After our Reverse Q&A at Brown University was cancelled, we decided to take the event to Portland‘s streets. This video was captured on May 11th, 2022 outside a Portland State University building that houses the department of social work. I was asking students a question about what it means for gender to be on a “spectrum.” Here’s what happened…
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As a danish social worker, I am quite apalled about what I just witnessed in the clip.
It's my belief that the very essence of being a social worker, is the ability to have an honest conversation, to even function in the capacity of supporting a client. If people cannot exist in an emotional vulnerable conversation without getting triggered, this field is not for them.
Our educational system is not currently tainted with this ideology, but there are minor signs that it's starting to appear, and if what is portrayed in the clip happens over here as well, I am really worried for the citizens that will come into contact with a liscenced social worker of this kind.
Watching these videos reminds me of John McWhorter’s thesis in WOKE RACISM (paraphrasing): that anti-racism is religion to some people, and they can’t be reached, so it’s best to work around them. I think the same is true of those who are advocates and/or activists for transgender ideology. I appreciate what you’re trying to do and the point you’re trying to get these folks to understand, but they are resisting it with all their might. As Jonathan Haidt might observe, they are clearly well-meaning, bright people, who are using their intellect to rationalize that which they already believe, rather than — understanding that none of us is omniscient and therefore there is always more to learn — seeking the truth with curiosity and humility. I wonder if it might not be a better use of your finite time, energy and resources to reach out to the large majority of people who are reachable, in the hopes of getting them to engage constructively with people who have different perspectives on these issues. We really do need to have honest, adult conversations on these issues, but too many people are just trying to keep their heads down. As I think about it, I have seen in these videos that some students are part of the aforementioned majority and are willing to engage. If so, then perhaps another idea is to thank those, like the ones in this video, who have had their say and are sucking up all the oxygen, and then ask if anyone there has a different perspective. For example, you could ask if anyone there actually agrees with the statement that there are only two genders, invite anyone who steps forward to share their perspective and how they came to hold it, and challenge the others to listen with the curiosity they claim to have. Ultimately, I think you are doing really important work and I am grateful for it. The above are merely thoughts about how you might be more effective.