What’s the most batshit belief you’ve ever known someone to hold

[Ifyouwannabe1]

just met up with a long time friend (lovely, but utterly away with the fairies) who honestly believes the earth is flat as well as a whole host of other similarly crazy things. It got me thinking what’s the most batshit thing you’ve ever known anyone to think?

Yes, I do understand.

Unfortunate as that is, it’s also just tough. People are allowed to hold and express opinions that others may find distressing or offensive. What they can’t do is harass or discriminate against someone because of a protected characteristic such as gender reassignment, but there’s no right not to be offended

Yes fine. You’re all right. People can’t change sex and anyone who thinks they can is batshit.

Yes, it's a perfectly valid belief, given that it isn't actually possible for humans to change their sex, it's a fact, just like Paris is the capital of France, not Spain.

Can we move on now?

Yes, happy to. You're the one who resurrected it!

second post was about people believing Kier Starmer would make a good PM

I would just like to apologise to Mr Starmer! The original post used this spelling of his name and I repeated it without thinking. If you're reading, Keir, I am very sorry.

It’s not “whataboutery” to ask why you had nothing to say about the other beliefs but complained about this one. And I am not saying that you believe it, I mean yours as in your choice of which belief you felt was over the line.

You have not objected to anything else other than people mentioning the plainly ludicrous belief that we can change sex.

They didn’t believe in teaching children spellings because it’s “literally casting spells” and therefore witchcraft.

No. They will understand that they have not actually changed sex. No-one really believes that that’s what happened to them.

I do know a transgender person who has lived as a girl consistently since their teen years and I don't mean by doing stereotypical "girl" stuff like only wearing sexy womens clothes, stockings, make up and high heels. (If that's the definition of woman then I must be a bloke) but just.. I don't know. I just see them as a lassie. It just feels normal that they were a girl. That said, I think that it's batshit to believe that a HUGE amount of transwomen aren't really, truly in it for the sexual kink alone. The power over real women. That's why something like 70% of convicted transwomen aren't there because of crimes like fraud, robbery, drug dealing etc. They're in for sexual assaults against females.

I think most of us GC types understand why a trans-person could be upset by our views.

But we don't think that their feelings are more important than the rights of women. (The old-fashioned kind).

Bergamotte

But are there really people who say dinosaurs are not real, just because they weren't in the bible?

She absolutely did. And it was nothing to do with the bible, so far as l could tell. She was just a bit dim. Nice lass, she just had some strange ideas about a few things.

I'll ask again: do you understand why someone who genuinely felt they had transitioned (however incorrectly) would find that being described as 'the most batshit belief you’ve ever known' wilfully offensive?

So what? What about the flat earth's and anti-vaxers? Where is your concern for them? Those who believe in fairies probably find us calling their beliefs 'the most batshit belief you have ever known' offensive too? Should we concern ourselves with the feelings of those who think disability is due to Karma and therefore deserved?

Yes this preoccupation with the delicate feelings of trans people (even though not all trans people hold the beliefs that were called batshit, and many non-trans people do) is part of the whole phenomenon. To ask this, while not giving a thought to all the other believers in various things who might be offended, you have to accept a key tenet cynically pushed by gender ideology, that trans people are the most oppressed and marginalised people ever, suffer more than anyone else and deserve protection from having their feelings hurt and not being validated, above all other groups. Yet there’s no evidence to support any of that. It’s yet more batshit, in terms of actual available facts.

A totally bonkers one, but l knew someone who, when Sky tv first started, genuinely thought that they transmitted the programmes from a satellite studio actually in the sky.
Very disappointed when they found out that it was just done from a terrestrial studio, like 'ordinary' tv....

do you understand why someone who genuinely felt they had transitioned (however incorrectly) would find that being described as 'the most batshit belief you’ve ever known' wilfully offensive?

Unfortunately my opinion is partly informed by people who have genuinely transitioned and are now doing everything they can to stop more people, especially children, from falling for this lie. There are Scott Nugent in the US and Kiera Bell in the UK for starters. There is also the complete disaster of poor wee Jazz Jennings as an illustration.

But you said yourself that you agree with us in the quoted post above this one that people can't change sex. You said so yourself.

I have known a few flat earthers. Apparently they have members all around the globe!

So it's down to feelings over facts then?

So who's feelings are most important then, please do tell. No wait you don't have to, I already know your answer from what you've posted already.

And here you go moving goalposts again, it's really rather obvious what you are doing you know?

No one used the word "transitioned" except you. No one is saying transitioning is batshit.

But again, a lot of people here are quite offended and it has real world, real life knock on effects for us.

For you to come here and try to shut us down and tell us this very important issue is "boring" kind of blasts your "I was respectful" right out of the water doesn't it.

So what? What about the flat earth's and anti-vaxers? Where is your concern for them?

The difference is gender dysphoria is a diagnosable condition (international classification of diseases) with likely a biological component and evidence based NHS medical treatment.

It’s globally recognised by virtually every country that it’s a condition and medical transition helps some people. It’s nothing like religion or beliefs. It’s clinical treatment and legal rights.

I've seen quite a few posts in this thread mocking religion (Christianity, in the main - unless I've missed the ones specifically mocking Hinduism, Islam etc.) Admittedly, the disdain has been directed at the more extreme strand of Christianity such as young earth creationism. However, there have been plenty of posts on here belittling the relatively mainstream idea of a benevolent God.

Is it offensive to hear this stuff? Well, yeah, a bit - but so what? Not everyone is going to agree with my worldview. Christianity has been seen as a crackpot/dangerous religion since the beginning. In a free country, people are at liberty to mock beliefs they disagree with.

So, given that gender ideology is an unproven concept which flies in the face of everything we know about biological sex, why shouldn't it be subject to the same criticism and mockery as everything else? This is a belief which is leading to children taking puberty blockers, young women removing their breasts and undergoing hysterectomies, male-bodied people being allowed into women's spaces when women are at their most vulnerable and laws being rewritten to accommodate an ideology which just isn't underpinned by scientific evidence.

When it gets to the point that humans are seriously being compared to clownfish to support the ideology (ignoring the entire category of mammals, let alone great apes or even primates) then you know you are looking at a batshit belief.

We should be able to laugh at these beliefs.

As a Christian, I expect to be able to walk down the street and not be attacked. I do not want to be subjected to relentless mockery at work about my beliefs. That is part of living in a civilised society and I would hope that even the most die-hard of atheists would agree with that. In the same way, I have no intention of being nasty to an individual trans person.

BUT, I believe Christianity as a religion should be subject to the same scrutiny as anything else. As should Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and gender ideology.

I personally think that Christianity can withstand the scrutiny. Can adherents of gender ideology say the same about their beliefs?

The difference is gender dysphoria is a diagnosable condition (international classification of diseases) with likely a biological component and evidence based NHS medical treatment.

It’s globally recognised by virtually every country that it’s a condition and medical transition helps some people. It’s nothing like religion or beliefs. It’s clinical treatment and legal rights.

The exact wording that most people gave was "the belief that you can change sex"

It's not possible for human beings to change sex, however "globally recognised" gender dysphoria, a psychological condition where people feel discomfort with their sexed body, is.

It’s nothing like religion or beliefs.

It is a belief, and an ideology which goes much much further than "treating people with gender dysphoria".