Rebecca Watson (Skepchick)
3 HN mentions · mentioned in 3 months, 2023–2025
23:22 · 203K views · May 4, 2023
Rebecca Watson's video critiquing physicist Sabine Hossenfelder's earlier video on gender care for transgender minors, arguing it mishandled the evidence.
HN users mainly link it as a rebuttal to Hossenfelder's trans-issues video when her credibility comes up.
3 comments from Hacker News
sure this video this is a debunking video. it addresses a video where Hossenfelder says that "normal people" think it's crazy to suggest that transitioning saves the lives of transgender teens. but (as the video shows) the peer-reviewed evidence for this "crazy" idea that "normal people" don't believe is in fact overwhelming. anyway, dismissing peer-reviewed evidence as "crazy" is not a legitimate way for a scientist to act. but it gets a lot of clicks for Hossenfelder, because lots of people want to hear that, even though it isn't true, and they really like hearing a scientist say it, even though that scientist is a physicist talking about a very different field (and dismissing reams of peer-reviewed research in that field without even a moment's consideration, or a base level of professional courtesy).
Having studied physics does not allow you to evaluate studies in completely unrelated field in any meaningful way. Especially not in such politically-charged fields that require deeper knowledge about the historical context, the different interest groups and their biases and so on. Her video on trans-issues labels people that advocate for the rights of trans-people as "extremists" and presents transphobic talking points as valid part of the scientific discussion. Her trying to appear "neutral" and "just presenting the science" is exactly the issue. Using her authority as a scientist when talking about topics she has no expertise in. Here is a debunking of her video on trans-issues: this video Here is a longer criticism of her video on autism: [LINK]
I feel fine ignoring Ms Hossenfelder's warmed-over second-hand bothsidesism. IDK why you are attached to it. But if you are, I fully expect you to also pore over what came out in it wake (I'm, replying now when it's in) [LINK] this video