Gender Trouble
One of the most talked-about scholarly works of the past fifty years, Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble is as celebrated as it is controversial. Arguing that traditional feminism is wrong to look to a natural, 'essential' notion of the female, or indeed of sex or gender, Butler starts by questioning the category 'woman' and continues in this vein with examinations of 'the masculine' and 'the feminine'. Best known however, but also most often misinterpreted, is Butler's concept of gender as a reiterated social performance rather than the expression of a prior reality. Thrilling and provocative, few other academic works have roused passions to the same extent.
Stats for nerds
6recommend
13mentions
11people
2011–2022years
54% recommend23% neutral23% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- > designated as a male at birth in the uncommon case of being born with inadequately formed male genitals and maintaining that designation into adulthood.
I find it interesting that you spend most of your message talking about the biological precedent of calling someone with a penis and a scrotum "man", yet even within your ideological construction you have to allow for some wiggle room.
> It does not refer to the feelings or self-image of persons designated "transexual males"
Says who? My FtM friends are "men" just like my friends with a penis that consider themselves men.
>if the new meanings they seek for those words are not accepted by their societies.
Trans stuff isn't particularly new. Being taken seriously is what's new for us. Apologies if that's a little uncomfortable for you as a cis person, that must be very very very difficult to deal with.
> Being unable to accept that the meanings of words is as they are understood by the parties in the discussion is a sign of emotional immaturity
If you'd like further reading on how sex and gender work, I suggest Gender Trouble by Judith Butler.
- What it really comes down to is that you're too weak to be yourself.
This might hurt to hear, but you're a coward if you let gender roles stop you from enjoying something.
I sincerely recommend reading some theory on gender. Gender Trouble by Judith Butler is a surprisingly approachable introduction to the subject, despite not being written as such.
- > The problem of transsexualism would best be served by morally mandating it out of existence.
> All transsexuals rape women's bodies by reducing the real female form to an artifact, appropriating this body for themselves.
You mean that book by Janice Raymond?
> So, what I think is very fascinating is that there's a connection between the very jolly Blair government and their Gender Recognition Act and Iran. They love transgenderism because it does help to get rid of this serious problem of homosexuality and it enforces gender. Right? So we do need to be fighting, I think, transgenderism as a state 'project' in terms of gender.
That's uh, Sheila Jeffreys being delusional about how supportive the UK government is towards trans people because Iran's very exceptional asymmetry in how accepting they are of trans people and not gay people.
Counter suggestion: Read Gender Trouble.
- "The Second Sex" by Simone De Beauvoir is on here twice. I'd recommend if you're looking to read an existentialist book by the same author - check out "The Ethics of Ambiguity" which is an attempt to form an existentialist ethics, and is short, and good. Tbqh "The Second Sex" is a bit dry for modern tastes - even though it is important. I'd recommend reading something like Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" if you want a better feel for modern feminism.
- Gender Trouble by J. Butler and Precarious Life by J. Butler
These two allowed me to adopt a whole new perspective on not just gender but life and liberty in general. Also, great writing style!
- Gender is usually considered indicative or coupled with cultural behavior and performative behavior, i.e. in the U.S. barbie dolls are 'toys for girls'. Sex begins and ends at the biological level and is strictly related to the organs and biological makeup you have and what you can do with those. I know less about how sex isn't binary, but in the case of gender it's fairly evident these days.
At least that's how I've understood it in layman's terms and with my very basic knowledge--it's very complex, as with anything worth studying. The seminal text on the issue in the eyes of many is Judith Butler's Gender Trouble--If you truly are serious about wanting to learn about this stuff I suggest you check it out.
