Been thinking a lot about this Judith Butler interview in the last couple of days, and it's really helped me put words to what makes people like JK Rowling so dangerous--her high profile + power makes her fringe views seem more mainstream than they are https://www.newstatesman.com/international/2020/09/judith-butler-culture-wars-jk-rowling-and-living-anti-intellectual-times

Particularly the handwringing part of The Discourse that's like "brr brr what about all the online abuse Rowling gets??" and it's like, yeah. That's bad. But where's the concern for the abuse flung at much, MUCH more vulnerable trans people that Rowling's rhetoric encourages?

Like I, in their eyes, am some gullible doof who has been drawn in by the Trans Agenda™ and am therefore a gender traitor--every time you so much as type the word "TERF" on twitter dot com, they swarm, like sharks smelling blood. Now imagine how bad it is for ACTUAL trans people

Her ideology needs to be affirmatively refuted as fringe fantasy, and not entertained in the same way you wouldn't entertain debate with a "race realist." This is the danger of someone as famous as Rowling being such an out-and-proud TERF. It makes the ideology seem mainstream.

And the keyword here is "fantasy" - in the case of people like Rowling, her fear is rooted in real pain, but it's wildly misplaced fear at what she sees as a threat (trans women). These fears of trans women (or cis men) exploiting "women's spaces" are rooted in pure fantasy.

every time. every. time.

I don't know what's more insulting, outright trolling or "brr brr but you're so smart, whyyy can't you see The Truth™??" ok nvm the patronizing "you should know better" bs is more insulting

ANYWAY, back to reading silence of the lambs, which is in no way related to this topic!