Please do. Consider submitting it to Areo. We'll give it special consideration. We're particularly interested in running pieces defending core postmodern ideas still being used in Theory today because we've published A LOT of criticism of it & our readers deserve a counterview. https://twitter.com/Brett_Fujioka/status/1321226906587615232
All we ask, @Brett_Fujioka, and anyone else who'd like to submit a critical essay to Areo is that you are charitable, balanced & fair-minded. We don't accept character assassinations, mindreading, accusations of dishonesty or nefarious motivations.
This doesn't mean you have to hold back criticism at all. Absolutely demolish somebody's argument or interpretation. Say you think it is entirely wrong & then present your evidence for that and a reasoned argument and we will publish it.
I've now published three very harsh criticisms of my own work because the writer didn't attack my character, accuse me of dishonesty or evil intentions. They just thought I was very wrong & explained why. We need more of this. (BTW, they were wrong & I was right, obviously)
I have critics that I simply won't engage with and block & this is because they accuse me of dishonesty or ill-intent. I won't tolerate that. That's because I know that I am honest and well-intentioned. That's not up for debate by me. I am the authority on my own mind.
On the other hand, I have endless patience for people who accept that I am honest & well-intentioned but think that I am wrong either factually, ethically or both and want to make an argument to me that that is the case. That's something I can address with humility & openness.
I admit that 99 times out of 100, I leave those discussions still convinced I was right, but 1 in 100 over a decade of these arguments amounts to quite a lot of mind-changing. And even if I don't change my mind, I will share the criticisms and let people make up their own minds
Over the last year, I have learnt not to be afraid of people making convincing arguments that I am wrong about something. I used to feel this undermined my credibility & integrity. I don't feel that way any longer because I have realised I have the power to accept or deny this.
And I have also learnt that accepting wrongness doesn't make people find me more less credible but more so I'm not afraid of that anymore. It's liberating. Here's two things I was wrong about in the last year.
1) I claimed that having close friends of a different race made it almost impossible to sustain the false belief that any race is inferior. That was wrong. People can sustain racist beliefs by mental gymnastics that make their friend an exception that proves the rule.
2) I expressed doubt that anyone would want to believe their child to be trans rather than gay or lesbian because I thought people who are homophobic are likely to be even more transphobic. That was also wrong.
I have since been shown lots of evidence that there is a mentality that would rather a child be trans than homosexual and a rationale that supports that. This was an eye-opener for me but I've seen the evidence of it. It is a real thing. I accept that now.
So that was two things I didn't know and expressed doubt about and was then presented with evidence that my belief about those things was wrong and changed my mind accordingly. Why should I be ashamed of that? I shouldn't. People are wrong all the time. It's part of being human.
It's also part of being human to feel mortified in the moment of realising you have been wrong so it is very important to make that easy for people. Don't try to press your advantage and claim a victory. Support the other person to change their mind with dignity instead.
That didn't happen when I expressed skepticism that religious parents were more likely to accept their kids as trans than gay & was shown I was mistaken.Gender critical feminists were more interested in rubbing in that I'd been wrong than facilitating me correcting a false belief
Don't do that. It doesn't help anything.
As @Intrinsic29 often points out, it is much more common for people to change their minds during contemplation after a discussion than during it so let them do that. Let them go away and think about it. Enable mind-changing & respect it.
Anyway, enough from me. I have had several glasses of wine. It's not my fault. @IonaItalia told me to and I obeyed. Time to rehydrate and sleep.
You can follow @HPluckrose.
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