I hear you. Completely. But this episode was framed that way deliberately: people need to understand that the epidemic of trans girls dominating sports is a lie. Ceding or ignoring that factual ground because of a larger (and, sadly, unpopular) principle about who deserves to play is a huge part of why the larger conversation refuses to …
I hear you. Completely. But this episode was framed that way deliberately: people need to understand that the epidemic of trans girls dominating sports is a lie. Ceding or ignoring that factual ground because of a larger (and, sadly, unpopular) principle about who deserves to play is a huge part of why the larger conversation refuses to budge. If we ignore competitive advantage as the most persuasive counterargument, it becomes that much more persuasive. To the point of 23+ states passing laws that ban trans girls who are willing to play by reasonable rules. And who are, like the vast majority of non-elite athletes, and the rest of us, here in real life, on Planet Earth, not very good at sports.
That's fair, and I appreciate the response. I guess I just wish that that point had made it into the episode as you've written it here (explicitly coming at it from the more persuasive angle despite there being a more fundamental one).
I've actually had more success in my IRL discussions by framing it as a human rights issue, because I couldn't convince people that the competitive advantage was a lie. They see a Lia Thomas and know that that it's possible for a trans woman to win, so they follow that to its extremes and a potential future where trans women win every race, despite acknowledging and accepting how rare it is in the present. But then again, I'm dealing with people who never believed it was an epidemic to begin with, so they are more open to the discussion. So I get trying to bust down that wall first. I just wish it was done with a bit more acknowledgement of how this approach can still hurt the greater point.
I hear you. Completely. But this episode was framed that way deliberately: people need to understand that the epidemic of trans girls dominating sports is a lie. Ceding or ignoring that factual ground because of a larger (and, sadly, unpopular) principle about who deserves to play is a huge part of why the larger conversation refuses to budge. If we ignore competitive advantage as the most persuasive counterargument, it becomes that much more persuasive. To the point of 23+ states passing laws that ban trans girls who are willing to play by reasonable rules. And who are, like the vast majority of non-elite athletes, and the rest of us, here in real life, on Planet Earth, not very good at sports.
That's fair, and I appreciate the response. I guess I just wish that that point had made it into the episode as you've written it here (explicitly coming at it from the more persuasive angle despite there being a more fundamental one).
I've actually had more success in my IRL discussions by framing it as a human rights issue, because I couldn't convince people that the competitive advantage was a lie. They see a Lia Thomas and know that that it's possible for a trans woman to win, so they follow that to its extremes and a potential future where trans women win every race, despite acknowledging and accepting how rare it is in the present. But then again, I'm dealing with people who never believed it was an epidemic to begin with, so they are more open to the discussion. So I get trying to bust down that wall first. I just wish it was done with a bit more acknowledgement of how this approach can still hurt the greater point.