Of the communinny
A survey of more than 90,000 transgender people in the U.S. — the largest nationwide survey of the community ever — found that trans people continue to experience workplace and medical discrimination. However, the overwhelming majority of them still report more life satisfaction after having transitioned.
That’s all very well but it’s far from the only question. You could let a bunch of people do whatever they want and then survey them and find they liked doing whatever they want. It’s not surprising that people like to do something they want to do. The question remains, what about everyone else?
To be blunt, at this point I don’t even care whether trans people experience more life satisfaction or not. I’m too busy caring about the rest of us and our life satisfaction. Other things being equal, sure, it would be great if everyone had peak life satisfaction, but when one tiny set of people’s life satisfaction depends on fracturing the rights of women and same-sex attracted people and confused children, then I can’t really celebrate the news that our trans siblings are enjoying their new prominence.
Also too, if it truly increases “life satisfaction,” they could still take hormones and cross-dress without insisting that they be treated like the sex they’re not in all circumstances. As I see it, prioritizing gender feels over the reality of sex (and human sexual dimorphism) is the main problem.
That said, I’m skeptical. The words “sunk cost fallacy” come to mind.
(“They”–grownups only. Leave the kids alone.)
Of course the outsize benefit of identifying as trans is why we’re seeing more and more charlatans seize on trans identities as a get-rich-quick scheme, like Dylan Mulvaney, Abigail Thorn, and thousands and thousands more cropping up everywhere.
Plus there’s the fact that when you’re inside a “community” that brooks no dissent, you’re not going to say anything if you’re unhappy. If you do a comprehensive survey of Scientologists, they’ll report being the happiest, most satisfied people in the country — a 100% perfect satisfaction rate. After all, Scientology is the greatest discovery on the planet, and on all the other planets, too! They’ll also report that Scientologists face more discrimination from outsiders than any other group. That outsiders who don’t agree with the in-group’s most bizarre demands are an existential threat is a core tenet of any cult or sect. (And it’s actually true: rational ideas do indeed threaten people’s commitment to Scientology, or gender identity ideology.)
Honestly, why do people bother doing surveys like this? We already know exactly what responses are and aren’t allowed to be expressed by this group. What’s next? “Over 99% of Muslims in Saudi Arabia report a strong belief in the holy truth of the Quran and high levels of satisfaction with their religion.” No fucking shit; thanks for clearing that up.
lol well said.
Considering the fact that for most of them ‘transitioning’ involved little more than changing their names and donning pretty dresses to live their fantasy lives, that result is hardly headline news.
There’s also the fact that the survey only looked at people who presently identify as transgender. People who are dissatisfied with the trans movement will pretty quickly stop calling themselves transgender, and thus will not appear in surveys of transgender satisfaction.
A survey of anyone who has ever identified as transgender or received any form of gender-related medical treatment is guaranteed to produce vastly different results. But an activist organization couldn’t even frame a survey around that language, because they can’t concede that transgender identity is something people can opt into and out of at will. In fact, the whole point of these kinds of surveys is to combat the fact that transgender identity is voluntary and influenced by social contagion with their preferred narrative that it’s a magical, innate state of being.
PSA for readers here: if you value your sanity, have limited time, or are predisposed to high blood pressure… I’d like to recommend NOT reading the actual details about how the survey was conducted o.O
@Artymorty:
The Islam comparison is an interesting one; got through Dennett’s “Breaking the Spell” recently and he pointed out something obvious: the only proof we have that anyone believes in these gods and devils is the profession that they *do* believe. Belief in belief is a fact, even if none of the beliefs are sincerely believed. The professing is the most important thing.
For me the problem is the dishonesty, the lying. That is truly the worst thing the gobbos do; they lie to your face and then demand you repeat their lies.
Onus, I haven’t read the details, but the first time I heard about it my spidey sense started tingling. Can you stand giving us a summary?
You’ll be unsurprised to learn that PZ had the opposite response here – (paraphrasing) “data shows this makes trans people happy therefore do it!” I commented on it briefly in Miscellany 11, and found it unremarkable for the same reason as OB: duh, of course people are happier when they are humoured. This however is not a compelling reason to do so.
@ Holms:
It’s circular logic, “being trans makes trans people happy.” In the place of trans, try:
Being Christian makes Christian people happy.
Being Sagittariuses makes Sagittariuses happy.
It says nothing of whether their claims are true.
It says nothing of whether they’re actually benefitting from their identity (this structure of argument by definition deliberately excludes any control group).
It says nothing of whether this benefits society at large.
It says nothing.
It’s fake logic for people who lack critical thinking skills. The kind of thing you might see on a plaque at a Creation museum, or read in an evangelical pamphlet, or hear told by some batshit California wellness guru. The kind of thing skeptics and “career” atheists are supposed to point out and ridicule.
Sad state of affairs over in some corners of “skepticland.”
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