I have never ever used Twitter or Instagram, but am still on Facebook. I keep the friends list pretty pared down. After the 2016 election, I went through a period of frenzy where I was constantly posting political articles and was basically out of my mind - though I still think I did myself some good by venting my disgust and fear. Now i…
I have never ever used Twitter or Instagram, but am still on Facebook. I keep the friends list pretty pared down. After the 2016 election, I went through a period of frenzy where I was constantly posting political articles and was basically out of my mind - though I still think I did myself some good by venting my disgust and fear. Now it's mostly interactions with translation colleagues, family photos, and an occasional serious discussion with real friends around the world (I and some friends in Germany, Italy and the US have been talking about a fascinating and incredibly well researched book on Vichy France, "Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family and Fatherland," by Carmen Callil, that someone recommended to me). And that's about it. I used to have a Kindle, which got stolen at the airport, after which I realized I hated it, hated reading on an electronic device. So I never replaced it and am very happy with that decision. My husband and I share a smart phone, which I rarely take with me and which is mostly useful for video chats with our daughter and GPS while traveling in parts unknown. It sits on the kitchen counter and I often keep it turned off altogether.
I was oblivious to the whole "woke" thing for a long time, but a couple of years ago an online "conversation" with some trans activists really jolted me into awareness - and raised my hackles. I no longer engage with them, it's not worth the grief. FWIW, I've never talked about those issues anywhere but online, though in the circles I used to run in, there were plenty of transgender folk and we were all just buddies. The cyber buffer seems to make it easier to attack women as TERFS.
In general, I try to be understanding of young people and their opinions on gender issues, because I well remember being young myself and having my ideas and ideals criticized by clueless and reactionary adults. I imagine many of these young people will mellow out a little as life smooths them down. I have a young 20-something niece who went through periods of being gender neutral, gender queer, and androgynous. Now she's back to being a woman. Sometimes you just have to give things a try. Back in my day it was hippiedom and the associated squalor, and the more the grown-ups objected, the more I dug in my heels. Though I gotta say, there's no going back once you get gender transition surgery...
In none of my in-person friendships with trans and non-binary people are there ever these sorts of arguments. The internet does something to these conversations that turns them into combative events where everyone assumes the worst on both sides.
I have never ever used Twitter or Instagram, but am still on Facebook. I keep the friends list pretty pared down. After the 2016 election, I went through a period of frenzy where I was constantly posting political articles and was basically out of my mind - though I still think I did myself some good by venting my disgust and fear. Now it's mostly interactions with translation colleagues, family photos, and an occasional serious discussion with real friends around the world (I and some friends in Germany, Italy and the US have been talking about a fascinating and incredibly well researched book on Vichy France, "Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family and Fatherland," by Carmen Callil, that someone recommended to me). And that's about it. I used to have a Kindle, which got stolen at the airport, after which I realized I hated it, hated reading on an electronic device. So I never replaced it and am very happy with that decision. My husband and I share a smart phone, which I rarely take with me and which is mostly useful for video chats with our daughter and GPS while traveling in parts unknown. It sits on the kitchen counter and I often keep it turned off altogether.
I was oblivious to the whole "woke" thing for a long time, but a couple of years ago an online "conversation" with some trans activists really jolted me into awareness - and raised my hackles. I no longer engage with them, it's not worth the grief. FWIW, I've never talked about those issues anywhere but online, though in the circles I used to run in, there were plenty of transgender folk and we were all just buddies. The cyber buffer seems to make it easier to attack women as TERFS.
In general, I try to be understanding of young people and their opinions on gender issues, because I well remember being young myself and having my ideas and ideals criticized by clueless and reactionary adults. I imagine many of these young people will mellow out a little as life smooths them down. I have a young 20-something niece who went through periods of being gender neutral, gender queer, and androgynous. Now she's back to being a woman. Sometimes you just have to give things a try. Back in my day it was hippiedom and the associated squalor, and the more the grown-ups objected, the more I dug in my heels. Though I gotta say, there's no going back once you get gender transition surgery...
In none of my in-person friendships with trans and non-binary people are there ever these sorts of arguments. The internet does something to these conversations that turns them into combative events where everyone assumes the worst on both sides.
I wonder if the internet does it or if certain types feel more comfortable on the internet.