What is a Woman?

If you cannot answer this simple question, how can we trust you about anything?

This is shameful.  The idea that we have to ask, What is a woman?, is shameful enough.  But the fact that politicians cannot or will not answer this ridiculously simple question is just beyond shameful.

Watch this video.  Here is how it ends:

To ask a politician the question, What is a woman?, isn’t a gotcha.  Because they know the answer.  And they know that we know that they know the answer.  It isn’t that they can’t define it.  It’s that they’re too scared to define it because they’ve been so cowed and intimidated by activists.  It would be one thing if these politicians had bought into gender identity ideology to such an extent that they no longer believe in biological sex differences.  I mean, that would be deranged but at least it would be forgivable.  But that’s not what’s happening here.

While most of us have a limited understanding of various key political issues, we can all see that a failure to define woman is either delusional or dishonest.  Neither of which are qualities that we seek in our elected representatives.  The question, What is a woman?, has become a litmus test.  It’s not a gotcha, it’s not transphobic, it’s a means by which we can assess the honesty of the ruling class.  And if they can’t speak openly about the things we all know to be true, we won’t be able to trust them when it comes to anything else.

And that's the real point isn't it?  When you understand this, the What is a woman? question becomes a lot less ridiculous.  The real question is one of trust.  Anyone who says, you are playing word games with an unserious question, well, they are simply attempting to take the focus off the question of trust.  Don't let them.

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Attendant Self-Containment

First came a reassessment of the people surrounding me.  A largely voluntary post-fifty purge.  An indelicate word, but that's what it was.  Then came the expulsion from my family.  Followed by the long overdue estrangement.  It was not entirely coincidental that I then married a woman who loves me unconditionally.  We moved to my wife's home country.  It was the right decision for us.  The point is, for better or worse, I have been losing or removing people from my life for a few years now.

But I did have a few remaining friends.  Then just before we left the US, I lost a couple more.  Long time friends, from high school.  One because our friendship could only exist on her erratic and capricious terms.  Only if and when she fancied it.  She's a fiction writer with an artist's flair and bohemian demeanor.  And that has always given her license to be flaky and flighty.  But more recently, she became so blithely unreliable and unstable that our relationship was simply untenable.  The second, well I'm afraid that the first took the second with her.  I admire his loyalty.  But sadly, that was the end of that.

It is interesting to note that these were my last two politically left-of-center friends.  I did not set out to remove left-of-center people from my life.  But a few years ago I did make the decision not to add any.  The simple fact is this:  No matter where they fall on the left-of-center political spectrum, these people do not share my values.  At this point I think it is fair to say, if I cannot trust people politically, I cannot trust them personally.  In any case, I choose not to.  I just can no longer believe that there are good people who happen to be on the left.  I actually believe just the opposite:  If you are left-of-center, and support left-of-center candidates and causes, you are not a good person.

Losing my last two left-of-center friends made this revelation possible.  I do realize that some will find this an extreme position.  But if you have read this journal since the start of the Covid lockdowns, you will know why.  Today we have CRT, equity rather than equality, gender identity, cancel culture, censorship, anti-semitism, climate change, a ridiculous energy policy, open borders, dollar devaluation, complete educational collapse, etc.  Left-of-center types either directly or tacitly support all of this nonsense.  Gender-affirming surgery for the prepubescent?  That's not mere nonsense; it's evil.  The way the Left handled Covid, politicians and voters alike, has been shameful.

The idea that these policies are misguided but well intentioned is simply not believable.  Rather, the Left has gone fully progressive.  And as David Horowitz points out:  Inside every progressive is a totalitarian screaming to get out.  Both the politicians and their voters – Just look at the mask nazis.  They're all drunk with power.  They seem to have forgotten what the word liberal means.  Or, they simply do not care.  Every last one of them.  And I've had it.  It's shameful and I no longer want anything to do with these miscreants.

I want to be crystal clear about this.  There are many bad people on the Right.  An often unkind and intolerant religious fundamentalism, true racists, and other assorted bigots.  But there are absolutely no good people on the Left.  And yes, I am fully aware that many people on the Left feel exactly the same about those of us on the Right.  But here's the thing:  We cannot both be correct.  Either the Left's view of the world is correct.  Or, the Right's view is correct.  Pick your side.  Because going forward, there will be war before we get back to the idea of compromise.

I had thought that my remaining friendships were strong, but I now wonder if they are not rather fragile and ultimately dischargeable.  I mean, with my attitude outlined above, some will say, you do this to yourself.  Quite right.

I am responsible for this.  I am simply ill-equipped to develop and maintain relationships in general, and friendships in particular.  I have tried to change.  And I will keep trying.  But I fear it is a lost cause.  I was broken too early to be salvageable.

This is not an excuse.  Rather I just don't have the skill set.  And try as I might, I am not sure I ever will.  Don't get me wrong, I can and do live by these rules.  But I don't seem to be able to maintain friendships.

As with anything, at some point, you get used to it.  And I have become accustomed to losing people.  The details don't really matter.  Sometimes there are clear reasons.  Other times, the reasons are vague.  The only thing that matters is that people are lost.

I have my wife.  I am so thankful for her.  I suppose it is cliche to say it, but she is my best friend.

The others are lost.  I lost them.  Some by choice; some by negligence.

I am not seeking violins here.  I will live with the consequences.  So we, my wife and I, are now self-contained.  Perhaps reluctantly, but necessarily.

Okay.

We'll make do.

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