SOAPBOX - Fake 'trans*' identities...

[obliviousally_lj]

So I've been seeing this...drama going around tumblr a lot lately and it's...really spectacular.

There are people who claim to be trans-abled (identify as disabled), trans-ethnic (identify as a race other than the one they were born), etcera.

This is really, seriously a thing.

And people defend it.

also, yeah, i was angry at you and other people for being so oppressive about transabled and transethnic identities. i am angry at a lot of people, at the general ~consensus~ as it seems to be, to have this instant reaction of oppressive revulsion and anger. i don’t think it’s right that this is what is happening. so every time you find out that an identity you have never heard of before actually exists, you’re going to attempt to police it, to say that it doesn’t deserve to exist, that people with that identity are wrong and lying?

that’s really not okay. it’s horrible and oppressive and demeaning and cruel, and it is a sign of privilege. i wish we would all stop this identity policing in our movements, i really do.

oh, and then, those of us who are privileged, you’re / we’re going to say things like “well i’m white so i can’t talk about transethnic identities” or “i’m abled so i can’t talk about transabled identities” or “i’m thin so i can’t talk about transfat identities” but in your / our so-called silence and “neutrality,” you / we are siding with oppressors, you / we are pretending that somehow your, or our, privilege isn’t already inherently evident in the whole thing, whether we / you speak about it or not.

i wish at least you / we wouldn’t proclaim how we’re not going to talk about the things we’re privileged in, as if it’s some great thing to do. it’s not. nothing that we do out of our privilege is ever a great thing. certainly, proclaiming our efforts to be accountable or whatever, is just yet another disgusting display of privilege.

i do think it is complicated, the intersections and layerings of dis/privileges between, for example, transethnic people of colour and cisethnic people of colour. similarly for transfat people and cisfat people, transabled disabled people and cisdisabled people. i think maybe we should try to talk about the complexity, if we can? rather than being oppressive and dismissive and erasing and outright terrible about all of this.

I mean, this is an impressive level of stupid. Even for tumblr social justice asshat retards.

Comments

[keeperofdreams.livejournal.com]

I can't comment on this due to the sheer amount of bile and hatred I'd spew out.

[keeperofdreams.livejournal.com]

Also, WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCKING HELL IS TRANS-FAT?! WTF?!

[keeperofdreams.livejournal.com]

HELL THAT ENTIRE LAST COMMENT MAKES ME WANT TO HUNT THESE FUCKS DOWN AND MAKE THEIR SKINS INTO A DAMN LEATHER JACKET. HOLY SHIT.

[spiffystuff.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I can answer this one!!! Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer (E-isomer) fatty acid(s)! sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat)

:D

[keeperofdreams.livejournal.com]

cvhcjskahdfbkdgb you smart ass. X3

[darkheartsclub.livejournal.com]

I am struggling ever so hard not to crack a joke

[arphalia.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna admit that I have no idea what I just read but I'm going to hazard a guess that it was started as a joke in bad-taste which then some people actually took seriously but not in a "Hey that's in bad taste." kind of way but rather in a falling for the joke hard enough to shatter the skull kind of way? o_O

The more I hear about Tumblr the less I want to go there. Certainly not that I don't care about human rights and issues but there just seems to be so much anger and parroting of buzzwords and phrases. It would make me nutty. :S

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

I actually have the sinking suspicion most of these folks are dead serious. Which is pretty awful.

Tumblr's not bad if you stay in small pockets. I don't come across this often, thankfully, my dash isn't full of social justice armchair activists. But it does weasel its way through pretty pictures of Game of Thrones or Supernatural sometimes.

[suzanami.livejournal.com]

in defense of tumblr, it just depends on who you're watching. there's two people i follow (one more to be polite than because i fully want to) that post a LOT of social justicey stuff. and yeah, i'd still be pretty unaccepting of a lot of things (i really learned about body acceptance/etc there) but at the same time, they occasionally go overboard for me. i follow 114 tumblrs and less than 10 ever post social justicey things (though i do reblog some that strike me). /shrug

[suzanami.livejournal.com]

how is that not just a privileged person appropriating a minority!? it's like white people who say they're n% native american (when in reality they're probably not and even if they are, it doesn't matter because they're white) so they can appropriate a bunch of native cultural stuff. what the fuck is trans-fat. what the fuck.

how is this not just going "OH I KNOW I HAVE PRETTY MUCH EVERY KIND OF PRIVILEGE BUT I FEEL KINDA BAD ABOUT IT SO HERE LET ME TAKE ON SOME MINORITY SO I CAN BE SPECIAL AND OPPRESSED". how is this not... how..?

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Nope, it's a real thing. Some folks intentionally mangle their legs so horrifically the hospital is forced to amputate them, making them disabled. It's uncommon but not so much that every ER doctor in the country hasn't heard of or seen it.

Otherwise, I'm keeping my mouth shut. This post is ridiculous on every level.

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

I thought that was a different thing than what these kids are talking about? I've definitely heard of what you're talking about, but I've never heard it referred to as trans-abled.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Hard to say, I'd pretty well say they're the same thing. Wanting to be disabled, or identifying as disabled or whatever it is that it is. Some folks just take it further than others, I suppose. The snippet you've got linked there didn't really go into details as far as strict definitions go, so I couldn't say if it's the same thing or not.

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

I did some googling and I didn't know that 'transabled' was used for that condition (BIID). I'd still wager the vast majority of people on tumblr who are claiming they're transabled actually are, however.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Oh, or rather we could just say 'they appear the same to the casual observer'.

[darkheartsclub.livejournal.com]

I am intergendered and what is this?

[darkheartsclub.livejournal.com]

honestly most trans stuff I can buy into within the realm of reason.But a lot of even the legit stuff does not fly with me for the same reason self diagnosing doesn't fly with me,the same reasons a lot of self titling bullshit doesn't. Saying "I am XXXX,look at my new found identity hurderp" is irresponsible,and makes you look like a tool.Internet autisim is a shining example of this,people latching onto symptoms and such to justify abhorrent behavior,rather than seeking affirmation and practices to help garner control,Even if there is something legit there screaming "XXXXX and proud" is fucking stupid.I have more respect for people saying "XXX and learning how to cope".I've seen trans people bitch out the people paying fortheir board,schooling and hormones for fuck sake, and watched them turn around and backstab them for not fully understanding them. I've also seen quite a few trans who are grateful for whatever lenghts their freinds go through for their comfort,Who don't snap at strangers for fucking up pronouns or being curious.Who handle their dysphoria in a respectable manner,rather than laying down the foundations for a massive hugbox.
there is nothing wrong or shameful about being trans....but there is plenty to be ashamed of in acting like and idiot

at least that is what I'd like to say, but seriously,transabled?how is this a thing?
and I cannot think of trans-ethnic and not imagine laughable scenerios