Quickies: Lunatics Running The Asylum Dept.

     If you have an interest – and who doesn’t? – in the current “identity” foofaurauw, you’ve probably already seen the following. If not, treat yourself to a few uneasy giggles:

     The trend exemplified by the students interviewed in the above is well established. The import is not yet widely understood. Yet it’s quite simple. It’s not about “rights” or “justice.” It’s not about “respecting others’ self-identification.” It’s purely and only a matter of survival:

The deluded can be dangerous.

     They might not attack you personally or publicly. But given the Left’s drive to divide us from one another as completely as possible, the tremendous political utility of any self-identified “oppressed minority” that’s willing to collaborate with it, and the willingness of major institutions, especially in the educational establishment and the entertainment media, to add weight to their demands, the path of self-preservation is to “make nice” until you’re out of range.

     Obligatory Disclaimer: Not all deluded persons are individually dangerous. Indeed, the delusion itself is often utterly harmless. For example, I’ve exchanged a few pleasant notes with one “transwoman” who knows my views about such things and of course disagrees with them, but has been quite civil about it all. The danger emanates from those who are willing to club the rest of us via the media, the Internet, or (most recently) the law. As usual, collectivities are the great hazard: groups mobilized to force the rest of us to conform to their preferences and willing to use any tool that’s handy to gain their ends.

     Is the moral of the story that “we” – whoever that is these days – should encourage the deluded to emphasize their individuality and independence from social trends? Perhaps. But it’s 3:00 AM as I complete this mini-tirade, which renders me less ready than usual to make such a suggestion. However, I will close with an appropriate quotation:

     Delusions are often functional. A mother's opinions about her children's beauty, intelligence, goodness, et cetera ad nauseam, keep her from drowning them at birth. – Robert A. Heinlein

     (Yes, yes, I’ve used it before. These days it’s more useful than ever.)