This article is dedicated to those who have helped nurture my analytical and thinking skills on my way.
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What you must acknowledge
- - A transgender person refers to one that “identifies” as a different gender than their biological sex.
- - The like of the above (e.g., gender identity), however, is debatable and awaits further discussion.
- - The “community” refers to the LGBTQ community. The “values” refer to the “letters” in “LGBTQ+”.
- - This article is based on social media observations and aims to dissect the viewpoints of the youth.
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Introduction
Before we start, here is my response to a comment on the latest post:
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because despite the advocation, there still existed discriminatory practices, so they decided to voice themselves even further. However, that attracted hatred from the extremists of the opposing party, which resulted in hatred from the LGBTQ community, ending up in a vicious chain effect.
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I believe one of the factors of the extreme hatred is due to generalisation and the ease of information dissemination. For example, some LGBTQ community members generalise their opposers, deeming them "idiotic"; some LGBTQ opposers use extreme examples such as paedophiles to go against the entire community, causing tension.
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I just wish more people can distinguish between a community and the values it upholds, because although one might oppose the "T" in LGBTQ, it neither means that they discriminate against the entire community, nor does it mean that they should be "cancelled". I think rational debate outweighs the regurgitation of influencers and the abuse of memes by far here for this contentious issue.
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As a researcher and analyst of the opinions of the juvenile, this article proposes not only to articulate my views but also to scrutinise your perceptions of this contentious subject, unearthing the political and societal impacts of the discordance between the sides. This also aspires not so much to waver your stance as to apprise you of the valuable and, unfortunately, arcane ramifications of mankind’s common ideological confrontations, as well as how to steer clear of its repercussions. We shall delve into ideas like hatred, generalisation, and intellectual deficiency, dissect an ostensibly perpetual debate, and, most paramount, learn from it.
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Once again, note that I have only arrived at these conclusions with user comments on Instagram, as I intend to amass the opinions of the Hong Kong youth. Therefore, discrete observations might be yielded in other communities.
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Problematic arguments
Indubitably, influencers abound on social media, and people, especially the youth, are allured by their sometimes “novel” viewpoints on items that wait to be answered. Given this, I have observed often the regurgitation of their arguments, which oftentimes end up being erroneous. That is the primary issue of the Anti-community, albeit there exist other less commonplace ones. On the other hand, the For-community suffers from predominantly derogation. Here, I will break my findings down into several problems and appraise them respectively.
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(Problematic side: problem)
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For AND against: inadequate knowledge
This is self-explanatory. I have seen comments claiming that humanity will go extinct if the community and the values it advocates persist (Photo 1). Regardless of this being absurd and the grammar being wrong (to go/become extinct), I have to bring up some convincing statistics because I love math.
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According to American statistics (2011)[1], 3.5% of respondents identified as LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual). More contemporarily, surveys by IPSOS (2021)[2] found that 7% of respondents identified so. Despite a 3.5% increase, albeit in different scopes, the reported “extinction” did not manifest in a substantial decrease in birth rates (Graph 1 & Stats 1)[3][4]. In fact, if homosexuality was as pernicious as this person claims and extrapolating from their statement that homosexuals do not contribute to the birth rate, the birth rate in 2021 should have been 12.436 per 1000 in 2021, which it was not, decreasing by about 1 but not 0.6. This implies that other outside influences led to the decrease in the birth rate, meaning that homosexuality does not lead to extinction.
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Besides, how does this theory account for the 6.309 decrease in the American birth rate from 1956 to 1966, when homosexuality was still seen as a taboo? On top of that, we can see from the graph that the birth rates in America have only decreased steadily, with no limpid declines spotted. All signifies that homosexuality is not a potent factor in the “extinction” of humanity, rendering this argument futile not only against LGB, but also the entire community.
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Also, I have seen some oppose all of the “letters” (Photo 2), including the LGB representing homosexuality and others alike. However, their sole argument is that there “only exists 2 genders”. The topic of other genders notwithstanding, this simply exhibits a deficient understanding of the community and its values.
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Finally, the For-community has also demonstrated a scant understanding of its values. The Anti-community has reported the opponent calling them “homophobic” (Photo 10) despite disputing transgender issues. This does not help relieve the loathing but instead supplies wood to the fire, as erroneous accusations being made aggravates the situation further.
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Against: traditionalism
Traditionalism against LGBTQ primarily embodies religion and conservatism. In extensive religions like Christianity and Islam, the values are anathemas that are deemed sins worthy of sanction. Considering that this shall not comprise my stance, the prohibition of the values is seldom not a violation of human rights. Adherence to traditional, constrictive beliefs that are based on “history” is unpleasant and counterproductive.
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Pivotally, without further inspection of the various elements of the topic, such as practicality (whether transgender should be accepted due to infrastructure restraints), discourses end with the succinct “God forbids this”, which is extremely inexpedient. Concerning the status quo, I encourage you to stop dwelling on the past and help reconcile society by compromising on especially LGB, as they pose no threat to society whatsoever.
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For AND against: festering hatred
Debates always encompass one or several “passionate” gentlemen and ladies, don’t they? The Hong Kong youth is no exception to this. Although rationality was spotted, fury still inundated arguments and comments from both sides. I have articulated regarding hatred in my articles, but here is an outline: hatred impedes rational discourse and ensnares people in the pitfall of illogicality, hence accentuating the significance of civilised debates and self-restraint.
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I will start with the For-community. From Photo 3 and 4, this person neglectfully calls opposers “idiots” and “Nazis”, inciting resentful responses and adding insult to injury. To add, on a broader scale, the reckless and unpunctuated advocacy of the values by organisations, namely football clubs, leagues, and the like, have asininely instigated more confrontation, which is contrary to the initial end of acceptance. A resemblance of this is in Photo 23, where the commenter abruptly generalised the entire Anti-community, which is brusque and imprudent, given that rational debaters exist on both sides.
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As for the Anti-community, “I identify as” jokes abound (Photo 5). Though you might regard them as banter, it is unavoidable that they stimulate those who treasure “equality” to an extreme where they cannot take jokes. The morality of these jokes aside, if we crave ending conflicts and desire conversation, these jokes must be ceased to at least contain the hatred because, as aforementioned, compromising is essential, as it can yield prolific long-term harvests (except for the Appeasement Policy).
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Apart from jokes, I would also address this specific comment in Photo 6. The foundational principle applies – compromise can beget profit. On one hand, while ceasing the banter, the For-community should on the other hand avert any sort of condescension (e.g., belittling opposers). If we are to halt hate spontaneously (not forcefully as it might be abused), our problems might be resolved with this different approach. As much as I hate society for its inanity at the current stage, its potential, if realisable, cannot be shrugged off.
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The same goes for icons (Photo 7), “fuck…” comments (Photos 8 and 9), and those similar.
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For AND against: generalisation
Generalisation encompasses an amplitude of problems, as demonstrated by most of the comments. While adverse generalisation from the Anti-community abounds, that from the For-community is not to overlook. The fallacious generalisation from the Anti-community can be divided into five categories, which I will expound on.
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First, the Anti-community accuses the LGBTQ community of abusing certain items as excuses for prerogatives. In Photo 11, this person asserts that the community uses “respect” as a means to “domineeringly” coerce the ordinary with their “privileges”. This shows blatantly the generalisation of all community members from that of a few. To commence, I have come across people with a different gender identity than their biological sex, and they never asked to enter the female restroom or claimed “discrimination”. This example on its own proves this generalised perception wrong. In addition, I myself have never intimidated anyone for “respect”, thus affirming that not all members of the community conform to these accusations.
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Second, akin to the above, this also comprises allegations towards the entire community instead of individuals. In Photo 12, this person inculpates the community of discriminating against straight people, which, for some extremists, might be the case. However, despite their prejudice, this does not engender the conclusion that the community is “assaulting” straight people.
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Third, there are some grievous accusations towards the community, most notably, paedophilia (Photo 13). It is undeniable that criminals exist in communities, and that also applies to the LGBTQ community. As seen in Photo 15, this transgender paedophile violated a minor after befriending her, which was a notorious act. However, in Photo 16, this male paedophile committed a similar crime, yet he was not transgender. If the mentality from Photo 13 is duplicated, we should disparage straight people as well! The fact that the LGBTQ community contains intolerable child abuse does not rationalise its denunciation.
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As for another accusation depicted in Photo 14, (assuming that this means forcing surgery of a change in genitals, as a transgender person is defined as one whose “gender identity” does not match their biological sex[5][6] [7]) if transgender parents doing so was a general, commonplace exercise, then I doubt if we would not know. However, during my research, I have come across concerning phenomena, such as the one in Photo 17, which I will address later. To end with, other exaggerated accusations such as the one in Photo 19 also demonstrate the grave generalisation.
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Fourth, regarding the worthwhile topic of transgender, I did stumble upon cerebral concerns in the comments, but most others were fallacious and are to be scrutinised. Principally, incidents revolving around British transgender athlete Lia Thomas were cited (Photo 18). While fairness in competitions is not discountable, the generalisation of the transgender community is simply futile and only adds to the burden, whereas a more feasible approach is to appraise the actual status quo, i.e., the actual needs of the LGBTQ community, and act upon them, rather than negating the problem by eliminating a stakeholder. Moreover, in this comment exists a jargon that has led to polarisation, for which the For-community is to be blamed.
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Fifth and final, other examples, some of doubtful credibility, also used to generalise the community include desecrating religions and nations (Photo 20), beating opposers during parades (Photo 20), forcing people to accept pronouns (Photo 21), and instilling children with the thoughts of LGBTQ (Photo 22). Among these five, I will tackle the arguments in Photo 22 in depth afterwards. Nonetheless, the phenomena mentioned are all uncommon and are not the general image of the community. Although the disrespect towards religions as stated in Photo 20 is true and is undesirable, it is not widespread and therefore is not a reason to castigate the community.
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Of course, the For-community is not to be left out. As expounded in Photo 18, some members, though not all, of the For-community claim “discrimination” when confronting contrary views. That is infelicitous and simply defiles the community, letting the Anti-community justify their generalisation.
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Given these, I suggest that all avoid the parroting of influencers, most prominently Andrew Tate, as they often exploit extreme cases to allure viewers. We should unveil the definite state of the community, so as to gauge and act upon this topic deemed idiosyncratic by many.
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Against: calls for “education”
Referring back to Photo 21, the commenter arraigns the community for forcing children to learn “tens and hundreds” of pronouns. I am yet to find any evidence for that, and even if this is not forged, I suspect it of being a false generalisation of the community anyway.
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Another erroneous argument is that the incorporation of LGBTQ into education clouds children’s knowledge of “the two sexes” (Photo 27). For all the difference between sex and gender, and for all that this article is about not so much the values as the community, the scepticism demonstrated is still fallacious. Although values other than LGB are still debatable and await conclusions before being conveyed to children, I see no reason to rebut the above three, as they do not entail social inconvenience whatsoever. In short, this argument, if refined into a rebuttal of involving contentious topics, would be admissible.
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Against: don’t know doing what
Items like “not-LGBTQ buttons” (Photo 28), “let’s get bread today” (Photo 29), posting influencers (Photo 30), illogical extrapolations (Photo 31 and 32; see appendix), “average L post” (Photo 33), and false statistics (Photo 34) do not contribute to the discussion but instead amuse people. This is not to blame merely the Anti-community, as the For-community also says bullshit like these, but since the comment section comprises mostly those opposing LGBTQ, only the above can be exhibited.
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What to be researched and then discussed
Gender
Following the latest LGBTQ post on NSS, whose excerpt is Photo 24, numerous arguments like the one in Photo 25, it is pivotal to acquire knowledge of the nebulous concept of gender and sex. Without a pellucid perception, a debate is fruitless.
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Transgender
Again, a transgender person is one whose “gender identity” does not match their biological sex, according to online sources. Hence, it must be acknowledged that a transgender person might not have undergone surgery, possibly negating most anti-transgender arguments. Regardless, it cannot be refuted that this might have been fabricated as a means to justify transgender.
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In addition, children like the one in Photo 17 imply the need for sexual education, as although this might be a sagacious choice, not every is. We ought to lecture students about the criticality to contemplate one’s perception of oneself so that they do not act on impulse in an attempt to act “unique”.
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Sound arguments
As said, some “epitomes” of comments are to be investigated. These comments are commendable in how they encapsulate accurate arguments rationally and logically.
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Against: entertainment
There has been a rising trend in recruiting actors of specific communities deliberately due to pressure from certain individuals within, and the Anti-community has voiced itself (Photo 26). This issue being sporadic notwithstanding, the person encapsulated the issue cogently in the photo, addressing that productions are censured due to alleged “disrespect”.
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Without a doubt, equality is paramount, but so is a gradual process towards it. Abrupt and premature actions like so may appear contrived and therefore generate opposition, signifying a need for graduality and patience. Again, this is not to assert that the encompassing of actors of the minority is improper, but is to protest due to the social repercussions it has caused,
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For: advocation due to suppression
In Photo 35, this person accounts for the, sometimes considered extravagant, advocation of LGBTQ rights in events like Pride Month. While my quoted comment has partially addressed this, and while I vacillate between views for values apart from LGB, I must set forth here that I concur with this outlook, due to the oppression that roams freely in a multitude of countries.
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Insights
I intended to recapitulate the entire article at once, but on the day before its publication, I posted this which I believe encapsulates the chief idea:
…Though opinions differ, the way of thinking is essential. I don’t care whether you’re against or for LGBTQ.
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「物極必反」 that’s the crux of all my arguments. That’s why I’m against hatred and against conformity. That’s why I’m against mindlessly joining stupid f***ing communities that polarise people. I’m sick of everybody just doing what people make them want and thinking what people want them to feel. Do you not understand that? Their thoughts rely on emotions, not rationality. I’m sick of this s**t. Stop brainlessly repeating what others say and stop thinking what others think just for the sake of it.
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I sound very arrogant, I’m genuinely so sorry, but I have to make this clear so that someone can come out and let me know what they think.
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And additional paragraphs:
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Stop f**king focusing on the item itself. You have to know what kind of system determines it and influences people so you can avoid being influenced. This system is the human f**king mind, and it's been manipulated since the birth of the first religion (and ideology) for f**k’s sake. No knowledge whatsoever, no discussions, just jokes all around. How can a society have democracy with a crowd like this? With a crowd that recklessly and inanely espouses their beliefs and never considers anything else?
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I have seen very intelligent and very rational people. I admire them so much, and I want to be like them. Shame not everyone does.
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Thanks for reading and have a wonderful intellectual and rational journey.
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Appendix
Why are the arguments in Photos 31 and 32 wrong?
In Photo 31, we can present the argument in the standard form:
- Toilet water is not “normal” water. (True; toilet water is unhygienic.)
- (Homosexual) love is not “normal” love. (Unproven.)
- Therefore, engaging in homosexual love is equivalent to drinking toilet water.
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To appraise an argument, we must examine its validity (when the premises are correct, the conclusion must be correct) and whether the premises are true[8]. However, a palpable fallacy in the second premise can be spotted already: why is homosexual love not “normal” love? This on its own renders the argument unsound, as one of the premises is unproven.
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Presentation of Photo 32:
- Cats and dogs are not prohibited from excreting on the streets. (False; law prohibits dogs from doing so[9].)
- Humans are prohibited from excreting on the streets. (True; law[10].)
- Therefore, humans are subject to unfair treatment.
- Unfair treatment needs correction.
- Therefore, humans should not be prohibited from excreting on the streets.
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Similarly, one of the premises is fallacious, rendering the argument unsound. Thus, the attempt to mock the community craving equal rights with this is futile.
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[1] https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/how-many-people-lgbt/
[2] https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_3.pdf
[3] https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/CAN/canada/birth-rate
[4] https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/birth-rate
[5] https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/what-is-transgender
[6] https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/transgender-people-gender-identity-gender-expression
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_man#:~:text=A%20trans%20man%20is%20a,people%20(including%20transsexual%20people)
[8] Pei, Kong-ngai (貝剛毅博士). 思方導航：批判思考導論（八版）. Infolink, 2023. (Page 71)
[9] 基本法第132BK章第II部第13條.
[10] 基本法第132BK章第II部第8條.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWZ5lpraLc
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