Ageism and TRA: "My suggestion is -- grow the fuck up and stop being an imbecile." - Maria MacLachlan

submitted by [deleted] from self.GenderCritical

This latest vid from Maria MacLachlan isn't about ageism per se, but it does highlight the TRA tendency to revile mature women in particular as dangerous, delusional, or (to paraphrase another post on spinster.xyz) "old and irrelevant." (Aside from midlife AGPs, TRAs on social media do seem to be an overwhelmingly young cohort.)

Including this here because Maria is an important voice. I'd already peaked, but the 2017 assault on Maria in Hyde Park sealed the deal for me personally in my opposition to TRA. (For those who don't know the background: https://www.feministcurrent.com/2018/04/27/trans-identified-male-tara-wolf-charged-assault-hyde-park-attack/)

Maria's vid: https://youtu.be/ryUXKAVtf0I

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[–]motionlessoracle 20 insightful - 1 fun20 insightful - 0 fun21 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Their ageism is self defeating. The women who have the wisdom to help them are the ones who were in the trenches before they were born.

[–]fedup31 20 insightful - 1 fun20 insightful - 0 fun21 insightful - 1 fun -  (10 children)

Millennials are going to be hilarious to watch over the next decade as we start hitting our 40s and being seen as “old” by the next generation. There will be a lot of backpedaling on ageism and probably other things as they get perspective but the cruelty they’ve shown to older people will just trickle down to the next generation and they’ll be the next victim. And frankly we deserve it.

[–]Omina_Sentenziosa 12 insightful - 2 fun12 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah, this reminds me of those 20 somethings who screech that at 30 your life is basically over and then go ballistic when, ten years later, they have 20 somethings telling them the same thing.

I witnessed it with my own eyes, with a university classmate who, when we were in school, spent her time saying how gross anyone over 30/35 is. I have no idea what exactly she was thinking, though: did she think she was never going to reach that age? People grow old, that's a fact of life, the alternative is dying young, which is not exactly preferable.

The way she behaves now when a teenager leaves her a seat on the bus is hilarious. She made the biggest scene of all at least twice for that.

[–]just_lesbian_things 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

I'm interested to see how it unfolds, actually. I think a lot of the disconnect and disrespect comes from the internet and the technological leap within the last few decades. For possibly the only time in human history, the younger generation were more knowledgeable and more powerful, at least, in a sense, than the one before. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues or if something completely new emerges.

[–][deleted] 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Powerful in the sense of instantly communicating thought, yes. Powerful in forming, articulating, and testing thought before it's communicated, and assessing its effect or social value? Remains to be seen.

[–]just_lesbian_things 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Powerful in the sense that computer literacy quickly became a valuable skill in society for a variety of reasons.

Powerful in forming, articulating, and testing thought before it's communicated, and assessing its effect or social value?

Most people aren't good at this regardless of age.

[–][deleted] 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

True, but we've never had such broad amplification of such unedited thoughts at such an interpersonal remove. I'm pretty sure it's had a net negative on how people communicate.

"Think before you speak" used to be something of a social convention. Text-based social media has pretty much ended it.

[–]just_lesbian_things 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

unedited thoughts at such an interpersonal remove. I'm pretty sure it's had a net negative on how people communicate.

Eh, I think it's more complicated. There are unedited thoughts on anonymous forums and message boards, but I think people also put a lot more effort and thought into crafting their online personas. The obvious physical/photoediting stuff aside, you have plenty of people virtue signalling on Facebook and Twitter. It carries a lot of weight given how much of our lives is online- people have faced serious professional ramifications (as some GC women can attest) from "unedited thoughts" in their tweets. And given how long these websites last and how public these platforms are, people are more concerned now than ever regarding how they'll be perceived by everyone in the present and future. It's "thinking before you speak" at every level, just optimized for social points instead of truth or logic. Plus, I'd argue that the basic premise of "thinking before you speak" was always about social etiquette/convention rather than more critical or analytical stuff.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's "thinking before you speak" at every level, just optimized for social points instead of truth or logic.

Exactly. So when the dictates of the moment are for unflinching support of all things TRA, where does that leave regard for women? And traditionally enculturated codes that say things like "We do not punch out 60-something women at Speaker's Corner, and we do not celebrate such online?"

I call ever-raining bullshit on the "verity" of online personas and digital groupthink dynamics.

[–][deleted] 7 insightful - 5 fun7 insightful - 4 fun8 insightful - 5 fun -  (0 children)

All those years of fake hormones won’t make them age well.

[–][deleted] 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

They hate us because so many of us are second wave women. They know we marched and fought for women’s liberation and lesbian and gay liberation.

They know that we pushed for gender stereotype erasure.

Girls can be anything that they want to be

They want gender stereotypes because it fits with their narrative.

They know that we can so very clearly see them for who and what they are.

Men larping as exaggerated gender stereotypes of women.

[–]missdaisycan 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This, yes! Also, older women are more (practiced?) at saying "No".

[–]Penguinberri 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

See stuff like this shows how entrenched in patriarchy they are. In old matriarchal cultures the three stages of women were given equal reverence. You have the maiden, the mother and the old crone, each stage has its own power but the old crone would be no less than the maiden, just a different stage in life.

[–]cybitch 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Old women don't have the sole thing that gives women power in society - being physically attractive. Sure, there's Botox and hair dye but only those of a certain class can afford all that. So it's very easy to dismiss anything an old woman says, all the males will instantly agree with you and from then on it's easy to pressure the women as well.