I think it was Foucault and his popularization that really killed the thing Trotsky is talking about there, and even the thing opposed to what Trotsky was talking about. "Power" became so ubiquitous and yet so thin that talking about taking it from one goal to give to the other became incoherent. No matter what you were doing, it was just power, and therefore oppression and domination. Thence to corporate Buddhism.
In many cases I suspect this type of discussion cannot possibly be held in good faith because a lot of these radical feminists, who I personally am more than willing to have calm and earnest conversations with, are what I can only refer to as "Fox News Facebook Mom Brainwashed". Of course, the types of people you mention are more specific to the UK, and I don't want to pretend this has no unique nuance (I am not from the US!), but it seems to be the same type of brainrot – which is to say I'm referring to a particularly hostile, delusional type of thinking that consistent, rational conversation can't really seem to get through to. My heart is open to exceptions, but the important thing is that they are very much exceptions, because these people find themselves in cult-like bubbles. So the suggestion that these are two parties who just need to get on each other's level and stop talking past each other, seems tragically incorrect.
Because anti-transness on this level, the level that you discusss in your post, among one of the parties you highlight to make the argument that this problem extends beyond transness – proud, self-identified "TERFs" – is such a specific phenomenon that I can only think to compare it to extremist thinking along the lines of Trumpian Fox News Republicans, or even Flat Earthers, (borderline) conspiracy theory groups that have similar effects and in many cases isolate people from friends and family and sanity.
You are likely correct regarding the average person, who is unaffected by these radical online circles and is unsure and even defensive or hostile about trans people and transness in general – or any other matter! When it comes to people outside of conspiracy theory-like, cult-like bubbles, the argument can be extended further, and people do often talk past each other where they could come to understand each other and even find some common ground!
As such, the "trans question" might be a bad name for the phenomenon, or almost too accurate – the fact that trans people and transness is up for discussion and persecution is undeniable and horrific, but I don't think we should accept that this is a question up for debate at all, even in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
I think it was Foucault and his popularization that really killed the thing Trotsky is talking about there, and even the thing opposed to what Trotsky was talking about. "Power" became so ubiquitous and yet so thin that talking about taking it from one goal to give to the other became incoherent. No matter what you were doing, it was just power, and therefore oppression and domination. Thence to corporate Buddhism.
In many cases I suspect this type of discussion cannot possibly be held in good faith because a lot of these radical feminists, who I personally am more than willing to have calm and earnest conversations with, are what I can only refer to as "Fox News Facebook Mom Brainwashed". Of course, the types of people you mention are more specific to the UK, and I don't want to pretend this has no unique nuance (I am not from the US!), but it seems to be the same type of brainrot – which is to say I'm referring to a particularly hostile, delusional type of thinking that consistent, rational conversation can't really seem to get through to. My heart is open to exceptions, but the important thing is that they are very much exceptions, because these people find themselves in cult-like bubbles. So the suggestion that these are two parties who just need to get on each other's level and stop talking past each other, seems tragically incorrect.
Because anti-transness on this level, the level that you discusss in your post, among one of the parties you highlight to make the argument that this problem extends beyond transness – proud, self-identified "TERFs" – is such a specific phenomenon that I can only think to compare it to extremist thinking along the lines of Trumpian Fox News Republicans, or even Flat Earthers, (borderline) conspiracy theory groups that have similar effects and in many cases isolate people from friends and family and sanity.
You are likely correct regarding the average person, who is unaffected by these radical online circles and is unsure and even defensive or hostile about trans people and transness in general – or any other matter! When it comes to people outside of conspiracy theory-like, cult-like bubbles, the argument can be extended further, and people do often talk past each other where they could come to understand each other and even find some common ground!
As such, the "trans question" might be a bad name for the phenomenon, or almost too accurate – the fact that trans people and transness is up for discussion and persecution is undeniable and horrific, but I don't think we should accept that this is a question up for debate at all, even in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.