Rise of Insanity

Economics is a social science, which makes it dependent on human behavior.  As human behavior can be wildly divergent, hard scientists look askance at the 'dismal science.'  To provide a foundation economics, the economist assumes that man is rational.  Given the choice between two goods of equal quality, the rational man will choose the one that costs less.  From here, we can graph a demand curve.  Likewise, a rational man will sell his product for as much as someone will pay: a supply curve.  The rational man theory carries into other social sciences as well.  But is man rational?

Lately, it is getting harder to accept that humans are rational.  Or, perhaps, a growing number of them are becoming irrational.

1. Gender identity.  Men claim to be women and women claim to be men.  Those making the claims are rarely those who possess biological markers of both sexes.  Nope, they are physically one sex while claiming to be the other.  Rather than view this as a psychological issue - gender dysphoria - to be treated, an alarming number of people are treating it as something that requires medical intervention, whether that be puberty blockers or even gender reassignment surgery.

2. Lindsay Clancy.  In 2023, this Massachusetts woman strangled her three children to death, all aged 5 and younger.  The trial is currently in progress.  Many women have come to her support with online videos claiming they have been close to strangling their kids.  Nearly a million dollars has been raised for Lindsay while many are pointing at the husband as the true villain.  What?  When Susan Smith drove her kids into a lake in 1994, she received no sympathy.  When Andrea Yates drowned her five children in 2001, there wasn't a fundraiser and a Conga line of women saying they could relate.  Today, Clancy has a fan club and astrologists who claim her husband is the true killer.

3. Jason Arday.  This Cambridge professor committed suicide after his life story was revealed to be fraudulent and his academic work plagiarized.  Rather than blame those who lifted an unqualified man to a position beyond his demonstrable skills, there are calls to outlaw an excess of stories on any one person.  Moreover, the professor who got the ball rolling on Arday's lack of qualifications has been suspended.  Thus, there are moves to protect the gatekeepers who should never have allowed Arday to rise so high, and instead to effort to punish the whistleblower who exposed it.  That sounds like exactly the prescription to produce more unqualified professors.

4. Celebrating Criminals.  George Floyd was a career criminal.  Today, he is viewed by many as the sainted victim of police brutality, the first martyr of BLM.  Carmelo Anthony stabbed a student to death and hundreds of thousands of dollars were donated to him and his family.  Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant with gang affiliations and accused human smuggler, was glorified as a 'Maryland father' and an example of ICE overreach.

None of this is rational.  What has led to this degradation of society?  Mental illness is now to be validated, criminals are to be excused or celebrated, and academia shall promote the incompetent.  This is no way to maintain civilization.  In fact, it is unlikely that this is accidental, as the madness seems to focus on Western countries.

Keen vs. Webberley

Konstantin Kisin of Triggernometry hosted a debate between Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker) and Dr Helen Webberley on the topic of transgender.  The sparks flew from the very start as it was clear that neither guest respected the views of the other.  Keen has been one of the most visible anti-transgender personalities for nearly a decade.  She holds that transgender is a mental disorder and that it is medical malpractice to treat them with hormone blockers or surgery.  She is particularly opposed to such treatment being given to minors.  By contrast, Webberley holds that transgender youth are able to decide their gender and that Keen was causing harm with her statements.

A good portion of the debate was Keen attempting to elicit exactly what age was appropriate for a child to decide on gender, how many encounters with a medical professional should be required before hormone blockers could be considered, whether gender dysphoria was a mental illness associated with other conditions (e.g., homosexuality, autism), and whether treatment resulted in permanent sexual disfunction.  Webberley refused to pick a specific age for treatment, though she offered 15 as a reasonable age, but would not categorically rule out 11.  She dismissed the idea of contributing conditions, even suggesting that the autism diagnosis might be in error.  Gender dysphoria is not a mental disorder and saying that it was is hate speech, which is illegal under British law.  Both ended the debate by declaring the other should be in jail, Keen for hate speech and Webberley for child abuse.  Lively!

Keen's big weakness was that she would refer to studies and then not cite them.  Which study?  She mentioned a few examples, but that is all anecdotal.  However, she was specific and clear in what her views were.  There was nothing vague or gray in her answers.  Webberley was hopelessly ambiguous and offered nothing specific except that the law stood on her side.  At one point she said that sex cannot be changed and at another point, she said that a trans-woman is indeed a woman.  Okay, which is it?  She would then explain the issue in such a way that it was entirely confusing.  She had a strategy of filibustering, denouncing interruptions and going on tangents.  She denounced Kisin for platforming Keen.

Keen's argument was far superior.  Webberley spent much of her time being offended and giving answers as clear as mud.  Comments on the debate massively favored Keen.  That said, it was not an hour well spent.  Much of this was the same old stuff gone over again, with Keen offering the standard litany and Webberley mostly offering non-answers with accusations of bigotry on the side.

Better to be Wrong?

In the 19th century, Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) suggested that doctors should wash their hands between patients.  It so happened that roughly 10% to 15% of women were dying after childbirth.  However, Semmelweis was able to reduce that to less than 1% through his handwashing regimen.  He called for all doctors to do this.  They called him crazy, and he eventually died in a mental institution.  A doctor who had tried Semmelweis' handwashing found that deaths did indeed plummet.  The realization that he had killed so many of his patients led him to commit suicide.  To embrace Semmelweis was to also accept that they had fatally infected many of their patients.  For their own sanity, doctors rejected Semmelweis.

Recently, I listened to a woman - Helen Joyce - who said that the trans debate is not going to fade away.  There are too many parents who have had their children surgically transitioned.  They are committed to the trans camp for life.  To accept that transgender is a mental disorder that should be treated as such is to admit to needlessly mutilating - and likely sterilizing - their children.  Better to stay the course.  In fact, not just stay the course but, like the doctors opposing Semmelweis, denounce those who argue against transgender.  This also applies to abortion.  Those on the pro-choice side are locked into their views because the alternative means they have championed infanticide.  No one wants to swallow that pill.

A Gotcha Question

Much is being made of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's inability to define 'woman' when asked by Senator Blackburn.  It has become a punchline across conservative media.  However, in the judge's defense, it is her job to interpret the laws that legislatures pass.  In Oregon, one man has been recognized by the state as 'genderless.'  The story of 'man gives birth' has been a staple for at least a decade, always a case of a trans-man.  Sadly, many laws have been passed that have allowed men to become women and women to become men.  That's legislation.  To quote Justice Scalia:

'This Court holds only the judicial power—the power to pronounce the law as Congress has enacted it. We lack the prerogative to repair laws that do not work out in practice, just as the people lack the ability to throw us out of office if they dislike the solutions we concoct. We must always remember, therefore, that ‘[o]ur task is to apply the text, not to improve upon it.’

Though we all know what a woman is when we consider biology, the question is much murkier when we are concerned with how the law defines a woman.  Unfortunately, the two definitions are not the same.  The fact that the two definitions have diverged is why terms such as birthing person, pregnant people, bleeder, chestfeeding, cervix-haver, and so forth are frequently used when trying to specify women in the older sense of the word.  The word woman is no longer exclusive to adult human females.  The blame for this lies with legislators and it is their job to fix it.

DARVO

I had never heard the term DARVO, but find it insightful.  It stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.  In this article, DARVO is discussed as it relates to Lia Thomas breaking women's college records.  Lia is a trans-athlete who retains male genitalia.  Nonetheless, she shares a locker room with women who are vilified if they object to this situation.  They are the intolerant bigots while Lia is the victim of their narrowmindedness.  Thus, we have Denied the reality that Lia retains her biological maleness, Attacked those who object to a biological male competing with biological females, and Reversed the roles of Offender and Victim.  Lia is the victim and the entirety of Ivy League female swimmers are the offenders.

If Lia wants to be a woman, great.  Go for it.  However, it is rather suspicious that a college swimmer who did not win while male chose to transition to female and then won regularly and broke records.

Boys v. Girls

When I was in fourth grade, we went out for PE and the coach said we'd do flag football.  The coach then divided us into two groups: those who were confident in their football skills and those who weren't.  I hadn't played much football at that time, so I went to the noob group.  As it happens, that group consisted of every girl in the 4th grade and 3 boys.  Hmm.  The other two boys quickly decided they were more confident after all.  I didn't.  Looking back now, I feel a bit embarrassed about that, but there you go.  There I was, a 9 year-old boy with a bunch of 9 and 10 year-old girls, some of whom were already taller than me.  In 6th grade, I remember the tallest kid was Kirsten, this beanpole giant of a girl.  I saw her about 8 years later by which time I towered over her.  Funny.  Anyway, there I am with my flags and on one of the two teams, this pre-pubescent boy.  What do you suppose happened?  My team dominated.  If I got the ball, it was a touchdown.  I made most of the 'tackles' on my team.  We trounced them.  Wow, that was fun.  I had never been the best player on any team.

Today, we have post-pubescent men who have decided they are women.  Fine, I have no problem with that.  Live your life.  However, a surprising number of these trans-women have decided to compete in women's sports.  Currently, the big story is about Lia Thomas, who is breaking records left and right in NCAA women's swimming.  The thing about Lia is that she had participated in NCAA men's swimming for three years when she was Will Thomas, but seldom won.  By transitioning, she's the GOAT of women's swimming.  Huh.  Reminds me of a 9 year-old boy I knew.

What to do?  Though dominant trans-athletes headline the news. they are relatively rare.  It's not like every women's team has a coterie of trans-athletes.  As far as I know, Lia Thomas is the only trans-swimmer and it is her senior year.  Many trans-athletes have competed and lost.  For example, Laurel Hubbard made it to the Olympics and failed to even finish the event.  Change to a unisex system?  That would essentially wipe out women in athletics.  Venus Williams, often said to be the greatest female tennis player ever, was trounced by Karsten Braasch, who was ranked 203rd in men's tennis.  How about requiring trans-athletes to compete against fellow XX or XY chromosome people?  In Texas, something like that happened.  Mack Beggs, a trans-man who wanted to compete against other men in wrestling, was instead left in the women's league.  As he was taking testosterone, he decimated other wrestlers, winning the state championship two years running.  It was a big story.  If not for being trans, the taking of testosterone would instantly disqualify a competitor.  What about a separate trans-category?  Men, women, trans-men, and trans-women divisions?  Nope, because that is clearly stating that trans-men aren't men and trans-women aren't women.  That is the sort of talk that draws a lot of flak (e.g. JK Rowling).  Perhaps the problem will resolve itself.  In the not too distant future, it may be possible to do some gene-editing that will dramatically transform the body.  Or maybe Meta (formerly Facebook) will really take off and sports events will be held in cyberspace where only skill determines the outcome.  No good solution presents itself as yet.

Transgender Ban

Much ink is being spilled over President Trump's reversal of a year old policy implemented by an out-going President Obama.  Most amazing was when Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning dared to blast the president.  Wow, there is perhaps the worst person imaginable to speak on this subject, a transgender in the military who betrayed the country.  It would appear that many believe there is a right to join the military.  No, there isn't.

When I was a senior in high school, an army recruiter came to campus.  He asked me about my interests and explained what the Army could offer.  His eagerness to recruit me evaporated when I mentioned that I was asthmatic.  Disqualified.  No hard feelings on my part.  On the football team, I often had trouble keeping up with my teammates.

 

Asthma is only one of many things that can disqualify one for military service.  Being too tall or too short, too thin or too fat, bad eyes, bad hearing, no high school diploma, criminal conviction, and more can result in disqualification.  Of note, mental disorders can also be disqualifying.  How is it that a biological male who wants to be female is not suffering a mental issue?  If the military doesn't have to put up with my asthma, why should they put up with their gender dysphoria?

 

Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr) was a ludicrous goofball character on MASH.  He cross-dressed in order to get booted from the military.  Now cross-dressing and having the military pay for sex reassignment therapy is entirely acceptable.  How far we have come.

 

Anything that detracts from the military mission should be rejected whenever possible.  Having transgendered soldiers serve openly may make the military more fair, but it doesn't make it more effective.  It is more important that it is effective than fair.

Doctor Who's Sex Change

Fifty-four years after the start of Doctor Who, the latest incarnation will be female.  The Doctor is an alien from the planet Gallifrey and somehow in those 5 decades it was never mentioned that Gallifreyans could change sex.  I lost interest in the modern version of the show sometime around the end of David Tennant and the beginning of Matt Smith.  It went from a young and frantic Doctor to younger and more frantic Doctor.  I tried getting back into the show when Peter Capaldi replaced Smith but was crushed by his introduction, notably the moment when his "companion" slapped him like he was a misbehaving child back when it was not child abuse to slap children.  Heck, the companion was more in charge than the bemused Doctor.

 

The planet Gallifrey had quite a few Time Lords and not all of them were men.  For nearly three years the Doctor was accompanied by Romana, a Time Lady.  Unlike the rest of the Time Lords, she did not die during the catastrophe.  She was stranded in E-Space, some alternate universe, where she presumably lives still.  If the BBC is so eager to have a female Time Lady, bring back Romana.  Nope, let's regenerated into a woman.  The outlandish comedy of Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death has ceased to be comedy and is now canon.  Joy.

 

For a former fan, this is depressing to see.  So many shows from my youth that have been rebooted have turned to crap.  Star Trek is self-hating drivel, Star Wars is on the social justice bandwagon, Ghostbusters was sold as feminist propaganda, Henry Cavill's Superman is a guilt-ridden white male, and now Doctor Who is transgender.  The Planet of the Apes franchise has been extremely well done and highly entertaining but, in the end, humanity is the villain.  Yeah, more of that self-hatred.

 

As for the Doctor, the BBC should have just gone all in and had the Doctor regenerate as a gay black Muslim woman confined to a wheelchair.  Just watch those ratings skyrocket with all that social justice.

"Man" gives Birth

The Sun reports that a British man made "history by giving birth to baby girl thanks to sperm donor he found on Facebook."  Wait.  Sperm donor?  Shouldn't a man be able to provide sperm?  I would think that he would need an egg donor.  No, it comes as no surprise that Hayden Cross was born Paige Cross.  Thus, Hayden is a 'man' who has a uterus.  In biology, that would be a woman but "woman gives birth" just doesn't get the clicks.

 

If Hayden wants to be a man who gives birth, that's fine.  The annoying issue here is the media reporting this as if it's news.  Thirty years ago, this would have been a headline on the National Enquirer right under "Aliens Meet President Reagan" and "Elvis Presley Found Living in Manitoba."  Maybe The Sun is the British version of National Enquirer.  The 'man gives birth' story is old hat now.  The novelty is gone.  When an actual man gives birth to a baby like Arnold Schwartznegger in Junior, report that.  Until then, give this a rest.

Steroid Loophole?

This wrestler has an amazing 55-0 record.  Wow, she must be good.  Oh, she is taking testosterone injections since she wants to be a boy.  As a side-effect, it has really increased her muscle mass.  If not for her transgender status, taking testosterone would qualify as cheating.  Therefore, our lesson here is that if you want to be the greatest female wrestler around, claim that you want to be male and take steroids.

EXTRA! Woman gives birth!

Yes, that is what actually happened but, because the woman is a transgendered man and his wife is a transgendered woman, the 'man' of the couple gave birth because he was the one with the womb.  Really?  The reason they were able to conceive was neither had had 'corrective' surgery yet.  Corrective!  If not for the fact that each member of this couple claims to be the opposite sex - which clearly they are not - this would be a non-story.  Man impregnates woman.  Woman gives birth.  OMG!  Wait until a car identifies as a garage and a garage identifies as a car, then we can park the garage in the car!

If Machado and Rodriguez want to swap genders in their relationship, that is fine.  However, this is another in the line of pregnant man stories that isn't true but gets a big headline.  It's a hoax in which the participants want to believe.  This reminds me of the case of Thomas Beatie, the pregnant man from Oregon.  He had begun his 'corrective' surgery (double mastectomy) but still had the plumbing to get pregnant, which he did.  Pregnant man.  Sigh.

"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?  Four.  Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg."

Abraham Lincoln

By the same token, if you call a man a woman, she still can't get pregnant.  This is obvious lunacy and yet you are a bigot if you don't embrace it.  Live as you wish to live but you cannot require my participation in your fantasy.  We have come to where a Monty Python sketch is taken seriously.