When Someone Asks for Your Pronouns

On Twitter, Melinda Richards asked: “If someone asks me for my pronouns…what’s my best response?”

Here are some of the suggestions she received:

  • "Go with your gut." (Colin Wright)
  • “I’m not normalizing this ideology by giving you my pronouns” (Eyes Wide Open)
  • 'Why do you want to know?' (Geoffrey Miller)
  • “Your Majesty, of course.” (Pierre Chenekoala)
  • “The normal ones.” (Gyno Chad)
  • “I no speaka de wokie.” (Lou Rider)
  • “I identify as a donkey. My pronouns are hee/haw.” (Ryan Rally)
  • “Traditional” (MostlyInitTogether)
  • “I don’t recognize your religion.” (Lorraine Braddock)
  • "You're a bright kid. You work it out." (Dick Nalton)
  • “Just say ‘Treat me as a normal person and use the ones you have used 2 years ago.’” (Oliver Reed)

One more ...

“Point is, 'pronouns' are not used to "address" people - only when talking *about* someone. e.g. "he/she did such&such" When addressing someone, you use their name or title (Doctor, Professor etc), or sir/madam/miss if you don't know their name. So, their 'pronouns' are superfluous.” (Boomerang1)

See also, Colin Wright's article on this topic at the Wall Street Journal.

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PayPal: Not a Friend to Free Speech

Let this sink in. PayPal has the power and inclination to wreck the Free Speech Union. Report by FIRE:

Two weeks ago, PayPal shuttered the account of the Free Speech Union, a London-based organization founded by social commentator Toby Young to advocate for free expression. PayPal also closed Young’s personal account and that of his news and opinion website, The Daily Sceptic.

On Tuesday, PayPal reinstated the accounts, but only after sustained public criticism of the company’s apparently viewpoint-discriminatory actions.

“Forgive me if I don’t leap for joy,” Young told The Telegraph newspaper. “The last two weeks have been a nightmare as I’ve scrabbled to try to stop The Daily Sceptic and Free Speech Union going under. PayPal’s software was embedded in all our payment systems, so the sudden closure of our accounts was an existential threat.”

In typically murky fashion, PayPal initially gave Young no reason for the bans other than to say that the accounts violated the company’s vague acceptable use policy. However, a PayPal spokesperson told the press, “Achieving the balance between protecting the ideals of tolerance, diversity and respect for people of all backgrounds and upholding the values of free expression and open dialogue can be difficult, but we do our best to achieve it.” Other reports indicate PayPal’s decision to close the accounts had to do with alleged COVID-19 misinformation.

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Is “Cultural Appropriation” a Thing?

Is "cultural appropriation" really a thing? Franklin Einspruch says no in his article: ""Cultural appropriation" isn't real. It's just culture.". Here is an excerpt:

As far as we know, every people of the earth in every era produced visual culture, styling and modifying their bodies, adorning themselves, and producing durable objects of representation and abstraction. New culture came about the way new people came about—by mixing. The anti-appropriationists of today sound much like the anti-miscegenationists of the past, taking for granted that racial groups have clear borders and ought not be seen in public to combine. The pro-human approach is to allow such combinations, whether at the personal or cultural level. Not all mixing will work out well, just as not all relationships will work out well. But the successes deliver new kinds of life and new kinds of art, and justify the failures. To oppose “cultural appropriation,” is, in a sense, to oppose life.

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Increased Risk of Nuclear War over the Donbas

I completely agree with the concerns expressed here by Glenn Greenwald (and Tucker Carlson) on the increased risk of nuclear war over the Donbas. This is insanity that we don't have any meaningful discussions about this risk. And did anyone else notice that Biden just approved of slipping in another $12 Billion in funding to this war to the latest spending bill. This is in addition to the $54 Billion already spent on the war in the Ukraine.

[Added Oct 4 2022]

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Michael Shellenberger: Regarding Hurricanes, the News Media Narrative Does Not Fit the Facts

Michael Schellenberger makes a strong case for journalism malpractice and warns us that prominent news outlets are working hard to prevent meaningful conversations.

Continue ReadingMichael Shellenberger: Regarding Hurricanes, the News Media Narrative Does Not Fit the Facts