Good Dog Otto

On the watch for brains, heart, and courage. Married, with kids, in mid-life. Identifying as an imaginary terrier so my family doesn't pay for my opinions. 😲

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@balessk @JamieWhistle @nytimes "go along with it, at least verbally" ... Apologies, that was my paraphrase, and not a direct quote. I should have put that in single quotes.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

"But for now let's stick with immigration, crime and transgender rights."

So, it IS saying to sideline free speech for another day. A "strong commitment to free speech" isn't that strong if it's delayed. Nope. The rights of people to hold and express their own beliefs are essential, and should not be postponed. This is CORE to classic liberalism.

And....

"A man can claim an identify as a woman, and the same in reverse for a woman. They have every right to do so. Their claim should be respected and they should be protected from any form of discrimination for their choice."

No! A claim like "trans women are women" need not be respected. It is insulting by its very nature ... and entirely disrespectful of genuine women (and men). They are entitled to express it, but a false statement, while protected by free speech, is not entitled to respect merely because someone believes it. Maybe the word they were looking for was "tolerated" ... because yes, we should tolerate views we do not respect - but somehow I doubt they meant other than what they said.

So the recommended approach is, "go along with it, at least verbally" ... to pay lip-service to the idea that a man who says he is a woman is, indeed, a woman. (Except for in sports and a few other circumstances.)

This approach is playing more word games, and invoking language appeasement - trying to placate everyone, while offending no one. It is an approach that is doomed to fail.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

... and @Grandpa_Joes_X removed his reply.

This ridiculous forced social activism through government can't withstand scrutiny or simple logic. The more questions you ask, the more the thinking disintegrates under the weight of its own arrogance. All we have to do is have the audacity to push back.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@Grandpa_Joes_X replied:
"Since when were schools anointed/appointed/obligated to determine "age appropriate?"

My answer: They weren't. That role belongs to parents and the community. If a selection does not win unanimous approval by parents in the community, it has no place in public schools. Sane, responsible adults in the community know and state the standard, and public schools, acting on the trust of the public, enforce it. Or we replace school board members in elections.

But Joe blocked me, so he's not really interested in discussing that question.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

The size of your list is not the win you think it is:

1. Famous does not equal wise or thoughtful

2. Hollywood actresses are hardly intellectuals

3. Hollywood actresses live in a world literally not based in reality

4. Numbers have no relevance to what is right.

5. Celebrity opinions have no relationship to what people in general believe to be right.

6. Hollywood and celebrity societies have made it clear: To be in their club, and to have success and acceptance, you must align with their political and social views. Thus, the reason the list of people is so much longer. Many of these people express pro-trans views to protect their place in the "club."

6. If pro-trans views were actually in the minority, you would change your argument from "there are more of us in powerful circles" to "we are an oppressed minority."

7. In terms of people who have done their homework, been thoughtful, brave, have sincerely considered both "sides," and have made a powerful and articulate argument based on evidence, logic, and good-faith consideration of the best arguments of the opposition, J.K. Rowling ALONE outweighs the moral and intellectual authority of all the people on your other list ... combined ... by far. All of the other celebs on your list will be largely forgotten 100 years from now, if they are not already. But Rowling's work will be treasured by millions upon millions, and she will have a legacy that endures for centuries, at the very least. Women, in particular, will remember her for not abandoning them, not re-writing what a woman actually is, and putting her nearly universal adoration on the lineto stay true to common sense and the protection of women and children.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@krassenstein is working hard for a Lifetime Achievement in Disengenuousness award. Trump is hardly a model human being, and his presidency has definitely had some errors. BUT: ONE piece of equipment fell. The stage did NOT collapse, and is entirely intact. Yes, this is bad, and dangerous. It is not Trump's fault.

Donald Trump is hardly in charge of stagehand operations, and it is totally lame to pin this on him or the administration. As a HUGE Trump skeptic, I have no problem in saying this is a prime example of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Meanwhile, the left is not the least concerned with the rushed and botched debacle of the Afghanistan pullout, which is directly attributable to Joe Biden and his administration. So please spare us the freak-out over this incicent - that deserves a closer look but actually ended okay.

[Brian Krassenstein @krassenstein]

MAJOR BREAKING: Trump’s Freedom 250 stage collapses in the midst of a rehearsal for the July 4 performance.

This is so representative of Trump‘s presidency.

It appears that everyone is OK, but this could’ve gone so much worse. People literally could have died.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

To females who want to excel in competitive sports, and earn scholarships, Olympic participation, etc. it matters a lot. It's everything. And while it's hard to lose a position to another girl who has earned it, it's devastating to lose it to a male.

Again, you make valid points. Your desire for inclusion in athletic experiences for everyone who wants it is not misplaced. But at what cost? Especially when there are, actually, workable accommodations that can be made: Co-ed sports teams do exist, in schools and communities, where gender (and locker rooms) simply are not an issue. You show-up, play, have a good time, and go home.

Alas, these options do not and will not satisfy some: Their goal is not to participate. It is to coerce all of society into redefining what it means to be a man or a woman: to destroy existing social norms and impose new social ones, and demand allyship and celebration of an ideology that has serious, negative physical and mental health consequences for young people. They want to eliminate all limits, boundaries, and questions. A seriously fun game on a co-ed soccer team will not appease those for whom "pride" is everything and acknowledging sexual realities and boundaries is entirely unacceptable.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

I get what you're saying, and you have a point: Females identifying as males playing on male teams breaks the ruling. Females identifying as males, playing on female teams, means some girls / women are taking testosterone, thus having an unfair advantage. So your point is valid- Some kids will have to sit out.

That, however, is the unfortunate reality. All of society cannot possibly make infinte accommodations for those who make deliberate choices that place them in untennable positions. Yet we see increased entitlement where people put themselves in situations, and then demand society accommodate them: People become morbidly obese through lack of activity and unhealthy diet, and then claim exclusion because they can't fit in standard airplane or theme park seats. People wear outlandish clothing, tattoos and piercings, and are upset they have difficulty finding a job. They "transition" with surgeries and hormones, putting themselves into gender limbo - and demand that the OTHER players make significant sacrifices so they can play where they want to play.

Reality doesn't work that way, even for "non-trans" kids: Kids who don't lead a healthy life will sideline themselves from playing on competitive sports teams. Short kids will often not make the cut in basketball, through no fault of their own. Even some races have advantages in amateur and professional sports, due to genetic traits.

I'm sad for kids who are unhappy with their gender, for so many ways. This is one. But it doesn't make think it's okay to tell some girls to move off the podium to accommodate the dude who wants to be and beat them. And none of this even touches the inappropriateness of putting males into female locker rooms.

It is a tough situation, and no way the trans movement will be satisfied until girls give up (or have taken from them) what they deserve. I guess that is something we'll all have to live with- It's the reality.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@SelenaAnaRg @jk_rowling Read your post three times. Tried really hard to understand what you were saying. Did not find logic, support, examples, or context. Gave up. Sorry.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

Would you take this approach if you were selling something and someone paid you with counterfeit money?

Counterfeit money is counterfeit money, regardless of how well it presents. The better it "passes," the more sophisticated the fraud. The quality of the fake money does not make it more legit.

Yes, money and people are different - but the principle is the same. If I buy something from you with counterfeit money, there may have been no fuss, and no one (but me) may be any the wiser - but I have still misled you, and have taken something that did not belong to me. In that regard, what you have done and what a counterfeiter does is parallel, and the "no fuss" excuse is not an excuse.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

When I was a child (somewhere between ages 3 and 7), and I wanted something, sometimes my parents said "No." I recall storming off to my room, slamming the door, throwing myself on the bed, and dissolving into tears, repeating the mantra "They HATE me!😡"

Such events were nothing more than childish tantrums, erupting from my self-centered feelings and frustration of not getting what I wanted. My feelings did not reflect at all my parents' actual love for me. As it turns out, my parents could say "No" and love me more than any other human beings on the planet - including other grown-ups who would gladly let me do whatever I wanted.

Fortunately, my tantrums ended, I grew out of that mindset, and stopped interpreting other people's pushback on my plans as "hatred" for me.

Best of luck to you as you continue the process of maturing.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

Lawfare to do what, exactly? Vagueness won't help here. Is she proposing that trans identifying people be banished to some real-life Azkaban? Or is she supporting laws that will protect women from having to share private, intimate spaces with biological men without their explicit, individual consent?

I believe in reality, and if the reality is that JKR is actually doing what you accuse her of doing, it's fair to criticize it. But if you can't support your accusations with evidence of her words or actions, then you are an imaginary victim in a fabricated war ... catastrophizing in the brain's natural attempt to defend itself against threats real and perceived, and employing the professional activist's ploy to demonize the opposition to recruit support from sympathizers.

Brianna, when you read JKR's comments in their totality, you cannot reasonably come to the conclusion that she wants you out of society. If you want to be considered a good-faith actor in this debate, make sure your words reflect reality - and connect the dots with observed and documented fact, not perceived fears.

I'm not saying everyone treats you as they should or some of your fears aren't justified- but crying wolf will never result in the resolution of legitimate problems.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

Nope. How does it violate core beliefs to refuse service because they disagree with your politics? (Unless one's core belief is to be a jerk.)

Is Disney okay refusing entry to someone with a Chick-Fil-A t-shirt? Is Chick-Fil-A okay in denying service to someone with a rainbow flag pin?

No. It is clearly different, and going down that road will be ugly for everyone.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@OliLondonTV 'People think I'm going to go in the bathroom and do something for weird or creepy, and obviously I'm not...'

Dude, you do weird and creepy things in public at Disneyland. No thoughtful person believes you would never do weird and creepy things in a bathroom.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

I am a conservative Republican. Any conversation about performance gaps that does not include the questions "What have we been doing wrong and forgetting?" and "What must we do better?" ... with honest and introspective answers ... is a useless conversation.

Yes, the woke left and "moderates" have their issues, but so does the right. Conservatives are not cutting the budget enough. They continue to neglect public education through non-involvement. Corruption abounds on the left and the right. Property taxes remain too high.

Republicans who only blame 'stupid' voters for their election fails are ignoring how they have earned the disillusionment of voters by their own failure to listen and govern responsibly.

[Good Dog Otto @GoodDogOtto]

@Steven_OShea @bourne_beth2345 @WoodlandPD Lots of videos show the insanity of the left. But if the conversation is like a ping-pong game of insults, sarcasm, and shaming behavior, neither person comes out looking great.