tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325396139579304736.post510070417762062531..comments2023-12-04T01:43:17.121-08:00Comments on The Feminist UnFairytales of a Young African Mother: Why are people putting Caitlyn Jenner and Rachel Dolezal in the same sentence?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05738211434010103529noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325396139579304736.post-42057776374134352382015-06-12T22:12:10.460-07:002015-06-12T22:12:10.460-07:00Sophie, the dictionary is a great resource, of cou...Sophie, the dictionary is a great resource, of course, but it is (thankfully!) hardly the final authority on human experience (for instance, almost every online article about experiences of racism has someone in the comments section arguing that what the writer is describing cannot possibly be racism, because of the dictionary's definition of the concept). All a dictionary does is explain language, and the truth is that language is limiting. Add this inherent limitation to the inherent biases of the people who write dictionaries -- who tend to be overwhelmingly white and male -- and you will start to see why dictionaries are not the best place to go when discussing the human condition.<br />For the sake of the sanity of the English-speaking* world, there IS a word for 'transsexuals'; transgender. That word exists to let people know that someone was born anatomically male or female etc. ('transvestite' is not the same as 'transgender', I ought to add). Being trans* is not 'identifying with' the 'opposite sex'; it is knowing that you ARE the 'opposite sex'. I know this is a concept that many cis people do not get, but our inability to understand something does not negate its existence or validity. <br />The question of whether or not Caitlyn 'deserves' to be celebrated is complex, debatable and entirely subjective; there are still some people in Germany who think Hitler was a hero...lol...<br />Thanks a lot for reading and commenting. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05738211434010103529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325396139579304736.post-14619042764303035112015-06-12T16:06:34.295-07:002015-06-12T16:06:34.295-07:00Very interesting write up.
I looked up the definit...Very interesting write up.<br />I looked up the definition of Woman in the dictionary and Merriam-webster defined Woman as 'an adult female human being' <br />I then checked for what female meant and that was defined as 'of, relating to, or being the sex that bears young or produces eggs'.<br />By these definitions, Caitlyn Jenner does not qualify to be called a woman.<br />For the sake of the sanity of the world, a word should be invented to refer to the transexuals because I do not think a male transvestite should be called a woman or vice versa. No matter how much you identify with the opposite sex or you feel you were meant to be something else, the fact is still you are not.<br />And I do not think Caitlyn deserves to be celebrated for any reason.Sophienoreply@blogger.com