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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   9125 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 4, 2026

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it’s hard for me to understand why if you don’t have a personal link to it.

I mean, sure, but lots of people get intensely emotionally invested in issues that have zero practical impact on their lives. I'd hazard a guess that an outright majority of Westerners attending pro-Palestine marches in the last two and a half years have never met a Palestinian or an Israeli, much less been to the region. In absolute terms gender ideology has a minimal impact on my life, but it has a far greater impact on my life than the death of George Floyd had on any given Irish person, which didn't stop hundreds if not thousands of Irish people attending BLM protests at the height of Covid.

I've long felt that "why do you care about this, it doesn't even affect you" is a textbook Russell conjugation. Caring about the people affected by an issue, even if it doesn't affect me personally? I thought we used to call that "empathy".

In my defense, I’d have the same reaction to a westerner with no links to the topic regularly attending pro-Palestine marches or an Irish person attending BLM rallies.

But also, I personally want people to be less interested in trans issues, so it would be in my benefit to have you care less about this.

Caring about the people affected by an issue, even if it doesn't affect me personally? I thought we used to call that "empathy".

But your attention is limited and you have to pick your battles, so why this one? Effective altruist types will go by maximum impact/effort and end up donating 10% of their income to shrimp welfare, but most of us generally have to have a reason to care about a specific topic, and I think it’s important to look at why you’re invested in a specific cause.

Like if you’re an Irish person marching for BLM, it’s useful to realise whether you are actually doing it because you care about African Americans, or because it was the trendy thing to do.

an Irish person attending BLM rallies

Have I got a link for you!

(Seriously, the extent to which our chattering class and wannabe activists have been taken over by mind flayer larvae American progressive talking points, you would not believe).

Have I got a link for you!

I mean, the Irish are the blacks of Europe, and the Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, so...

Well, I do donate 10% of my post-tax income to charity, I have done for years, and none of that money has ever gone towards e.g. a think tank trying to combat the intrusion of gender ideology into schools. To the extent that this is my hobby horse, all I mean is that I sometimes discuss it on a pseudonymous internet forum and on my blog. Frankly, I think I have my priorities in order.

I certainly don't think I could be accused of taking on this hobby horse because it's "trendy". If anything I'd say it has more to do with my reflexive contrarian streak. I've been a "well actually" devil's advocate gadfly type for as long as I can remember.

But also, I personally want people to be less interested in trans issues

Why?

To the extent that this is my hobby horse, all I mean is that I sometimes discuss it on a pseudonymous internet forum and on my blog. Frankly, I think I have my priorities in order.

That’s fine, again it was genuine curiosity, not me trying to discredit you.

Why?

In my opinion, the increased attention, both positive and negative, has made things worse for trans people. I don’t want to have trans scissor statements in the media so that woke people can show their support, I don’t want pronouns in bio, I don’t want my medical condition to be in the spotlight and have it become politicised with everyone having to have a take on it. I want people who are indifferent, not allies who go out of their way to make me feel “accepted”.

I want people who are indifferent, not allies who go out of their way to make me feel “accepted”.

That's fair. I sincerely apologise if I came off as hostile or defensive.

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