I read this article shaking my head the entire time. The ensuing readers’ comments, supposedly of enlightened people, only further showed how thin some people want to stretch our society.
The comment asking for an "age neutral" society perfectly underscores the fallacy of a "gender neutral" society. Pretending something isn't there doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Let's take the "age neutral" argument.
In our "age neutral" society, we should let the elderly stand on the bus and subway - they don't need to sit any more than anyone else does. We should eliminate Medicare and all other programs that cater to the elderly. "Age neutral" would require no nursing homes and no retirement age.
Likewise, if our society is "gender neutral," we should not have gynecologists. We should stop women from carrying babies because a pregnancy makes a woman fundamentally different from a man.
Both arguments are ridiculous. Those who argue for gender neutrality can fool themselves into thinking they are progressive, but really they are exhibiting stupidity. Men and women are simply biologically different. This is scientifically proven.
Some of us may not feel that we completely fit our gender. I, for one, have always felt more masculine than feminine and have never really felt like a woman. But I was born a woman and am biologically a woman. I have accepted that fact rather than force society to make my situation seem normal.
This doesn’t mean we can’t teach our children to understand that there are some people who choose not to be the gender they were born into. We should all be respectful and loving of all people. But to structure society around the edges of the bell curve does not make for a sound society.
Link to NPR Opinion article by Linton Weeks:
The comment asking for an "age neutral" society perfectly underscores the fallacy of a "gender neutral" society. Pretending something isn't there doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Let's take the "age neutral" argument.
In our "age neutral" society, we should let the elderly stand on the bus and subway - they don't need to sit any more than anyone else does. We should eliminate Medicare and all other programs that cater to the elderly. "Age neutral" would require no nursing homes and no retirement age.
Likewise, if our society is "gender neutral," we should not have gynecologists. We should stop women from carrying babies because a pregnancy makes a woman fundamentally different from a man.
Both arguments are ridiculous. Those who argue for gender neutrality can fool themselves into thinking they are progressive, but really they are exhibiting stupidity. Men and women are simply biologically different. This is scientifically proven.
Some of us may not feel that we completely fit our gender. I, for one, have always felt more masculine than feminine and have never really felt like a woman. But I was born a woman and am biologically a woman. I have accepted that fact rather than force society to make my situation seem normal.
This doesn’t mean we can’t teach our children to understand that there are some people who choose not to be the gender they were born into. We should all be respectful and loving of all people. But to structure society around the edges of the bell curve does not make for a sound society.
Link to NPR Opinion article by Linton Weeks:
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