plugged beyond pink and blue twice, changed their minds about trans people in sport. feel like this was some minor praxis and am now rewarding myself with some good food
downside I feel like I libbed out twice but clawed one back
but still
a good day
How'd you change their mind? This is one of those issues where I don't know what's effective. People rarely seem open to change on "culture war"stuff.
Something along the lines of:
MtF trans athletes don't have an advantage over cis women. If they did, you'd see them overrepresented on the podeum in the women's olympic events. So far, there is yet to be a trans 1st place woman. We've seen how far nations will go to win (Russia - Icarus doping scandal) so if it was the case that MtF have an advantage they'd be a lot more represented in the olympics. The olympics is the pinnacle of sports, and as such their rules are also to a very high standard. The rule is that MtF athletes must have been on HRT for two years to compete, to make sure they have no advantage.
They say: but they still have an advantage - bone length.
I say:
Well, firstly that 'advantage' isn't actually advantageous as indicated by the stats I just told you. Secondly, we see variance in the sizes of people all the time. Michael Phelps has a 7L lung capacity as opposed to the average 5L, freakishly flexible ankles and a massive wingspan, and hands. Will Skelton (rugby player) is 7ft something and has bones the thickness of tree trunks. Aleksandr Karelin dominated the wrestling scene because he was a genetic freak. Usain Bolt has more twitch muscle fibers than your average person. Yet we don't ban these people for their physiological variation.
They usually sit there a bit stumped.
I finish with: in fact, if we want to keep sports fair, one of the key things we need to do is to recognise trans people. Look at Mack Beggs. He's a wrestler who is mid transition to male, who asked to join the men's league in wrestling. His states wrestling federation didn't allow him. Now he suplexes women half his size in the women's league, ruining the competition really. All because people wouldn't recognize a trans man is a valid man.
The argument for FtM is a lot easier, it's just make sure their testosterone levels are the same as their competition.
well now I want to make a podcast about defending AES so I can have you on
Sometimes you have to lib out as a concession so you can give them a few jabs rather than going for the obvious, telegraphed haymaker.
Yup, exactly. Didn't want to say a big scary communism word because it would just devolve into a never ending tangent.
Unfortunately it would - it's just a little one made by some guys I used to go to school with. Small but dedicated audience of sport fanatic tories as far as I can tell.
What was the argument that changed their mind about trans people in sports? Has always felt like one of those things rightwingers will never change their minds on so that is really impressive that you swayed them.
Something along the lines of:
MtF trans athletes don't have an advantage over cis women. If they did, you'd see them overrepresented on the podeum in the women's olympic events. So far, there is yet to be a trans 1st place woman. We've seen how far nations will go to win (Russia - Icarus doping scandal) so if it was the case that MtF have an advantage they'd be a lot more represented in the olympics. The olympics is the pinnacle of sports, and as such their rules are also to a very high standard. The rule is that MtF athletes must have been on HRT for two years to compete, to make sure they have no advantage.
They say: but they still have an advantage - bone length.
I say:
Well, firstly that 'advantage' isn't actually advantageous as indicated by the stats I just told you. Secondly, we see variance in the sizes of people all the time. Michael Phelps has a 7L lung capacity as opposed to the average 5L, freakishly flexible ankles and a massive wingspan, and hands. Will Skelton (rugby player) is 7ft something and has bones the thickness of tree trunks. Aleksandr Karelin dominated the wrestling scene because he was a genetic freak. Usain Bolt has more twitch muscle fibers than your average person. Yet we don't ban these people for their physiological variation.
They usually sit there a bit stumped.
I finish with: in fact, if we want to keep sports fair, one of the key things we need to do is to recognise trans people. Look at Mack Beggs. He's a wrestler who is mid transition to male, who asked to join the men's league in wrestling. His states wrestling federation didn't allow him. Now he suplexes women half his size in the women's league, ruining the competition really. All because people wouldn't recognize a trans man is a valid man.
The argument for FtM is a lot easier, it's just make sure their testosterone levels are the same as their competition.
One of them pretty much said that, the other took a few more points about how if he's so obsessed with 'facts and logic' and general 'read a biology textbook' shit, then the testosterone levels as a fair competition marker should make perfect sense. Sadly, the second guy at the end said he wouldn't gender a person by their preferred pronouns, but the sports side of things made sense to him.
When the episodes come out I'll nab some clips, but I couldn't link it in full cos it would definitely dox me.
It would have been better if you just made a throwaway account IMO
Honestly clips is probably still too much. It wouldn't be that hard to find the full thing based on them.
