I agree that we are only creating a more vast chasm between ourselves and "others" by highlighting our differences, whether in comedy or not. And of course the most "vast" of those differences, to most people, is our connection with animals. I also don't know the answer to this current political climate because there isn't one clear answer. There are too many differing viewpoints given more and more freedom to speak their minds, and I do believe there are people out there who would love to see people like me (transgender folx) dead. And I believe that because they don't know us and who we are. And as much as I'd like to believe we could find ways to come together, recent experiences in my own personal life have made me realize there are just some people I am not ever able to develop deeper relations with, and those are people who believe I am "less than" for simply being trans. In these cases, I don't believe the answer is to "poke fun" or dehumanize them. All I can do is "coexist" and let them have their beliefs even if they cannot respect me as a human. You're right; we cannot bring people to any belief by way of force. People have to find their way on their own. Sorry. This was long :)
Thanks for sharing! I'm so sorry that there are people in your life, people in your actual life rather than just trolls online, who think being trans makes you less worthy of basic human decency (or rights). I have to think that people who get so angry about things like this must be unhappy. Getting worked up over things largely inconsequential to their own lives can't be healthy or fulfilling. My parents are the kind of people who insist on using the wrong pronouns for trans people, and I've tried the "why do you think you should control other people's lives?" thing, to no avail. BUT a few years ago they watched the movie A Man Called Otto, and when my mom was encouraging me to watch it, all she talked about was the trans character (who, I later found out, plays only a minor role in the plot). Not mocking or saying he was sick. I think she was proud that she could see his humanity, that she wanted me to know she could be accepting of trans people like him. That gives me hope that beneath all the bluster and hate, most people are just confused and scared of something they don't know much about. (And just another reason why stories have the power to change minds!)
It sounds like your mom is thinking things through, which speaks to her willingness to be open, and I do agree that the vast majority of people, at least in the US, are supportive of trans rights. I definitely believe it is a small percentage that is making the most noise, as hate tends to do. And yes, this person I referenced in my previous comment, I suspect, is more lost than he realizes, but he's on his journey and that is what it is. And thanks for mentioning A Man Called Otto. I hadn't seen it yet and it's been on my list, and I had no idea there was a trans character (I hope well represented), so I'll have to watch it.
I agree that we are only creating a more vast chasm between ourselves and "others" by highlighting our differences, whether in comedy or not. And of course the most "vast" of those differences, to most people, is our connection with animals. I also don't know the answer to this current political climate because there isn't one clear answer. There are too many differing viewpoints given more and more freedom to speak their minds, and I do believe there are people out there who would love to see people like me (transgender folx) dead. And I believe that because they don't know us and who we are. And as much as I'd like to believe we could find ways to come together, recent experiences in my own personal life have made me realize there are just some people I am not ever able to develop deeper relations with, and those are people who believe I am "less than" for simply being trans. In these cases, I don't believe the answer is to "poke fun" or dehumanize them. All I can do is "coexist" and let them have their beliefs even if they cannot respect me as a human. You're right; we cannot bring people to any belief by way of force. People have to find their way on their own. Sorry. This was long :)
Thanks for sharing! I'm so sorry that there are people in your life, people in your actual life rather than just trolls online, who think being trans makes you less worthy of basic human decency (or rights). I have to think that people who get so angry about things like this must be unhappy. Getting worked up over things largely inconsequential to their own lives can't be healthy or fulfilling. My parents are the kind of people who insist on using the wrong pronouns for trans people, and I've tried the "why do you think you should control other people's lives?" thing, to no avail. BUT a few years ago they watched the movie A Man Called Otto, and when my mom was encouraging me to watch it, all she talked about was the trans character (who, I later found out, plays only a minor role in the plot). Not mocking or saying he was sick. I think she was proud that she could see his humanity, that she wanted me to know she could be accepting of trans people like him. That gives me hope that beneath all the bluster and hate, most people are just confused and scared of something they don't know much about. (And just another reason why stories have the power to change minds!)
It sounds like your mom is thinking things through, which speaks to her willingness to be open, and I do agree that the vast majority of people, at least in the US, are supportive of trans rights. I definitely believe it is a small percentage that is making the most noise, as hate tends to do. And yes, this person I referenced in my previous comment, I suspect, is more lost than he realizes, but he's on his journey and that is what it is. And thanks for mentioning A Man Called Otto. I hadn't seen it yet and it's been on my list, and I had no idea there was a trans character (I hope well represented), so I'll have to watch it.