a totally harmless opportunity for their children to explore their indentities in a a manner they've been assured is harmless.

I should maybe have been clearer that it was the organizer's and advocate's positions I was thinking of, there. I mean, it's not like we haven't seen this in other cultures. Sure, some credulous fool is always going to be a True Believer. I'm just not sure it counts as a steelman to say "oh, I understand--those people are just stupid."

An actual steelman is that kid drag is like a fun costume contest for people who believe that breaking gender stereotypes around dress or expression is a worthwhile activity and that it can be a healthy way for kids to express parts of themselves they might not otherwise be able to. It's like theatre. This would be versus the traditional, competitive, demanding "child beauty pageants" that are about judging the worth of a child on their appearance and talents. Kid drag would be in stark contrast to this, where everyone is celebrated no matter what they look like or what they do.

You can disagree with these kids and say they don't actually know what they're feeling, or they're brainwashed, or whatever, but maybe... it actually can be a nice experience for some kids.

Sure, I can see how overly-zealous activists parents could use kid drag to force their 6-year-old boy to express his "divine feminine" side, but I honestly have no idea what the ratio of kids with leftists parents who are exposed to the idea and want to do it versus the activist abuser parents forcing their kids is.