Very timely, given the Australian government's decision today to review transgender treatments (for younger Australians). I wonder where all this will land, and I say this as someone with no skin in the gender game, But I do wonder how all things 'trans' became front and centre for both left and right of politics. I must have fallen asleep some time between 2010 and 2020, and then woke up to some new landscape and a winner-takes-all dogfight.
I believe the issue has had such an overstated position in the culture wars because none of these concepts were debated broadly in society prior to being implemented in targeted policies and a very cleaver revision of language. Terms like "assigned female at birth" became the new normal, never mind that our sex is not assigned, so much as observed and correctly categorized. Your observation that is just snuck up between 2010 and 2020, is completely correct.
This topic perfectly demonstrates the degree to which activism can manipulate language to destroy consensus reality, and expedite the loss of institutional trust.
We will be dealing with the fallout of losing this consensus reality and institutional trust for a very long time.
Absolutely brilliant intellectual work here. Highly impressed by your very realistic understanding of language, logic, the scientific method, you name it. You are an embodiment of what I feel like I am politically, socially, and culturally today in 2025. Like you, I feel like I agree with most of the broad concepts and ideals on the political left, but am absolutely astonished at how severe some of the wording and methods have gotten. Zero shame in their manipulation of logic, science, and language. Thanks so much for your work Josh. Highly satisfying (and confirmation that I am not in fact going insane) to hear you unpack this shit.
Your observations on the current state of “journalism” at our ABC are spot on and the reason I have stopped watching/listening after being a staunch supporter of Auntie for over fifty years.
Hopefully they can turn the ship but I am not hopeful.
does the AMA suggest that data suggested that Sex and Gender are better understood as a spectrum” and reply was surprising. See below.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has indeed recognized that sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum rather than as binary categories. This affirmation was made during the AMA's Interim Meeting in 2018, where delegates adopted policies addressing gender identity and the complexities surrounding it. The AMA explicitly stated that "sex and gender are more complex than previously assumed" and emphasized the importance of acknowledging that an individual's gender identity may not align with the sex assigned at birth17.
The AMA has opposed efforts to narrowly define sex based solely on biological traits, asserting that such definitions could have detrimental public health consequences for transgender individuals and those with intersex traits. This stance reflects a broader understanding that both sex and gender encompass a range of identities beyond just male and female14.
Additionally, the AMA has advocated for the inclusion of sexual and gender identity data in health surveys to better understand and address health disparities affecting sexual and gender minorities17. This acknowledgment of a spectrum aligns with contemporary views in both medical and social contexts regarding gender identity, which is increasingly recognized as a multifaceted aspect of human experience34.
Very timely, given the Australian government's decision today to review transgender treatments (for younger Australians). I wonder where all this will land, and I say this as someone with no skin in the gender game, But I do wonder how all things 'trans' became front and centre for both left and right of politics. I must have fallen asleep some time between 2010 and 2020, and then woke up to some new landscape and a winner-takes-all dogfight.
I believe the issue has had such an overstated position in the culture wars because none of these concepts were debated broadly in society prior to being implemented in targeted policies and a very cleaver revision of language. Terms like "assigned female at birth" became the new normal, never mind that our sex is not assigned, so much as observed and correctly categorized. Your observation that is just snuck up between 2010 and 2020, is completely correct.
This topic perfectly demonstrates the degree to which activism can manipulate language to destroy consensus reality, and expedite the loss of institutional trust.
We will be dealing with the fallout of losing this consensus reality and institutional trust for a very long time.
Keep fighting the good fight Josh. Well done - professional.
A very thoughtful discussion Josh, you may have ruffled some feathers
Absolutely brilliant intellectual work here. Highly impressed by your very realistic understanding of language, logic, the scientific method, you name it. You are an embodiment of what I feel like I am politically, socially, and culturally today in 2025. Like you, I feel like I agree with most of the broad concepts and ideals on the political left, but am absolutely astonished at how severe some of the wording and methods have gotten. Zero shame in their manipulation of logic, science, and language. Thanks so much for your work Josh. Highly satisfying (and confirmation that I am not in fact going insane) to hear you unpack this shit.
Brilliant solo episode Josh.
Your observations on the current state of “journalism” at our ABC are spot on and the reason I have stopped watching/listening after being a staunch supporter of Auntie for over fifty years.
Hopefully they can turn the ship but I am not hopeful.
You were a huge loss for them!
So I asked Perplexity that same question "
does the AMA suggest that data suggested that Sex and Gender are better understood as a spectrum” and reply was surprising. See below.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has indeed recognized that sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum rather than as binary categories. This affirmation was made during the AMA's Interim Meeting in 2018, where delegates adopted policies addressing gender identity and the complexities surrounding it. The AMA explicitly stated that "sex and gender are more complex than previously assumed" and emphasized the importance of acknowledging that an individual's gender identity may not align with the sex assigned at birth17.
The AMA has opposed efforts to narrowly define sex based solely on biological traits, asserting that such definitions could have detrimental public health consequences for transgender individuals and those with intersex traits. This stance reflects a broader understanding that both sex and gender encompass a range of identities beyond just male and female14.
Additionally, the AMA has advocated for the inclusion of sexual and gender identity data in health surveys to better understand and address health disparities affecting sexual and gender minorities17. This acknowledgment of a spectrum aligns with contemporary views in both medical and social contexts regarding gender identity, which is increasingly recognized as a multifaceted aspect of human experience34.