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Notes -
Not exactly, but I do concede that it's a belief system - and as a liberal atheist I believe belief systems should get the same kinds of legal protection whether or not they're grounded in supernatural beliefs, as historical belief systems tended to be. Persecuting Daoists or Buddhists for their beliefs continues to be wrong even if we're simply talking about their moral or philosophical beliefs rather than anything properly theological. I feel the same logic should apply to Transgenderism - and Vegetarianism, and Effective Altruism, etc.
I wholeheartedly agree - about FGM, male circumcision, and medical transition for children. Physical alterations to children has always been the one point where I diverge from the progressive consensus re: trans issues, though it puts me into quite a lonely place politically - my belief is that in an ideal world, children should be allowed to socially transition, but barred from making permanent changes to their bodies just yet, and this is something both sides view as unacceptable from opposite directions.
(Now, mind, I do think that there's something of the isolated demand for rigor to the scrutiny applied to transitioning children. There are a lot of other alterations to children's bodies that are currently kosher, from getting a girl's ears pierced to so-called-"corrective" genital surgery on intersex infants. I tend not to find that much common ground with a lot of anti-child-transition campaigners due to them not caring about those things, never mind their views on adult transition, which are rarely congruent with mine. But I'm leaving this as a parenthetical here, insofar as given your stated position on circumcision I think you might actually be ideologically consistent on this kind of stuff.)
I oppose them, in general, though if there are functional or discomfort reasons to perform genital surgery on intersex children I support it. I don’t like children getting their ears pierced. I saw a little boy with pierced ears today and I rolled my eyes — it’s bad enough that little girls get their ears pierced, but at least it’s common and you have the excuse of social convention.
But I also come from a family lineage where adults getting their ears pierced, tattoos, and body modification in general is… controversial. My mother getting her ears pierced as an adult was something she was worried about telling her sister. I have very conservative instincts on body modification, which liberals and most modern conservatives don’t share. Cyberpunk transhumanism is body horror to me.
My ideal society would be more unified morally and epistemically. I think lack of a social consensus and strong norms of behavior and belief are major social problems, and they cause more suffering than freedom prevents.
But I also know I’m not going to get my ideal society, and parents socially transitioning their little boy because they’re nuts is more in the category of “don’t interrupt your enemy while he’s making a mistake” territory; if you want to play pretend with your kid, okay, waste energy on that and not on raising them to be dutiful and strong. It’s your lineage.
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Yeah, I also bristle a little when I see parents getting their very young daughters' ears pierced, but you have to pick your battles.
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