Brian Paddick @brianpaddick
I support women’s rights, I understand your concerns & I’m always prepared to listen. However, I seem to be unable to convey what I really think using twitter. Whether deliberately or not, my views are being misinterpreted & misunderstood so I will not be responding further. ENDS
No they are not being misinterpreted and misunderstood.
You are displaying your male bias and political blindspot and you aren't liking it that you can't articulate something in a way which connects with women. You are used to saying something (telling people how to think) and it being taken as something to follow because you have authority.
It doesn't work on this issue because the way this has played out, now means anything that resembles someone telling women how to think or imposing an opinion, sparks a hostile reception as trust in authority has been lost.
You are using your position in the LDs against women now, because your declaration of an opinion acts to embolden those trying to shut down debate. I told you explicitly privately why there is a problem with the phrase TWAW not because of it as a belief but because of its effect on debate. It's a thought ending cliche designed to shut down debate in yourself and in others. It's use for any purposes therefore is problematic and extremely anti-liberal in principle.
After setting yourself up as the great arbitor you now have gone. 'Oh well I've made up my mind now, you can all shut up' rather than continuing to encourage open debate and dialogue which is what was needed. You are now effectively saying, no its not OK to discuss this matter and you should all shut up now I've explored the issue.
That's monumentally arrogant.
If I give you the benefit of the doubt, I'd have to say you might not realise that's what you've done, but that's the effect and power of TWAW as a phrase. It's why it's harmful to democratic process - especially when used by people in positions of authority. Its a weaponised phrase loaded with political power not just a declaration of your own position.
And that's monumentally naive.
And I personally warned you about it.
If you want to bring others along with you, then everyone else should be allowed, no not allowed encouraged to go on their own journey to get to an end point in what they think. You are trying to close the gate on that, merely by saying trans women are women and throwing a strop about how others are less than impressed about how you've handled it. And yes the strop itself is part of the problem.
You could go, I understand this is a sensitive issue and people now need to time and space to come to their own conclusions and avoided TWAW completely.
You didn't.
If you don't get why the term TWAW is just such a problem, ultimately you haven't ever engaged with women in the first place. It doesn't just represent how you view trans people, it also represents your attitude and view of dialogue and debate and how important that is to women. Which is what we were trying to say all along.