I don't think you're unreasonable, you have more context than myself and any other casual North American sports fan who (shockingly!) hasn't learned the points per game rates of Aussie rules footie. BUT, for most who have a casual understanding of sports, seeing someone a foot taller than their competition makes us go "huh, that seems wild."
As we do when reading one of the most reputable papers in the world raising concerns about transgender health science methodology.
(For what it's worth, in my personal experience of playing mid level co-ed rec league sports in a large liberal city for awhile, I've played against a few teams, mostly their trans player was the best woman on their team and by not a small margin. We don't give a shit because, like I said, mid level co-ed rec league sports.)
The fact you feel compelled to "call out" someone trying to sincerely answer a reasonable question kinda speaks volumes.
The writing is very of its time but for all his flaws, Joss Whedon has a knack for funny dialogue. I think the earlier commenter did much better justice to the show than I could though.
I know Principal Flutie would have said, 'Kids need understanding. Kids are human beings.' That's the kind of woolly-headed, liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.
I gave up on closing the bathroom door, which was fine when only my cat lived there.
But eventually I got a serious gf and forgot that normal people shut the door while pooping. I can still hear her shriek as she walked by "WE'RE NOT THERE YET!"
Sadly (though I am admittedly a pessimist and would love to be wrong) I think the Left elites/party brass are coming to that realization on identity politics. But I dont think mainstream/cultural Left is and unfortunately, I think Right and centre Right curious voters view the political and cultural Left as the same.
I've also not presented my beliefs, just "here's some pretty mainstream concerns." I made that pretty clear in my opening statement (and pointed out that pretty much this exactly would happen.)
You've clearly encountered these arguments before (definitely didn't watch the video which is fucking sympathetic). I'm not making these arguments.
I'm saying that reasonable people, who read one of the most reputable papers in the world can in fact have reservations on some trans issues. I can disagree with them but it's not just bigotry.
This is part of the thing. If we on the Left can't have an honest discussion about things that do happen, then it is incredibly hard for anyone not already "on side" to take us seriously.
trans women being reassigned to women’s prisons and then assaulting the women etc
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/26/americas-growing-row-over-policies-for-transgender-prisoners
"Tremaine Carroll, a transferred inmate serving 25 years to life for violent crimes, was charged with raping two women in ccwf and faces trial soon; Carroll denies the charges. In 2022 an inmate moved to Rikers Island women’s prison in New York received a seven-year sentence for attempted rape."
This is a tricky issue, trans women in men's prisons are also at risk. But to straight up deny these things happen and deny the existence of non transphobic concerns, well, that's hard to take seriously.
a 6"2, 220lb woman practically murdering her handball oppoisition
Murder was hyperbole, probably inappropriate. But damn, she is just so much bigger than her entire team and everyone on the opposition in all of those clips. (She also dominates in Aussie rules football.)
The whole article is discomforting and worth reading. But, while WPATH (what is supposed to, and claims to be and independent science based organization) was creating their guidelines:
"But an email in October 2020 from WPATH figures, including its incoming president at the time, Walter Bouman, to the working group on guidelines, made clear what sort of science WPATH did (and did not) want published. Research must be “thoroughly scrutinised and reviewed to ensure that publication does not negatively affect the provision of transgender health care in the broadest sense,” it stated. Mr Bouman and one other coauthor of that email have been named to a World Health Organisation advisory board tasked with developing best practices for transgender medicine."
Again, I'm generally on board with trans rights etc but to say there aren't issues just makes it that much harder to take us at face value.
There's a reason conservatives campaign against "woke." And most conservatives I know socially called the election a win against woke, even if they couldn't exactly name a woke policy that Harris proposed.
I'm going to get all sorts of fun responses for trying to empathize with those with whom I disagree (instead of just writing "dumb bigots") but here goes:
First, remember that even gay marriage is fairly new to America, it's been around for less time than the MCU.
There are a lot of folks who almost have mental whiplash, gay marriage went from illegal to "you could get fired for being vocally uncomfortable about it" in fairly quick order.
Now, to make things even more wild for those folks, mainstream culture is pretty insistent that gender isn't even a thing anymore. Add in some pretty wild news stories/videos*, worries for their kids and the notion that the Left refuses to say there might be any issues whatsoever and you can kinda see where a backlash could crop up.
eg: trans women being reassigned to women's prisons and then assaulting the women etc, a 6"2, 220lb woman practically murdering her handball oppoisition, some fairly sketchy research practices by some of the authorities (WPATH) on the subject etc.
InfinCute.