Thank you for this...I think of many examples you provide as I'm penning a letter to my son's head of school. I'm not sure the school realizes that she taught her 9th grade biology students that biological sex does not exist. Teacher uses exactly the now muddled definitions you provide to argue this. When it degraded into her telling students her "spouse" has had a vasectomy, it only confirmed my apoplexy.
It was interesting to see Sherman Alexie’s take on this. Every time I think I’ve had it rough in life, I read some of his biographical stuff. It’s amazing what he has endured and come out the other side with a sense of humor. A good place to start is his book “The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian”.
Reinstating Alex Jones on X brought out the haters - those who are far superior to that hateful man.
Me: "Ah, but what you consider "not hatred", someone else might very well consider hateful. You think you're never going to be called before the mob, but that mob is fickle. One person's light is another person's dark. Are you sure you will never spew hatred?"
Response: "If I do I hope They block me, do you think he's a nice man? that he don't spew hatred...maybe you have a hard time determining BUT, I know what hatred sounds like..." *stamps foot*
Really good piece, Holly. Thank you for the time you put into it. I’m curious what you think about the nature of our inability to agree over basic definitions of terms like the ones you laid out. I go back and forth between two positions on the issue:
Either A: the Left really, actually believes shit like “silence is violence,” and “punch a Nazi/TERF” (another piece of evidence that they don’t draw a distinction) is expressing an opinion.
Or B: the Left knows that it’s “definitions” are an abuse of language and does it anyway in order to stir up the “good trouble” they’re always going for.
I suspect that it’s some mixture of the two: certain thought leaders on the left realize what they’re doing and do it so they can gain more power. But for the most part the leftist NPCs just start to think in terms of the new definitions and bring them into every public discourse which just makes it increasingly impossible to have important discussions about the issues you laid out in your piece.
I've succumbed to yet another subscription. Why are there so many reasonable people with great writing skills on Substack? Anyway, I really enjoyed this article and can't wait for the next breakdown of psychopaths playing out irl. I am also a person who does not give two shites about what other people do. I don't. I don't care. Two rules: 1. Make sure you are only hurting yourself 2. Leave others alone. Live and let live, right?
You might not be "qualified" to teach in a unionized school, being sane and all... but there are plenty of private schools that would probably be eager to hire you.
Of course, they don't tend to pay as well as data science jobs.
We only have 2 ways to deal with each other - persuasion or violence: reason and logic; or the barrel of a gun. Co-opting the language makes the second option all but inevitable.
The new defininitions are pure Orwellian newspeak.
Thank you for this...I think of many examples you provide as I'm penning a letter to my son's head of school. I'm not sure the school realizes that she taught her 9th grade biology students that biological sex does not exist. Teacher uses exactly the now muddled definitions you provide to argue this. When it degraded into her telling students her "spouse" has had a vasectomy, it only confirmed my apoplexy.
God, I don't blame you.
Hopefully that means no child will have to be subject to that teachers values as being their parent.
It was interesting to see Sherman Alexie’s take on this. Every time I think I’ve had it rough in life, I read some of his biographical stuff. It’s amazing what he has endured and come out the other side with a sense of humor. A good place to start is his book “The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian”.
Reinstating Alex Jones on X brought out the haters - those who are far superior to that hateful man.
Me: "Ah, but what you consider "not hatred", someone else might very well consider hateful. You think you're never going to be called before the mob, but that mob is fickle. One person's light is another person's dark. Are you sure you will never spew hatred?"
Response: "If I do I hope They block me, do you think he's a nice man? that he don't spew hatred...maybe you have a hard time determining BUT, I know what hatred sounds like..." *stamps foot*
We are so forked. 🙄
Really good piece, Holly. Thank you for the time you put into it. I’m curious what you think about the nature of our inability to agree over basic definitions of terms like the ones you laid out. I go back and forth between two positions on the issue:
Either A: the Left really, actually believes shit like “silence is violence,” and “punch a Nazi/TERF” (another piece of evidence that they don’t draw a distinction) is expressing an opinion.
Or B: the Left knows that it’s “definitions” are an abuse of language and does it anyway in order to stir up the “good trouble” they’re always going for.
I suspect that it’s some mixture of the two: certain thought leaders on the left realize what they’re doing and do it so they can gain more power. But for the most part the leftist NPCs just start to think in terms of the new definitions and bring them into every public discourse which just makes it increasingly impossible to have important discussions about the issues you laid out in your piece.
I've succumbed to yet another subscription. Why are there so many reasonable people with great writing skills on Substack? Anyway, I really enjoyed this article and can't wait for the next breakdown of psychopaths playing out irl. I am also a person who does not give two shites about what other people do. I don't. I don't care. Two rules: 1. Make sure you are only hurting yourself 2. Leave others alone. Live and let live, right?
You might not be "qualified" to teach in a unionized school, being sane and all... but there are plenty of private schools that would probably be eager to hire you.
Of course, they don't tend to pay as well as data science jobs.
Co-opting language is step 1.
We only have 2 ways to deal with each other - persuasion or violence: reason and logic; or the barrel of a gun. Co-opting the language makes the second option all but inevitable.
The new defininitions are pure Orwellian newspeak.
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
Bravo! Thank you for expressing this so clearly.