Sometimes, the most effective approach to achieving justice is to deny your enemies the attention they crave. If people hate you, then live your best life, do what is in your heart, and only defend yourself when necessary.
In a world where social media takes up our attention, where passionate arguments happen on places like X, it’s important to remember that conflicts may be necessary in brief, but extended strings of laborious back-and-forth are a waste of time.
Instead, focus on yourself. Pour your energy into what matters most to you. Live your best life, fulfill what is most sacred and desired in your life path. By doing so, you unlock the key to the most ethical revenge on your opposition.
I have learned to turn away from hostile people. Especially as a transgender woman, there’s a whole subculture of infighting between transgender rights activists and conservatives, etc.
These people are on a constant rampage of mudslinging with no end in sight. Sure, it’s important to defend yourself.
Advocating for civil liberties like transgender rights and equality is one of the missions here. However, there is a fine line between correcting individuals or resisting governments that cross the line and wasting your time in a bottomless pit of rage.
When to Pick Your Battles
There is a time to boldly speak out and defend yourself or others; there is also a time to be silent because opening your mouth will make you a fool. Knowing when to engage is called wisdom.
I am reminded of the ancient scriptures which have universal truths. Despite their association with religion, the gems in such texts are pure truths based on principles, and not dogma.
Proverbs 26:4 says:
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
The next verse is peculiar because it appears to contradict, but there is a hidden meaning in the whole. Proverbs 26:5 says:
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
So, the first verse says you should not answer a fool according to his folly because you will lower yourself to his level and become like him. Still, the second verse states that you should answer a fool according to his folly because by doing so, you save him from himself. You actually help him see his own wrongdoing.
What does this mean? It means there is a time and place to engage in conflict and a time to refrain. Wisdom is the ability to discern how to apply knowledge, when to speak up, and when to remain silent. Thus, you can also waste your time and energy.
The Transgender Fight
When I scroll through X or YouTube I see a constant battle of pro-trans warriors against anti-trans bigots. It’s incredibly disheartening and energy draining to view. It’s the TERFs or conservatives on one side verses transgender individuals and their allies on the other, and it’s ridiculous.
It’s immature to constantly sling mud at each other. I understand that the aggressors here are anti-trans factions, but those in defense also have a responsibility to act with noble character.
I am sick of watching this petulant circus. Some of the advocacy––and rebellious indignation––is necessary to expand awareness, defeat discriminatory laws, and educate the public about transgender reality. However, it is pathetic to see YouTube channels, podcasts, and X profiles created explicitly for the purpose of trying to dismantle transgender existence.
A Principled Approach to Bigotry
The intelligent method to overcome this rage-fueled assault on transgender lives is by standing on high moral ground: institutionally, socially, psychologically, governmentally, and spiritually. What I mean here is we must take the superior road and not descend to their level. Transphobia is prejudice-based misinformation that often leads to bullying.
Bullying has a solution, which is to stand up to the bully. You do so with tact and wisdom. You don’t feed the bully ammunition or fight fire with fire because it results in a mud wrestling contest where everyone is dirty and spent. There is a better way.
I suggest boldly taking to social media, speaking your mind, and occasionally commenting on anti-trans rhetoric––but don’t get consumed by anger. Nancy Mace is only able to keep saying stupid, hateful things because her followers are ignorant and arrogant. Nonetheless, history does repeat, which is their demise.
A Cycle in History
They tried eliminating homosexuals in the 90s and 2000s until a major defeat in 2015, when Obergefell v. Hodges set the precedent that recognized same-sex marriage as constitutional in the U.S. Since then, bigotry against them has fairly subsided.
Before this time, conservatives and the religious right were on a campaign to paint all gays and lesbians as destroyers of the nuclear family, a cancer that would allegedly destroy society.
Gay men and lesbian women were seen as dangerous in private areas like restrooms and locker rooms. It was feared they would spread their alleged immorality and infect the others. Straight women were afraid that lesbians might adversely influence their inclinations by their mere presence. The stigma was great.
Moreover, the ungodly assault on transgender people is no different. Transgender is now the enemy whereas before it was homosexuality. The same principled approach that defeated homophobia must be employed today: righteous advocacy, societal support, and institutional standards that punish bigotry and uphold equality and acceptance.
As a Classical liberal, I understand that private individuals have their rights to differ, but core fundamental rights to life, liberty, and property must be upheld. There is no place in government buildings for the kind of exclusionary discrimination that is seemingly okay under the oncoming Trump administration.
The enemies of equality under the Fourteenth Amendment have awoken a sleeping giant. Their hatred, bigotry, and false accusations based on inaccurate, misrepresented biology and fabricated pseudo-science must be confronted head-on.