This is a brilliant piece of writing. Helen's description of the tension between individual rights and the requirements of society goes right to the heart of the matter, direct to the heart of all of us who are baffled by the current polarization of public discourse, who feel unable to describe ourselves as left or right, conservative or liberal, or to support any of the political parties. "The brute fact of being female – of belonging to the sex capable of getting pregnant, even if you as a particular woman don’t ever get pregnant, or indeed can’t personally get pregnant – is why women have been exploited and oppressed throughout recorded history." This sums it up in a nutshell. Once again, I give thanks for the intelligence and courage of the magnificent Helen Joyce.
As ever - great thinking and writing. Thank you. It’s a mystery (and great sorrow) to me that ‘left’ movements like the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, founded in the necessity of communitarianism and collective action, have been so easily conned by trans activism.
Not entirely on topic, but while here, I wanted to draw readers' attention to a petition on Change.org. It is protesting Hackney Council's introduction of separate male and female changing rooms at the West Reservoir to replace the communal changing area. It is sponsored by a man (at least in name) and includes some very odd statements. https://www.change.org/p/save-the-west-reservoir-communal-changing-areas?source_location=search
Fortunately, and unexpectedly, given its political orientation, the Council seem to be going ahead with separate facilities.
The public sphere, as I believe Habermas called it, is now dominated by social media. Unqualified celebrity opinions are massively 'liked' and podcasts which purport to engage in debate about contemporary issues deliver misinformation which goes unchallenged by the uninformed amateur host. At least the BBC (and other national broadcasters) used to attempt some kind of balance and interrogation of policy advocates by genuine journalists. The problem now is that they won't even give space to the subject of trans activism. Under these circumstances, banning social media access to under 16s sounds like a good idea, but national broadcasters must address the trans issue critically and stop normalising it through slipping in the obligatory trans individual/character to every programme.
I think your description of the conservative–liberal spectrum reflects the 18th‑century philosophical distinction. Modern usage of the terms is largely flipped
Conservatives emphasize individual responsibility, self‑reliance, and minimal state interference. They tend to view community norms as something that should emerge organically rather than be engineered by institutions through social‑engineering projects.
Modern liberals emphasize collective responsibility, social safety nets, and institutional efforts to correct inequality. They argue that communities have obligations to protect vulnerable groups and support norms around inclusion and equity.
I think it is modern-day liberalism that is being pushed beyond Enlightenment roots by a radical left movement based on Marxist collectivist ideology. The goal is to disrupt existing societal norms in ways that weaken the broader capitalist and democratic structure.
This is a brilliant piece of writing. Helen's description of the tension between individual rights and the requirements of society goes right to the heart of the matter, direct to the heart of all of us who are baffled by the current polarization of public discourse, who feel unable to describe ourselves as left or right, conservative or liberal, or to support any of the political parties. "The brute fact of being female – of belonging to the sex capable of getting pregnant, even if you as a particular woman don’t ever get pregnant, or indeed can’t personally get pregnant – is why women have been exploited and oppressed throughout recorded history." This sums it up in a nutshell. Once again, I give thanks for the intelligence and courage of the magnificent Helen Joyce.
Helen, I wish we could clone you and Sex Matters! So many countries around the world need you. First stop, Canada.
As ever - great thinking and writing. Thank you. It’s a mystery (and great sorrow) to me that ‘left’ movements like the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, founded in the necessity of communitarianism and collective action, have been so easily conned by trans activism.
Not entirely on topic, but while here, I wanted to draw readers' attention to a petition on Change.org. It is protesting Hackney Council's introduction of separate male and female changing rooms at the West Reservoir to replace the communal changing area. It is sponsored by a man (at least in name) and includes some very odd statements. https://www.change.org/p/save-the-west-reservoir-communal-changing-areas?source_location=search
Fortunately, and unexpectedly, given its political orientation, the Council seem to be going ahead with separate facilities.
Thank you so, so much for this and all you do. I have restacked.
The public sphere, as I believe Habermas called it, is now dominated by social media. Unqualified celebrity opinions are massively 'liked' and podcasts which purport to engage in debate about contemporary issues deliver misinformation which goes unchallenged by the uninformed amateur host. At least the BBC (and other national broadcasters) used to attempt some kind of balance and interrogation of policy advocates by genuine journalists. The problem now is that they won't even give space to the subject of trans activism. Under these circumstances, banning social media access to under 16s sounds like a good idea, but national broadcasters must address the trans issue critically and stop normalising it through slipping in the obligatory trans individual/character to every programme.
I think your description of the conservative–liberal spectrum reflects the 18th‑century philosophical distinction. Modern usage of the terms is largely flipped
Conservatives emphasize individual responsibility, self‑reliance, and minimal state interference. They tend to view community norms as something that should emerge organically rather than be engineered by institutions through social‑engineering projects.
Modern liberals emphasize collective responsibility, social safety nets, and institutional efforts to correct inequality. They argue that communities have obligations to protect vulnerable groups and support norms around inclusion and equity.
I think it is modern-day liberalism that is being pushed beyond Enlightenment roots by a radical left movement based on Marxist collectivist ideology. The goal is to disrupt existing societal norms in ways that weaken the broader capitalist and democratic structure.