She who will not be cancelled keeps going!

[Xanthangum]

twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1279755418621878272?s=20

"When you lie about what I believe about mental health medication and when you misrepresent the views of a trans woman for whom I feel nothing but admiration and solidarity, you cross a line."

@Deliriumoftheendless

Please stop talking about maths!!! 😂

But maths is really really important!

If we base life on the basis that 2+2 = 5 we must educate ourselves as to why this outweighs the cultural orthodoxy of 2+2 = 4.

I'm struggling to work out why circuit boards and baseball point scoring has more relevance to me than the decimal system and whether I could live by the ternary system instead.

The other week I had to learn and be educated on quantum physics (was quite the revelation to DH who a degree in physics) and binary sex. Now learning about ternary and binary sex I feel I should learn.

The same goes for learning about the reproductive roles and sexual gratification of various slugs and fish in terms of how it is relevant to human reproduction.

I've also been retaught religion, english, geography and history in recent years too, so hell I need to add maths to the list. Why the fuck not. Lets get the whole set.

But I guess I'm still stuck in the analogue world of vinyl rather than the digital world of reduced quality MP3s and streaming services. Actually I've not had the music reeducation lesson yet. Looking forward to that one. It'll be cracking. When is German and Spanish up?

ooh lovely. A maths discussion.

Can we do some wordy waffle on how 2+2 = 42 and the meaning of life or something?

The thing with maths is that we have axioms which are asserted without proof, and then all other statements are logically argued from those axioms. We know they’re true if the axioms are true.

If ‘trans women are women’ is asserted as axiomatic, then lots of things follow logically. Of course they should be allowed in women’s toilets. To say otherwise is to deny the axiom which is obviously true. Of course they should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. They are women. Of course their anatomy is a woman’s anatomy. Etc etc.

That’s why it can’t be debated. If the axiom falls, the whole thing falls.

@noblegiraffe

The thing with maths is that we have axioms which are asserted without proof, and then all other statements are logically argued from those axioms. We know they’re true if the axioms are true.

If ‘trans women are women’ is asserted as axiomatic, then lots of things follow logically. Of course they should be allowed in women’s toilets. To say otherwise is to deny the axiom which is obviously true. Of course they should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. They are women. Of course their anatomy is a woman’s anatomy. Etc etc.

That’s why it can’t be debated. If the axiom falls, the whole thing falls.

You mean like 'if trans women are women then women must be trans women'?

Or alternatively

'Trans women are merely a sub set of women like black women' without this statement being utterly racist?

Or

What is a woman?

I love the way MN threads go off piste in such educational ways. Also, noble’s screengrab of the Arabic numerals survey made me smile.

Or ‘what what point can a man become a woman? And what happens if they change their mind?’

The thing with maths is that we have axioms which are asserted without proof, and then all other statements are logically argued from those axioms. We know they’re true if the axioms are true.

We also define terms. When someone first quoted TWAW at me, my naive, to my mind neutral, response was "how are you defining woman?". It didn't go down well and I still haven't got an answer.

(I do get annoyed with the "so then W are TW" argument tho. All A are B does not imply all B are A.)

The legal world too relies on carefully worded definitions that everyone can fall back on if in doubt. One reason the terrible wording tangle between EA and GRA is causing havoc.

@TeenPlusTwenties

ooh lovely. A maths discussion.

I’ve got a first class maths degree, I love a good maths chat!

I have an English Literature degree. This thread has taken a rather terrifying turn from my point of view...

hasn't understood the last dozen or so posts

Sex That's better than my maths degree. Anyway, there are 11 types of people in this world those that believe TWAW, those that believe TWAM and those that have got so confused they've given up.

(I can 'prove' that 1=2 if anyone would like me to.)

But it makes me feel unsafe! (Because I’m thick as pig shit with maths) 😂

As always, the Simpsons saw it coming!

(As a theoretical physicist by training, the egregious appeals to quantum mechanics are particularly painful...)

@TeenPlusTwenties

Sex That's better than my maths degree. Anyway, there are 11 types of people in this world those that believe TWAW, those that believe TWAM and those that have got so confused they've given up.

(I can 'prove' that 1=2 if anyone would like me to.)

Love this!!!! For the non binary among us (!!!!) that is 11 (said as one one not eleven) in binary which is three in decimal.

I’ve always wanted a t shirt that says “there are 11 types of people - those who understand binary those who don’t and those who insist that number is said as eleven”.,.but actually I like yours better!!!

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

I have an English Literature degree. This thread has taken a rather terrifying turn from my point of view...

hasn't understood the last dozen or so posts

😂

All A are B does not imply all B are A.)

Yay!

Algebra!

@RedToothBrush

All A are B does not imply all B are A.)

Yay!

Algebra!

Well, predicate logic if we're being picky... (Remembers unhappy year as junior academic when I had to teach soundness and completeness of 1st order logic to undergraduates who really did not want to learn about soundness and completeness of 1st order logic...)

RTB, where did you get 2+2 = 42 from???
Surely you must know that 2+2 = 22!!!

I presume it's a Douglas Adams reference, WhatAWonderfulDay.

@WhatAWonderfulDay

RTB, where did you get 2+2 = 42 from??? Surely you must know that 2+2 = 22!!!

The meaning of life is 42.

Therefore if 2+2 = 5 we are speaking philosophically and therefore it must equal 42.

@noblegiraffe

That’s why it can’t be debated. If the axiom falls, the whole thing falls.

This is so true. I have a question for anyone in real life who asserts TWAW, namely - "why are you removing the protective characteristic of 'trans' from people?"

Much mystifies me about this. Deadnaming, surely, is just using someone's name as they were known before they transitioned? Their exam results, previous achievements, children, holidays, (even, dare I say it, criminal record) suddenly just no longer exist?

It must be exhausting and stressful enough without worrying about remembering or being reminded of something from your own personal history. The narrow TRA rules for being a trans person would really bug me if I were one.

This is so true. I have a question for anyone in real life who asserts TWAW, namely - "why are you removing the protective
characteristic of 'trans' from people?"

Totally. It’s actually transphobic in my opinion. Literally erasing their trans identity.

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

I have an English Literature degree. This thread has taken a rather terrifying turn from my point of view...

hasn't understood the last dozen or so posts

🤣

That is the first time i have EVER used that emoji

THATS how funny that was

I'm glad my mathematical illiteracy amuses you, Rufus!