From a sociological perspective (albeit anecdotal), every humanist movement I’ve ever seen in my lifetime (all the ones, I support, anyway) always seem to fall into toxic territory. Feminism is a great example. People are angry. And it’s completely understandable. These are injustices feminists, trans activists, etc. are fighting. Anger pushes people from a supportive movement for the marginalized community in question to the other side of things. Into, well, kinda hate.
These movements based on love and acceptance get bigger, which is the goal (as far as the movement itself goes, not the social issue), and—maybe this is an online thing—people in that group go from being supportive of other members of the community to spiteful and angry at the people outside of it. Or the counterparts/other social groups, for example, misandry in feminist circles, cishet people hate/disrespect in trans rights circles.
I don’t know why this is. I wish it weren’t the case. Because, when people try to steer others away from this kind of negativity, they are seen as traitors or whatever. And this, I know, is an online thing that only came up in the last few decades. Because nuance has no place in discussion anymore. People don’t know how to discuss or qualify nuance.
This comment, for example, in a lot of circles, would be downvoted because it sounds like I’m being critical of the trans rights movement—I’m not. I fully support trans people, their right to live and exist and be proud. But I am, technically, criticizing the movement itself, although I am really trying to criticize people. This happens over and over again and it only serves as fodder to those trying to hurt whichever movement. Look how feminism is seen by non feminists. Everyone within the movement is grouped together under the umbrella of the misandrists because it’s easier to dismiss the entire concept.
It sucks. Because while, yes, it is the people trying to take down whichever movement they dislike that are doing almost all of the legwork, there are always misguided people from within the movement that open that door by taking a good idea, sucking all nuance and thought out of it, and turning harmful by being…well, kinda wrong. Even if their hearts are in the right place. “Support trans rights, trans is beautiful, I love you all” turns into something that still may have that message, but tries to accomplish it by putting down or generalizing or actually disrespecting anyone outside the identity/marginalized group.
I started rambling. But this is something I think about a lot because I see it all over. The internet absolutely exacerbated this issue, if it didn’t create it in the first place.
I agree with where you’re coming from.
From a sociological perspective (albeit anecdotal), every humanist movement I’ve ever seen in my lifetime (all the ones, I support, anyway) always seem to fall into toxic territory. Feminism is a great example. People are angry. And it’s completely understandable. These are injustices feminists, trans activists, etc. are fighting. Anger pushes people from a supportive movement for the marginalized community in question to the other side of things. Into, well, kinda hate.
These movements based on love and acceptance get bigger, which is the goal (as far as the movement itself goes, not the social issue), and—maybe this is an online thing—people in that group go from being supportive of other members of the community to spiteful and angry at the people outside of it. Or the counterparts/other social groups, for example, misandry in feminist circles, cishet people hate/disrespect in trans rights circles.
I don’t know why this is. I wish it weren’t the case. Because, when people try to steer others away from this kind of negativity, they are seen as traitors or whatever. And this, I know, is an online thing that only came up in the last few decades. Because nuance has no place in discussion anymore. People don’t know how to discuss or qualify nuance.
This comment, for example, in a lot of circles, would be downvoted because it sounds like I’m being critical of the trans rights movement—I’m not. I fully support trans people, their right to live and exist and be proud. But I am, technically, criticizing the movement itself, although I am really trying to criticize people. This happens over and over again and it only serves as fodder to those trying to hurt whichever movement. Look how feminism is seen by non feminists. Everyone within the movement is grouped together under the umbrella of the misandrists because it’s easier to dismiss the entire concept.
It sucks. Because while, yes, it is the people trying to take down whichever movement they dislike that are doing almost all of the legwork, there are always misguided people from within the movement that open that door by taking a good idea, sucking all nuance and thought out of it, and turning harmful by being…well, kinda wrong. Even if their hearts are in the right place. “Support trans rights, trans is beautiful, I love you all” turns into something that still may have that message, but tries to accomplish it by putting down or generalizing or actually disrespecting anyone outside the identity/marginalized group.
I started rambling. But this is something I think about a lot because I see it all over. The internet absolutely exacerbated this issue, if it didn’t create it in the first place.