In my parent’s generation, being left-handed was seen as wrong and actively suppressed. Even as a child, I was often looked at skeptically. I was a “Southpaw”, a term I can now go years without hearing. As a teacher, some of my immigrant students have looked askance at me, but other than that, it’s just…
Category: Other essays
On the Proper Pronunciation of Non-English Words
Lacroix, Detroit, axolotl, karaoke: All of these are pronounced differently in English than in the languages of their origin. I used to get quite pedantic about “karaoke”. Our pronunciation originates from a place of linguistic indifference (at best) or racism (at worst): We had a tendency to take Japanese words and give them a childish,…
F4660t
Preamble: The song quotes should not be taken as either approval or condemnation of the respective songs or their artists. I have different personal feelings about each, and in most cases, they’re complicated. “He called me f4660t when I went out for cigarettes.” – Andy Prieboy, “That Was the Voice” This week, I heard a…
How Are You?
This TikTok got me thinking: I see a lot said and written about how Neurotypical people usually ask “How are you?” as part of a script, and don’t particularly care for an honest and complete answer. I figured that out myself a long time ago, and have had many conversations with strangers that consist of:…
Interest Convergence and TERFs
This TikTok makes a point that deserves more oxygen: While TERFs engage in transphobic rhetoric and indeed act out of bigotry by equating trans women with men, they can at least reasonably argue that their primary goal is defending cis women from the threat of SA and other violence by men. The point of disagreement…
Language and Miscommunication
Consider this dialogue, not uncommon on today’s social media: A: “Cis is a slur!” B: “It is NOT, you’re such a transphobe.” A: “What? I don’t fear trans people.” While there is a high likelihood that person A in this conversation has unfairly negative beliefs about transgender people, there are also several points in this…
Just a suggestion…
How do you say “suggest”? Think about it for a second. Say it slowly if you want. For best results, say each syllable carefully. Because my brain hurts now. Here’s a Tiktok: My initial reaction was that it’s /sʌ’dʒɛst/, that is, “suh-JEST”, without a hard /g/. Apparently some people are adamant that it’s /sʌg’dʒɛst/, with…
Spock and Chicken
Here’s a TikTok video: It reminded me of this story from my youth. When I was in middle school, the local t-shirt shop was offering a sale. I went there and found a Spock t-shirt that appeared to be my size, so I bought it. I brought it home, tried it on, and discovered it…
The truth about transgender transition and youth
Here is accurate information for you to share with people as needed. Caveat: I am not a medical professional. This is based on my personal research, including talking to other transgender people. I personally have only undergone social transition, as an adult. There are four basic types of transition: Social, and three medical stages. A…
Michigan’s Hate Crime Amendment: Truth vs FoxNews
FoxNews headline: “Michigan House passes bill that could make using wrong pronouns a felony, fineable up to $10,000” Reality: HB 4474, which has passed and is on its way to the Senate, amends existing Hate Crime legislation. Here are the first two subsections of the current “Ethnic Intimidation” law (750.147b): (1) A person is guilty…