Perhaps the name Dr. Jordan Peterson is unfamiliar to you. It was to me until I happened upon his recent YouTube video, “Fear and the Law,” in which he calmly and methodically dissects political correctness, with particular reference to Bill C-16 (a Canadian bill which would add “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination).
Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, so it’s a fair bet that he knows a good deal about the workings of the human mind. In “Fear and the Law” he imagines being told to refer to a student or colleague via “gender-neutral pronouns”: “I don’t recognize another person’s right to determine what pronouns I use to address them. I won’t do it.” Cue storms of fire from students and professional bodies alike.
From this it is clear that we need to talk about pronouns. We shouldn’t need to, but we do. That’s just the way the world is right now. A couple of clarifications from the outset, though. Firstly, our concern lies not with an illness (transsexualism) but with an ideology (gender identity, leading to transgenderism).
Secondly, our question is not how to respond if John (who is male) asks us to call him Jessica. Forenames are not inherently linked to sex in the way pronouns are. No, our question is this: if John asks us to refer to him through pronouns other than he/him/his, should we?
http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/18...ail&utm_term=0_cfcb868ceb-6d5942a402-83778081
Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, so it’s a fair bet that he knows a good deal about the workings of the human mind. In “Fear and the Law” he imagines being told to refer to a student or colleague via “gender-neutral pronouns”: “I don’t recognize another person’s right to determine what pronouns I use to address them. I won’t do it.” Cue storms of fire from students and professional bodies alike.
From this it is clear that we need to talk about pronouns. We shouldn’t need to, but we do. That’s just the way the world is right now. A couple of clarifications from the outset, though. Firstly, our concern lies not with an illness (transsexualism) but with an ideology (gender identity, leading to transgenderism).
Secondly, our question is not how to respond if John (who is male) asks us to call him Jessica. Forenames are not inherently linked to sex in the way pronouns are. No, our question is this: if John asks us to refer to him through pronouns other than he/him/his, should we?
http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/18...ail&utm_term=0_cfcb868ceb-6d5942a402-83778081
