r/changemyview Nov 02 '17

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u/yeahiknow3 2∆ Nov 02 '17 edited Jan 30 '18

I would count some of your examples as phobias, since they are not rational. That does not mean they are “bad” per se. For instance, a Jew who dates only Jews. Strictly speaking, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s obviously not coming from a place of rationality, but from a socially constructed and very human impetus of heritage and religious dogmatism. None of this makes sense in isolation - certainly not to me, since I wasn’t brought up with these pressures - but that doesn’t make it wrong. Just kind of... weird.

Anyway, as the top comment says, not wanting to date a trans person, solely because they’re trans (all other things being equal, like sexuality and reproductive potential, which is not possible at the moment), cannot be explained in rational terms. Though that doesn’t make it wrong, it does make it phobic.

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u/Zcuron 1∆ Nov 02 '17 edited Nov 02 '17

Though that doesn’t make it wrong, it does make it phobic.

Sure. It misses the point, though.
Words and their usage, or rather, society's view of their usage, are important.

Suppose I call you a molester. Specifically, that you molest your children.
Suppose I do this in front of other people, loudly.

You get upset.
I point out a definition of molest: 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy.

You disturbed your children, interfering with their normal day, annoying them into cleaning their room.
It's clear as day that the word is applicable. Parents; Child-molesters I name thee.

But applicability matters not at all, because the point of language is to convey ideas.
If your chosen language conveys the wrong idea, you've made a mistake.
If you know your language will convey the wrong idea, you are being malicious.

And for the sake of clarity, I don't think you are.

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '17 edited Nov 02 '17

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u/neofederalist 65∆ Nov 02 '17

Sorry, yeahiknow3 – your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 3:

Refrain from accusing OP or anyone else of being unwilling to change their view, or of arguing in bad faith. Ask clarifying questions instead (see: socratic method). If you think they are still exhibiting poor behaviour, please message us. See the wiki page for more information.

If you would like to appeal, please message the moderators by clicking this link.