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I haven't watched the video but I can give you an example of why "historical experience" is nonsense. I'm a Jewish woman of mature years who's always been skeptical of the medical profession, because I know how easily physicians dismiss the reported experiences of, you know, women. Example: "Pap smears don't hurt!"

And when I was in labor in a very good NY hospital, on a day when it seemed the entire universe was birthing at the same time and the healthcare staff was extremely harried, I was a little disconcerted by the absolute lack of tender solicitousness of the nurses; i.e. telling the woman screaming in the next room that she was just fine.

Or my experiences having my viewpoints dismissed by my employers while board members stating the same were listened to, shall we say, worshipfully. I was a subordinate, so I did not matter.

A black woman with identical experiences who attributed them to ethnicity rather than hierarchy or the way physicians treat all women would, of course, be incorrect. Her "lived experiences" are real but the conclusions she draws from them are erroneous.

This is the big boulder everyone keeps tripping over.

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I will quibble with "of course." Many surgeons look down on everyone who is not a surgeon. OB-GYNs are surgeons. Also, It is difficult to gauge another's pan.

As for having your viewpoints dismissed, did you first ensure that you had a solid reputation within the organization, and were respected by those around you? Did you leverage that to be perceived as invaluable to the organization? Were you careful to avoid "Yes, but" and substitute "Yes, and?" This last one is critical. "Yes, but" negates the yes, while "Yes, and" usually ensures you are heard.

If you get that sequence wrong, your views will continue to be dismissed, no matter how accurate they may be.

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Always been a "yeah, no" kind of girl. Some thought it my fatal flaw.

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Peter Boghossian is making a remarkable contribution to society. In this instance, that of historical experience, it is obvious that people generally do not live things as a group but as individuals. Those who push woke ideas are self-serving or resentful.

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