Avoiding responsibility

Everybody wants their way these days, but no one wants to be the “adult in the room.”

Bill Nye seems to think it’s okay to incarcerate climate change skeptics, even though there are aspects of the data that should give the scientific community pause, such as the way their models keep falling short of predicting even short-term reality, and how most every declaration of “the hottest year on record” include an asterisk about the data having to be adjusted. Go ahead and say that the data is still points in a certain direction if you wish, but stop insisting that there’s no room for skepticism.

Science is skepticism. There is a reason why there is a difference between the terms hypothesis, theory, and law. The minute we stop questioning even established theory is the minute we stop doing science. Mr. Nye seems to have forgotten that there was a period of time when people were arrested and killed for going against the politically-popular theories of the day, such as Earth-centric cosmology. Is he really calling for the same treatment of those who could potentially be today’s Galileos? Some science guy.

And if you’re going to insist that science trumps all, then why are we forcing people to accept anyone at all in bathrooms based on “who they feel they are” rather than on scientifically settled terminology? Self-identification of gender can’t claim to be scientifically proven when there are numerous studies–and even entire hospitals who once pioneered gender reassignments–indicating that gender reassignment is a cosmetic change that does not fix the underlying psychological issue. It may be that the data is inconclusive, but it certainly can’t claim to be “settled.”

The truth is, no one wants to take responsibility for saying “no” to anyone any more. We usually are willing, as a nation, to contort ourselves into impossible shapes if it’s “for the children.” Well, now people want to allow changes that would grant pedophiles an easy way to get access to children and no one can find the backbone to say no. Why? Because a very small, but very loud special interest group wants something, and no one wants to be called nasty names by telling them, “hey, safety concerns–especially for children–are more important than your scientifically-questionable cause de jour.” It’s a bathroom, for crying out loud! No one is comfortable there, and no one really wants to spend any more time there than necessary.

No where is this mealy-mouthed desire to not stand for anything more evident than this recent video:

It’s entirely possible that no one is really thinking about the potential negative outcomes of allowing a white adult male to identify as a seven-year-old Chinese girl of 6’5″ height and go to first grade. But that alone is odd. These days it’s en vogue to suspect white men of every type of sexual depravity. You would think an adult male wanting to be a first grader student would set off alarm bells like crazy, but no. Even though every white male college student is assumed to be a sexual predator, there couldn’t possibly be anything wrong with a white male calling himself a Chinese girl and going to first grade?!

Because that would require taking a stand that might lead to conflict. And conflict is to be avoided at all cost these days (except when it’s socially acceptable conflict with the full backing of the shrieking eels), so we’ll all pretend to be oh-so-open-minded and agree to anything and pray we don’t encounter a psychologically-damaging sidewalk chalking.

It’s now someone else’s turn to be a cub scout leader, but if only I had known back when I started that I could have guilted the national leadership into not having to take or abide by the training/policy dictating how we interact with the boys if I had simply told them all, “Hey, I don’t identify as a pedophile,” or “But I identify as an eight-year-old boy!”

I found it interesting that the only claim the people in the video were willing to push back on was the man’s claim that he was 6’5″. That’s probably the only claim he made that couldn’t be potentially damaging! It was by no means the only claim that was empirically confirmable (or rather refutable). Why on earth did they feel the need to push back on that one?

We truly have lost our way as a society. We’re unable–or at least unwilling–to stand up to people making clearly wrong claims that could put them in positions to harm people, and yet we’re clamoring to lock up people who voice legitimate skepticism that is largely going unheeded anyway. We’re only willing to stand up for anything that doesn’t make us unpopular with the loudest of the screamers.

In short, that stark-nekkid king over there is wearing the most exquisite Armani suit we’ve ever seen! We’ve never seen such a pleasing shade of blue before! And that tie! I just have to have one like it! Absolutely I’ll be there for Saturday’s parade! I’m no fool!