Wednesday, in case you missed it, was “International Pronoun Day.” The LGBT Foundation tweeted:
Happy International Pronoun Day to you, whether you use:
• Xe/Xem
• She/Her
• Dey/Dem
• He/Him
• They/Them
• Fae/Faer
Pronouns, or any others.
This is just a short list of some example pronouns people may use – you will never know someone’s pronouns, until you ask. pic.twitter.com/HiTvr0t6DX— LGBT Foundation (@LGBTfdn) October 19, 2022
Typically when I see this kind of tweet or ostentatious pronoun usage, I find it funny and simply mockable. But something changed in my life this week that makes me believe this politicized type of pronoun usage and the attempt to force it on society is actually incredibly depressing, if not dangerous: I got engaged.
The phenomenon of pronouns, especially the made-up ones, being this important to people is something new in the world. Few had ever heard of Xe/Xem or those other combinations of letters until fairly recently and it’s only happening now because of sad and cynical circumstances.
The cynical circumstance is what I call the social justice industrial complex. There’s big money and status in charity and social justice issues—and when actual social problems are solved, the organizations that have been making millions to solve them don’t want to turn off the spigots. So they make up new “injustices” to fight.
The only example of a charity that changed focus for a good cause after achieving its intended purpose is the March of Dimes. It was founded in 1938 to help eradicate polio and, by the mid-1950s, polio was eradicated. After that goal was achieved, the March of Dimes shifted gears in order to work to find cures for other childhood illnesses and their charity work continues to be some of the most successful ever.
On the opposite side of spectrum, social justice charities like the Human Rights Campaign were created for the intended purpose of legalizing gay marriage. Well, that’s happened, so what do they do now? I imagine the day Obergefell v. Hodges was decided was one of great celebration in that organization’s offices. But I can also imagine that joy turned to dread when those working there realized their work was, technically, done. But never fear! A few months after gay marriage was no longer an issue, the question of trans use of bathrooms issues arose—and now that we’ve come down this very slippery slope, we have arrived at “International Pronoun Day.”
Now for the sad part. Humans for the most part are respectful—we stay out of each others’ business and try to avoid conflict. This pronouns issue was created for no other purpose than to upset this system and bring attention to and confer victimhood status to people who are very alone in life and desperate for attention. That’s what takes this issue from something laughable to something incredibly depressing.
Engagement is something I had never really given much thought to until now. I met someone who not only understands my value as a human being, but forgives my faults (which are more numerous than I care to admit) and truly loves me for me. No number of laughs on stage or likes on social media could prepare me for the surprise and joy of meeting someone who makes me feel more like a complete person. The people who scream about pronouns clearly don’t have this feeling in their lives.
When you feel complete, you don’t need to scream at other people to demand they accept you for whatever you’re pretending to be. Deep down, no one actually cares about being called fae/faer or they/them. People simply want to be seen and recognized and appreciated. No one was disrespecting these pronoun-announcing people in their very short interactions together prior to their newly discovered need to make an issue of it. But in order to feel something they are so desperately missing, they drummed up this problem. It’s quite sad really.
If they were loved, if they even felt love, they wouldn’t care what pronouns were used at a fast food drive-thru. But they aren’t and don’t and so they feign to care. There’s nothing “happy” about International Pronoun Day. It’s a sad cry for money and attention. The social justice industrial complex uses it to cash in on guilty leftists who clearly have too much money to spend in this failing economy—and the sad people who suffer from an emptiness I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies.
Happiness is a strange concept for those who don’t typically feel it—and they’ll do strange and desperate things to try to attain it. I wish the best to all the individuals trying to fill a void in their lives by attempting to push bizarre pronouns on the world. I hope they can find what they’re truly looking for—but until then, you’re either a he or a she.