From Do Not Believe
What is the difference between the West’s current situation and what they fled? Every society has rules, taboos, and mechanisms to enforce them. People who lived under Soviet communism will be disturbed to see the similarity in the elite and elite institutions’ abandonment of old-fashioned liberalism. This was based on defending individual rights and is being replaced by a progressive creed which views justice in terms of groups. This encourages people to identify and feel connected to groups, whether they are ethnic, sexual, or otherwise, and to view Good and Evil as a result of power dynamics between the groups. These progressives are driven by a utopian vision that encourages them to reinvent history and create language that reflects their ideals for social justice.
These utopian progressives also constantly challenge the norms of thought, speech and behavior. It is impossible to predict when the people in power will make you a villain for doing or saying something that was perfectly acceptable the day before. Violations of the new taboos can lead to severe consequences, including the loss of your livelihood and the destruction of your reputation.
People are being made instant pariahs for expressing a politically incorrect opinion or in any other way that provoked a progressive mob. This mob amplifies its victimization through social media and conventional media. The Left uses the pseudonyms of “diversity”, “inclusivity,” and “equity” to control thought and discourse, and marginalizes those who disagree.
Americans who have not lived in this kind of ideological fog before find it difficult to see what is happening. This isn’t exactly the same as life in the Soviet Bloc countries with their secret police, gulags and strict censorship. These people warn that this is exactly the problem. Americans are blinded to the growing threat to their liberty by the fact that life in the West is so much more free and prosperous than it was under Soviet Bloc conditions. This is because those who want to take away freedom speak of liberating oppressed victims.
“I was born in the Soviet Union and I’m honestly shocked by how similar these developments are to Soviet propaganda,” said one professor now living in the Midwest.
Another professor from Czechoslovakia was also an emigre, and he was blunt as well. He said that he noticed a change in his friends’ attitudes towards conservative views a decade ago. He would speak his conservative views in a normal voice and Americans would begin to fidget, scanning the room for others who might be listening.
He tells me that he grew up this way, but it wasn’t supposed to be happening here.
… Soviet-born emigre, who teaches at a university deep within the US heartland, stresses the importance of Americans treating people like her seriously.
She warns that “you will not be in a position to predict what will happen tomorrow.” You don’t know what totally normal thing you will say or do today that could be used against your to destroy you. This is what Soviet Union people saw. This is how it works.
This dynamic has been demonstrated in the management of the Narrative around Covid. It seems that this dynamic is now being played out with transgender youth. It was forbidden for one to talk about the dangers that young people face by being put on puberty-blockers. Trans activists denounced Jesse Singal as a radical for questioning the wisdom and effectiveness of puberty blocking drugs. The New York Times now has this story. Excerpts:
The first line of treatment for transgender adolescents is now puberty blockers, which are drugs that can be used to prevent them from becoming pregnant.
They are often used to purchase time to make a medical change and to avoid the pain of feeling unwell. Transgender teens have high rates depression and other mental health problems. Some patients with gender dysphoria, a condition that is caused by mismatches in their gender identity and birth sex, have seen the effects of drugs.
“Anxiety drains away,” Dr. Norman Spack said. He pioneered the use puberty blocking drugs for trans youth in America and is one of many doctors who believes the drugs can save lives. These kids are so relieved, it’s easy to see.
A New York Times investigation found that there are increasing numbers of transgender adolescents in America. There are an estimated 300,000. These are ages 13-17, with many more younger. Some medical professionals are concerned about the effects of these drugs. These questions are prompting European governments to review their policies. Some prominent specialists are now rethinking when and how long they should be prescribed. They are not recommended by all doctors.
… According to interviews with over 50 academic and medical experts from around the globe, there is evidence that blockers can cause harm.
This article is a deep, detailed look into the issue. You will find such anecdotes in the article:
New York’s 11-year old girl, who was just starting puberty, became increasingly anxious and refused to go to school. She also expressed a desire to have a girl’s body.
The parents agreed to blockers in 2018 because they believed it would bring them emotional stability and allow them to think about the next steps.
“If everyone believes this will help and it’s reversible then we need to give it a chance,” stated the mother. She asked for anonymity to protect her family’s privacy.
The first two years were positive. By then, the patient was a teenager and was taking Prozac along with the blockers. A bone scan at the beginning of the third year revealed alarming results. The teen’s bone density dropped by as much as 15% during treatment. This was in addition to the average level of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that causes weak bones and is more common in older people.
Doctor recommended that the teen start testosterone. He explained that it would help him regain his bone strength. The parents had lost trust in the medical counsel.
The mother remembered, “I was furious.” “I was furious,” the mother recalled.
This grotesque experiment has been conducted by the West on young, desperate people and their families. They have gotten away with it, and the political leaders and medical professionals who bow to them have abandoned their responsibility to avoid irreversible interventions. They claimed these things could be reversed, but that was at best questionable . What actually happened was that trans activists seized the institutions. The collateral damage is children whose bodies are permanently damaged and their families. Imagine the pain and suffering of parents who, on the basis of medical advice, consented to the use of cross-sex hormones and puberty blocks for their psychologically ill child. Now they have to deal with the guilt of not protecting their child from these evils.
The authority of institutions has been eroded over the past three years due to the Covid issue, but not just that. Do you trust doctors in general? I do not. I did before Covid, trans and Black Lives Matter. We have seen how rapidly medicine can be and how easily it has been taken over by radical ideologues. Although my children are now older, I wouldn’t ever let them be without a doctor. Ever. Similar situation with teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools. Teachers have joined the extremists against parents. This is not the case for all teachers and all doctors. But how can parents know if their children’s teachers and doctors are trustworthy?
It’s a mystery to me why there hasn’t been a backlash against this. They are really after our children. This isn’t conspiracy theory. We were told by our superiors that we could not discuss facts that could challenge The Narrative — on Covid, trans and race — and that we would have to wait until institutions like The New York Times decide that these topics can be discussed.
This is unacceptable. This is unacceptable. Consider the impact on the lives of flesh-and blood people caused by elites declaring that it is dangerous or even a form of bigotry to allow free speech about these issues. Can you see the damage? It all comes down to control.
The American Psychological Association provides detailed guidelines for writing about medicine and psychology. One of the guidelines states:
Proponun usage requires precision and care from the author. Don’t refer to transgender or gender-nonconforming persons using pronouns as “preferred pronouns”. This implies that one is making a choice about their gender.
“Preferred pronouns” seemed to me to be a neutral way to talk about pronouns that an individual wants others use. It was yesterday. It’s gone. This is how it works. You will never know what tomorrow will bring. You don’t know what totally normal thing you will say or do today that could be used against your to ruin you. This is what Soviet Union people saw. This is how it works .”
This is the APA’s take on it:
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You can see what they are doing there! “It’s science! You can trust the science! All these demands are to be met because Science has Authority.
Next week activists will declare that the Narrative requires another change. Because Science Says So you bigots, Eastasia will always be at war with Oceania.
Return to the Timesstory. Although I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss this topic, as one of Narrative Controllers made it possible, it frustrates me that a small group of people controls public discourse in a dysfunctional society. They do this to control us and to exploit us. It’s sickening.
