Also In The News

[Innovindil]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51658145

 

China to deploy 100,000 "biological weapons" to neighbouring Pakistan to help with the locust problems. 

 

Possibly the greatest news story I've ever seen. Quack quack quack! 

[Carl the Llama]

14 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51658145

 

China to deploy 100,000 "biological weapons" to neighbouring Pakistan to help with the locust problems. 

 

Possibly the greatest news story I've ever seen. Quack quack quack! 

This will inevitably lead to an army of gorillas freezing to death.

 

[urban.spaceman]

The current state of British journalism:

 

Step one: Write an article with a modicum of truth to it but with an opinion you know people will vehemently disagree with.

 

Step two: Write an incendiary headline which is definitely going to wind people up.

 

Step three: Publish article on social media to help whip up the fury, directing people to your website.

 

Step four: Hope your now enraged visitors click your adverts.

 

Step five: Profit.

 

 

[bovril]

17 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

The current state of British journalism:

 

Step one: Write an article with a modicum of truth to it but with an opinion you know people will vehemently disagree with.

 

Step two: Write an incendiary headline which is definitely going to wind people up.

 

Step three: Publish article on social media to help whip up the fury, directing people to your website.

 

Step four: Hope your now enraged visitors click your adverts.

 

Step five: Profit.

 

 

Er... you shared it. 

[urban.spaceman]

2 minutes ago, bovril said:

Er... you shared it. 

[Aus Fox]

20 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

The current state of British journalism:

 

Step one: Write an article with a modicum of truth to it but with an opinion you know people will vehemently disagree with.

 

Step two: Write an incendiary headline which is definitely going to wind people up.

 

Step three: Publish article on social media to help whip up the fury, directing people to your website.

 

Step four: Hope your now enraged visitors click your adverts.

 

Step five: Profit.

 

 

Not just British journalisms, this is global now. The only quote of ‘don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.’ Has never been so apt.

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51667670

 

...really?

[Jimothy]

BBC News - Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds engaged and expecting baby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51691434

 

How many kids will have when this is born? Why would we know, he doesn't.

[Merging Cultures]

8 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51667670

 

...really?

Nut jobs

[Alf Bentley]

43 minutes ago, Facecloth said:

BBC News - Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds engaged and expecting baby https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51691434

 

How many kids will have when this is born? Why would we know, he doesn't.

 

"Expected early summer"....dates start of pregnancy to Sept/Oct. Consolation shag when he didn't get Brexit WA passed by end of Sept or celebration shag when the opposition gave him the election he wanted?

 

I'm off down the bookies to put a tenner on it being named Brexit De Piffle Johnson-Symonds - or Corona Carrie De Virus Johnson-Symonds, if it's a girl

 

[Strokes]

3 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

"Expected early summer"....dates start of pregnancy to Sept/Oct. Consolation shag when he didn't get Brexit WA passed by end of Sept or celebration shag when the opposition gave him the election he wanted?

 

I'm off down the bookies to put a tenner on it being named Brexit De Piffle Johnson-Symonds

Celebratory shag when he hoodwinked Parliament into an election?

[Guest MattP]

Congratulations to the happy couple - hopefully he'll actually get married now as it is a bit weird to have the PM living in sin.

[ajthefox]

4 minutes ago, MattP said:

Congratulations to the happy couple - hopefully he'll actually get married now as it is a bit weird to have the PM living in sin.

 

Welcome back to the 70s everyone 

[Alf Bentley]

15 minutes ago, MattP said:

Congratulations to the happy couple - hopefully he'll actually get married now as it is a bit weird to have the PM living in sin.

 

You old traditionalist! 

 

I'm hoping for a taxpayer-funded state wedding with a parade down The Mall. It should be a public holiday so that the public can go and wave union jacks for them, Gawd Bless 'Em!

Then make it an annual public holiday known as Boris Day.....no, might get confused with Doris Day......"Boris's British Brexit Day".

 

[Alf Bentley]

2 minutes ago, ajthefox said:

 

Welcome back to the 70s everyone 

 

In the 70s, one PM (Heath) was a bachelor widely rumoured to be in the closet and another (Wilson) was married but widely rumoured to be shagging his secretary & allowing her to influence the honours list....

Don't know what Callaghan got up to, beyond laughing avuncularly as he borrowed dosh from the IMF, but pretty sure Thatcher did nothing racier than necking a lot of whisky.... 

[Guest MattP]

32 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

You old traditionalist! 

 

I'm hoping for a taxpayer-funded state wedding with a parade down The Mall. It should be a public holiday so that the public can go and wave union jacks for them, Gawd Bless 'Em!

Then make it an annual public holiday known as Boris Day.....no, might get confused with Doris Day......"Boris's British Brexit Day".

I can't criticise as I'm doing the same  It is quite different though to see a PM having his girlfriend snuck into number 10 through the back door.

 

Boris's British Brexit Bash - what a day that would be, gets me excited just saying it.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Fancy this being announced on the same day the most senior civil servant in the Home Office resigns and says he's going to take his employers to court for constructive dismissal.

 

It's just one of those amazing coincidences, and in all fairness I've forgotten what I was just talking about already

[Guest MattP]

13 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Fancy this being announced on the same day the most senior civil servant in the Home Office resigns and says he's going to take his employers to court for constructive dismissal.

 

It's just one of those amazing coincidences, and in all fairness I've forgotten what I was just talking about already

It's great to see the political left caring about bullying again. I thought they might have stopped for good after Bercow but all we needed was a Tory they hate up for it and we are back in the game.

[Bellend Sebastian]

8 minutes ago, MattP said:

It's great to see the political left caring about bullying again. I thought they might have stopped for good after Bercow but all we needed was a Tory they hate up for it and we are back in the game.

Oh Matthew, you are fun

[Innovindil]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51676020

 

A 23-year-old woman who is taking legal action against an NHS gender clinic says she should have been challenged more by medical staff over her decision to transition to a male as a teenager.

 

Another interesting topic of discussion which brings up an issue which seems to roll around time and time again. What confused me is this woman was asked what she would say to her 16 year old self, her answer was:

 

 

"I feel I could say anything to my 16-year-old self and I might not necessarily listen at that time. And that's the point of this case, when you are that young you don't really want to listen.

"So I think it's up to these institutions, like the Tavistock, to step in and make children reconsider what they are saying, because it is a life-altering path."

 

Now, if you've been through this process and have regrets and you still don't believe you'd be able to say anything to your 16 year old self that they would listen to, how can you expect these medical staff to be able to convince children to reconsider? We've got people suffering, or at a minimum, think they are suffering from gender dysphoria who are saying they are suffering from depression, sometimes even suicidal tendencies, how can these medical professionals just be expected to be like "naaah you'll be aight".

 

Seems a cluster**** to me, and I'm glad I'm not the one being asked to decide where this line lies between helping and hurting because it seems blurry as hell.

[urban.spaceman]

52 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51676020

 

A 23-year-old woman who is taking legal action against an NHS gender clinic says she should have been challenged more by medical staff over her decision to transition to a male as a teenager.

 

Another interesting topic of discussion which brings up an issue which seems to roll around time and time again. What confused me is this woman was asked what she would say to her 16 year old self, her answer was:

 

 

"I feel I could say anything to my 16-year-old self and I might not necessarily listen at that time. And that's the point of this case, when you are that young you don't really want to listen.

"So I think it's up to these institutions, like the Tavistock, to step in and make children reconsider what they are saying, because it is a life-altering path."

 

Now, if you've been through this process and have regrets and you still don't believe you'd be able to say anything to your 16 year old self that they would listen to, how can you expect these medical staff to be able to convince children to reconsider? We've got people suffering, or at a minimum, think they are suffering from gender dysphoria who are saying they are suffering from depression, sometimes even suicidal tendencies, how can these medical professionals just be expected to be like "naaah you'll be aight".

 

Seems a cluster**** to me, and I'm glad I'm not the one being asked to decide where this line lies between helping and hurting because it seems blurry as hell.

It's an extremely difficult situation. The most important thing is that people get the right care and support for them to live their lives, 100%. 

 

One of my oldest mates is married to a trans man from the States - he got the right support and help at quite a young age and is 'living his best life' as they say, both very happily married and a wonderful couple.

 

On the other hand, I was a DofE leader at a school for about 15 years. I dealt with hundreds (maybe thousands) of kids in that time, getting on very well with most of them. We had some kids that were openly gay, some who told us leaders privately, and some who probably didn't know themselves yet.

 

But in the final two years we had two kids come out as trans. Never any before that. Both female to male, both different age groups so didn't know each other. They each changed their name to something outlandish (one inspired by the name of an obscure demon) and asked we used their correct pronouns and chosen names etc, which we were happy to do. Neither have been through medication or surgery yet, and they're still quite young. It seemed quite out of the blue with one of them at least. And I don't want this to come across the wrong way but to me, it just felt quite... flippant.

 

It feels like something very strange has happened recently within youth culture, which can possibly be put down to social media. Information and ideas has never been easier to share and communities grow stronger and easier to join. 

 

I worry that some young people are being encouraged to make huge decisions that they may not be capable of fully understanding yet. A lot of trans people, like my mates husband, know very early on and for him it was absolutely right. But for others it might not be right, there may be other issues that need dealing with and transitioning might not be appropriate. Of course by saying any of this you fall into the trap of my parents generation and older by suggesting it's just a phase.

 

But it's an extremely complex and nuanced thing that, IMO, social media divides people and can make much worse. There's real people's lives at stake here, that's the most important thing.

[leicsmac]

15 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

It's an extremely difficult situation. The most important thing is that people get the right care and support for them to live their lives, 100%. 

 

One of my oldest mates is married to a trans man from the States - he got the right support and help at quite a young age and is 'living his best life' as they say, both very happily married and a wonderful couple.

 

On the other hand, I was a DofE leader at a school for about 15 years. I dealt with hundreds (maybe thousands) of kids in that time, getting on very well with most of them. We had some kids that were openly gay, some who told us leaders privately, and some who probably didn't know themselves yet.

 

But in the final two years we had two kids come out as trans. Never any before that. Both female to male, both different age groups so didn't know each other. They each changed their name to something outlandish (one inspired by the name of an obscure demon) and asked we used their correct pronouns and chosen names etc, which we were happy to do. Neither have been through medication or surgery yet, and they're still quite young. It seemed quite out of the blue with one of them at least. And I don't want this to come across the wrong way but to me, it just felt quite... flippant.

 

It feels like something very strange has happened recently within youth culture, which can possibly be put down to social media. Information and ideas has never been easier to share and communities grow stronger and easier to join. 

 

I worry that some young people are being encouraged to make huge decisions that they may not be capable of fully understanding yet. A lot of trans people, like my mates husband, know very early on and for him it was absolutely right. But for others it might not be right, there may be other issues that need dealing with and transitioning might not be appropriate. Of course by saying any of this you fall into the trap of my parents generation and older by suggesting it's just a phase.

 

But it's an extremely complex and nuanced thing that, IMO, social media divides people and can make much worse. There's real people's lives at stake here, that's the most important thing.

Spot on.

 

As an addenum, when discussion of trans folks enters the mainstream, at least 90% of the time it focuses on trans women ("protect womens bathrooms" and all that) and trans men aren't really mentioned at all, despite being a significant proportion of the trans population as you attest here.

[MC Prussian]

5 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

It's an extremely difficult situation. The most important thing is that people get the right care and support for them to live their lives, 100%. 

 

One of my oldest mates is married to a trans man from the States - he got the right support and help at quite a young age and is 'living his best life' as they say, both very happily married and a wonderful couple.

 

On the other hand, I was a DofE leader at a school for about 15 years. I dealt with hundreds (maybe thousands) of kids in that time, getting on very well with most of them. We had some kids that were openly gay, some who told us leaders privately, and some who probably didn't know themselves yet.

 

But in the final two years we had two kids come out as trans. Never any before that. Both female to male, both different age groups so didn't know each other. They each changed their name to something outlandish (one inspired by the name of an obscure demon) and asked we used their correct pronouns and chosen names etc, which we were happy to do. Neither have been through medication or surgery yet, and they're still quite young. It seemed quite out of the blue with one of them at least. And I don't want this to come across the wrong way but to me, it just felt quite... flippant.

 

It feels like something very strange has happened recently within youth culture, which can possibly be put down to social media. Information and ideas has never been easier to share and communities grow stronger and easier to join. 

 

I worry that some young people are being encouraged to make huge decisions that they may not be capable of fully understanding yet. A lot of trans people, like my mates husband, know very early on and for him it was absolutely right. But for others it might not be right, there may be other issues that need dealing with and transitioning might not be appropriate. Of course by saying any of this you fall into the trap of my parents generation and older by suggesting it's just a phase.

 

But it's an extremely complex and nuanced thing that, IMO, social media divides people and can make much worse. There's real people's lives at stake here, that's the most important thing.

The main issue with this "trend" of transgenderism, which still is a tiny minority on the whole, is that it targets young people who aren't quite sure about their sexuality yet in times of personal turmoil (puberty and whatnot), that takes years, in some cases even decades to develop and manifest itself in a healthy, conscious and confident manner.

 

How old were the kids you were dealing with at school? If it's below 16, then questions need to be raised about the influence of media and people pushing a transgender agenda, a minority topic, on youth culture.

 

One of the more well-known cases comes from Canada, where a mother claimed her son was a girl, encouraged him to behave like one, the father having something against that:

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-appeal-court-rules-transgender-teen-can-decide-on-hormone-treatments

 

The boy has now decided to be a boy, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Guest MattP]

If Trump doesnt come out as trans over the next few months I'll be disappointed. 

 

It presents a terrific opportunity to force many on the political left to either.

 

1. Admit instant self gender ID is complete nonsense that can be brushed off without being taken seriously.

 

2. Be forced to acknowledge that Donald Trump is the first female president of the USA.

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, MattP said:

If Trump doesnt come out as trans over the next few months I'll be disappointed. 

 

It presents a terrific opportunity to force many on the political left to either.

 

1. Admit instant self gender ID is complete nonsense that can be brushed off without being taken seriously.

 

2. Be forced to acknowledge that Donald Trump is the first female president of the USA.

I know this is likely going to fall on deaf ears...but for a great deal of people being trans isn't a twisted piece of performance art.