"We like to read about rich folks in the newspaper; the papers know it, and they do their best to keep this appetite liberally fed."
"It seems to me that just in the ratio our newspapers increase, our morals decay. The more newspapers, the worse morals."
"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you're misinformed."
--Mark Twain, circa 1870's...
Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain was a pretty damned smart and perceptive guy...these quotes were uttered starting in the freaking 1870's...then there is 2020...
Sigh...bringing me to 2020...
I saw an online article a couple of days ago, by NBCNews.com, that truly made Twain's quotes even more legitimate, remember, broadcast and digital media were dreams when these quotes were made...but mainstream media started with the newspaper/tabloid/magazine...
Oh yeah, the "ARTICLE"...on NBCNews.com as a "feature" article...and I have to say, I'm still seething a little...no, a lot, actually, trying to get my head around WHAT exact relevance this had toward the remaining 99.9996% of society to whom this A) does not apply; and, most importantly, B) those who are not qualified candidates for emergency in-patient treatment in a psych ward, since "mental hospitals" fell to political correctness and hurted feelz...
That article...let me get right to it...they did, this is the opening paragraph...
"Jan. 11, 2020, 9:38 AM MSTOk, if this made sense to you, and you find it a legit piece of journalism fighting a cause that's oppressive and not inclusive, please drop out now, because your feelings are probably going to really, really get hurt, if you continue with my, you can bet your ass, paragraph-by-paragraph analysis of this piece of utter, fantasy-land, bullshit.
By Chloe Atkins
When transgender model and activist Kenny Ethan Jones experienced his first period, he faced both physical and psychological pain. Initially, Jones, who had not yet come out as trans at the time, felt like he was losing control and didn’t understand what was happening to his body. However, one thing was clear: He didn’t feel like himself. 'I didn’t believe that having periods would be a part of my lived experience,' Jones told NBC News. 'I felt isolated; everything about periods was tailored to girls, yet me, a boy, was experiencing this and nothing in the world documented that.'"
" 'Having a period already causes me a lot of [gender] dysphoria, but this dysphoria becomes heightened when I have to shop for a product that is labeled as 'women’s health' and in most cases, is pretty and pink,' Jones explained."Here is where my true sarcasm kicks in...I'm guessing that pink isn't in the top three faves...c'mon, Kenny, not even a throwback? You were a full-blown girl for 11 years, I mean, prior to you telling your "mum" you felt like a boy...! Christ Almighty, even a crusty old cis, Baby Boomer, white, male like me will wholly, and honestly, concede that some shades/tones/tints of pink are attractive, accentuating, and very pleasing to the eye, but obviously not when you have a fantasyland-style agenda...Jesus, we are soooo screwed...
Actually, all y'all may be surprised to understand the entire balance of my ire and repugnance herein isn't really directed 100% at Kenny, although he deserves his damn-sure share, but more so at the irresponsible enema-nozzles in the mainstream media for exacerbating this poor, in his words,
"He told Metro.co.uk: 'When I was younger all of the clinics had "mental health" written across the doors. I was 13 when I went to the Tavistock and Portman Trust, which is a specialist mental health center before I moved to the Gender Identity Clinic at 16. When I got to 16 and began seeing people with what I would call 'real mental health problems' was quite scary. I kept wondering whether people would see me like them. I just didn’t see it as a mental health disorder. I just saw it as my body wasn’t in line with how I felt.' "not mentally ill person.
I'm done with everybody's pet victimhoods, and the media/social media exacerbation thereof, it's gotten to the point that whenever the word "trans" crops up in a headline, newscast, or conversation, I go into mental shut-off mode, and keep right on truckin'...my days of playing chess with pigeons are done, plus I took an oath that implied I am of the integrity to never effect battles of wit with unarmed opponents, and in the transgender/transgender advocacy camp, it's a full-on unarmed situation.
Sorry kids, I've lived way too many years to buy into a drop of the progressive pseudo-reality concept that "you feel, therefore you are, without question" because I've been around a bit, even known a couple of trans people in my time, one legitimately gender dysphoric, and then one who transitioned because being gay just wasn't fulfilling enough. First one never said a word, went on vacation, came back a she. Never said a word subsequent, either. The other blasts the talking-points advocacy narrative, on social media, especially, but also where ever and whenever it's voice can be heard...not a surgery transition, just hormones for breasts and the usual enablement head talk-therapy to date, but this one is not only vocal, but feels the need to dress like a 2019 Story Hour drag queen when "all fixed up"...total diametric opposition between the two people, oh, and one other small detail...the quiet, succinct, person is mid-40-something, the drag queen wanna-be is late 20-something...go figure...
Another thing I struggle with is the fairly consistent data on clinically-diagnosed gender dysphoria until about 10-12 years ago, when cases, well, administered therapies; transition therapy-hormones and puberty blockers, ect., began ramping up. Most with little or no psychological vetting beforehad, and continued to rise to just under a 5000% increase at last report (2019), and the balance of those transitioning/questioning their birth-assigned gender being teen-aged and younger children. To the tune of 5000%. For the Common Core math denizens, 5000% would be starting out with 10, and ending up with 510...a seriously suspect growth spike.
So what, exactly, caused that ramp-up to a 5000% spike? Chemtrails? Something in the water? Soy? I know the pat response I hear from the Google-certified Ph.D's on social media goes similar to this: "Well, now that they can't be persecuted, they're not afraid to speak out." I call bullshit. Might as well blame anthropogenic climate change. While soy may well play a part, my money is on...it became trendy, and earned a politically corrected "faux-credibility" on social media. And in one case I know of personally, when just being gay wasn't fulfilling enough. His/her words, not mine. The chief rebuttal argument I hear is "trans people have been around for years", and as a straight dude, who really never had the necessity, nor the desire, to investigate, I suppose that's semantically accurate--given that gender dysphoria is real, really rare, but real, but I grew up in the free-love 60's, spent my teen years in the early cocaine-induced free-love 70's, and entered my 20's in the late cocaine-induced free-love 70's, so I've seen my share of bizarre sexual proclivities and kinky freak shit.
What I didn't see, before 10-12 years ago, was 3 out of 10 adults, or 2.5 out of 10 high school kids transitioning, or declaring non-binary, or intersexual (whatever the cornbread Hell that is...) "orientations", of course, only after multiple news confrenceses, and assorted publicized fanfare...social media blitzs so they can feel secure...and the very necessary support from helicopter adults for those good feelz...like you do today, nor did myself, or anyone else, see the need for male inclusive menstural products...which now can never again be referred to as "feminine" products...because Kenny and Co. has hurted feelz n shit. Breathlessly awaiting the alphabet communities-in-despair/PTSD to come up with the most inclusive, diverse, and equal moniker, ever...I'm sure no one will be disappointed. Can't wait until she/he tries to buy a "feminine-inclusive" condom...buckle up for a whole new round of "you're not catering to my every whim, and I'm so offended I have PTSD! Call NBC News!!!"
I'm also done with any mainstream, or other, media outlets who advocate for this lunacy of universal victimhoood...adults, or anyone else for that matter, crying over decisions they made, and then expecting the entire world to change to adapt to their feelings and how they think shit outta be. Entitlement mentality, exemplified, and heavily salted with balderdash. How about when you make your bed, sleep in it, and if you find fault with the way it's made, check with the person who made it.
You see, in an older person's perspective, based on reality, not feelz, my opinion is this pandering, ambulance-chasing, pseudo-journalist bitch who wrote this enablement mantra for NBC should be tarred and feathered, not for her planned "good intentions", but for the fact she did this for her journalistic star, and not for Kenny's well-being, under the fallacy that bringing Kenny's faux-arguments/concerns about fairy-tale "men" shocked to discover their feelings do not preclude genetic code, yet demaning that the entire society re-shuffle and play with the brand new deck, was going to shine Kenny in an amazing light. All she really accomplished was letting the general reading public know that she, and Kenny, are void of reality, and living in a fantasy world. Not to mention, looking like complete fools to anyone with over two firing neurons. The editor that allowed this horse dung to be published should be next in line, with the locomotive at full steam to ride all these "woke" idiots out on the rail.
At some point, these pandering fools in the media need to be reminded that they are mere scribes, not policy-makers. I couldn't care less what any journalist's opinions are, but by the same token, I do care when I see this degree of totally irresponsible journalism, much more harmful than helpful. Even the star of the show doesn't realize that this article makes him look like a total buffoon. Pandering is like the "free lunch"...somebody want's something from you, time, effort, or money is not invested without expected ROI... and victimhood can be a rough game...ask Jussie Smollet and Kamalatoe Harris...
For your reading pleasure (in this case, displeasure, if you're sane...):
NBC Article
Metro UK article
These stand as my citations for this rant.