I think it's simpler: US scientists are defending one of their own (Chinese scientists). Meat market workers/wild life poachers are the other/dirty/low class.
I agree with the "oppression hammer" analogy, but your example confuses me. They don't have trouble articulating what they're afraid of. Being beaten up or being fired.
It's the claim of being in an oppressed class because she's "nonbinary" that's the risible part. Obvs having the culture shift to one where violence or work-discrimination increases due to aesthetic choices sucks, and that's a legit concern.
I'm confused by your "non binary wife" example. Quite a lot of the stuff the Trump admin has done so far targeting trans people & DEI would affect non binary people.
Of course, thus far only *some* have been affected - people renewing passports, certain government employees (e.g. military & NSA), non-citizens entering or exiting the country, etc. If they're a citizen and haven't got a passport reading "X" (or "M") that needs renewing, they're probably fine. But it seems reasonable to assume this will continue, and it's not obvious ahead of time which segments of society will get hit with the "eliminate those woke trans" hammer next, nor how wide-ranging it will be.
Like, yes, there are other reasons to be concerned about the Trump admin as well! But I think (absent info that they're poly) the odds that your married friend-of-a-friend should be personally worried about "culture swinging back to a place where sex out of marriage is strongly stigmatized" are probably pretty low compared to the legitimate risk factor for life disruption here that is being nb. It's certainly not "laughably dumb".
Oh, because non-binary is fake. It's just a lady (either with punk aesthetic or literally undistinguishable, depending on flavor) that sometimes demands special pronouns.
I'm aware that you think that. But even granting that premise, it ... doesn't prevent there from being negative consequences to identifying/acting as nb? Compare to religions and ethnic groups, which can be and frequently are both fake and severely oppressed.
People having their documents confiscated and being refused a passport for requesting, or attempting to renew, a passport with an "X" gender marker is a fairly concrete consequence. So is being kicked out of the military.
So obvs they shouldn't be kicked out of the military. And having a passport confiscated for something that was perfectly legit a few days prior in the previous administration is absolute bullshit. Ideally that apparatchik will end up in court for that.
But also, if the military and the passport bureau stop catering to these people that's fine. Good, even. Having an M/F on your passport isn't oppression. Not forcing your fellow soldiers (or superiors!) to address you with special titles also isn't oppression. I know it's a cliche, but... when you're accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression.
I think it's simpler: US scientists are defending one of their own (Chinese scientists). Meat market workers/wild life poachers are the other/dirty/low class.
Yup, that works too
I agree with the "oppression hammer" analogy, but your example confuses me. They don't have trouble articulating what they're afraid of. Being beaten up or being fired.
It's the claim of being in an oppressed class because she's "nonbinary" that's the risible part. Obvs having the culture shift to one where violence or work-discrimination increases due to aesthetic choices sucks, and that's a legit concern.
I'm confused by your "non binary wife" example. Quite a lot of the stuff the Trump admin has done so far targeting trans people & DEI would affect non binary people.
Of course, thus far only *some* have been affected - people renewing passports, certain government employees (e.g. military & NSA), non-citizens entering or exiting the country, etc. If they're a citizen and haven't got a passport reading "X" (or "M") that needs renewing, they're probably fine. But it seems reasonable to assume this will continue, and it's not obvious ahead of time which segments of society will get hit with the "eliminate those woke trans" hammer next, nor how wide-ranging it will be.
Like, yes, there are other reasons to be concerned about the Trump admin as well! But I think (absent info that they're poly) the odds that your married friend-of-a-friend should be personally worried about "culture swinging back to a place where sex out of marriage is strongly stigmatized" are probably pretty low compared to the legitimate risk factor for life disruption here that is being nb. It's certainly not "laughably dumb".
Oh, because non-binary is fake. It's just a lady (either with punk aesthetic or literally undistinguishable, depending on flavor) that sometimes demands special pronouns.
I'm aware that you think that. But even granting that premise, it ... doesn't prevent there from being negative consequences to identifying/acting as nb? Compare to religions and ethnic groups, which can be and frequently are both fake and severely oppressed.
People having their documents confiscated and being refused a passport for requesting, or attempting to renew, a passport with an "X" gender marker is a fairly concrete consequence. So is being kicked out of the military.
So obvs they shouldn't be kicked out of the military. And having a passport confiscated for something that was perfectly legit a few days prior in the previous administration is absolute bullshit. Ideally that apparatchik will end up in court for that.
But also, if the military and the passport bureau stop catering to these people that's fine. Good, even. Having an M/F on your passport isn't oppression. Not forcing your fellow soldiers (or superiors!) to address you with special titles also isn't oppression. I know it's a cliche, but... when you're accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression.