Europe Already Tried (and Outlawed) Biden's Transgender Policy for Minors, Will Smith "Resignation" Really a Backdoor Deal?, AOC Skips Out on Amazon Workers Union Efforts (The Five for 04/01/22)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Well, this one is really late.
Let’s get into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
The Biden Adminstration came out full force this week in favor of hormonal and surgical treatments for children and teens experiencing gender dysphoria.
From the White House YouTube channel:
I want you to know that your President sees you. Joe, Kamala, Doug, our entire administration, sees you for who you are … deserving of dignity, respect, and support. But we know it’s hard when there are those out there who don’t see you, don’t respect you.
So far, we agree. Last fall, I was in a long line at a gas station, with several deer hunters waiting to pay to fill up their trucks (note: this was before topping off the tank on an F-150 was north of $100, but I digress). The attendant behind the counter was clearly a biological male on hormone treatments to present as female.
According to stereotypes, if there was ever going to be a moment for “trans abuse,” this would be it. A bunch of Caucasian hillbillies paying for their unleaded and Styrofoam cups of coffee with a side of insulting the help.
It didn’t happen. The attendant joked around with the hunters, asked how everyone did. I walked out very proud of “my people.” (“My people” being rural hillbillies, of various ethnic backgrounds).
For the record, I don’t think transgenderism is the right way to live. I also don’t think Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Veganism, Pescatarianism, functioning alcoholism, polygamy or open relationships are the right way to live either (maybe check with Will Smith on why that last one can go awry).
But you know what? Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Vegans, people who eat red meat, people who recreationally use heroine, people who bomb 5-10 drinks, 7 nights a week and swingers all think they have the right way to live too.
A free society means that regardless of if you eat steak, don’t eat pork for religious reasons, think Buddha showed the path to enlightenment or inject opioids straight into your veins…you deserve to be treated with a base level of respect. All worldviews claim exclusivity by definition…and that’s OK.
Where I disagree with the Biden Administration. From the White House official press release:
Confirming the positive impact of gender affirming care on youth mental health. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has posted LGBTQI+ Youth – Like All Americans, They Deserve Evidence-Based Care, in which Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA, shares how to engage LGBTQI+ youth, the evidence behind the positive effects of gender affirming care, and available resources for LGBTQI+ youth, their families, providers, community organizations, and government agencies.
The ONLY thing “gender affirming care” can mean here is hormone blockers for young children, and “top” and/or “bottom” surgeries for teenagers (adding/removing gender specific characteristics and/or sex hormones, if that wasn’t obvious).
Two observations here:
1. Europe tried this before we did…and “transitioning” children and teenagers went so poorly it’s now illegal in uber-liberal countries like Sweden (check out this documentary for more).
For individuals who “transition” and decide they’ve made a mistake…the only path forward is a lifetime of seemingly insurmountable issues, and there’s no magic “undo” button. Since the transgender craze has kicked off, we’re now seeing “detrans” individuals share that they were not properly educated on the risks, or the irreversibility of some of the aspects of their decision…which often comes as youg as 14 or 15.
Helena Kerschner is a “detrans” woman who claims she experienced no gender dysphoria as a child, but was “radicalized” by online chatrooms as a teenager, which led to starting on testosterone. She shared her story with podcaster Michael Knowles, which is an excellent tutorial on how teenagers are quickly ushered into medical treatments they may later come to regret, and the long term health consequences of which we don’t have enough data to judge yet.
The DeTrans message board on Reddit is heartbreaking thread after heartbreaking thread, often from “transitioned” teens who returned to their biological sex in adulthood, only to discover the cross-sex hormones caused sterility and the surgeries can’t be reversed (Kerschner underwent a double masectomy, which she now regrets).
Other Detrans individuals in the online community lament the possibility that they’ll never be able to find a relationship again.
As VP, Biden was often standing behind Obama when the 44th President uttered the often-used phrase “on the wrong side of history.”
If the rapid reversal on puberty blockers and surgical intervention for gender dysphoric minors in Europe is any indication…Biden may be the one who’s judged as on the “wrong side of history” here, as the number of minor age transition regret stories continue to grow.
[two]
CNN launched the streaming service nobody asked for this week, and the unpopularity of the online outlet may lead to a rapid round of unemployment.
There are a million ways to dunk on the struggling news network, but I’m not going to do that.
Not because I’m a good person or anything…but because the Babylon Bee did it better with their satirical list of new CNN+ shows, including:
The Book of Brian Stelter - Basically the same as Brian Stelter's normal news program, except Stelter spices things up by wearing Mandalorian armor. Cool!
Teen Wolf Blitzer - A normal high school kid is struck by a horrific curse that makes him transform into Wolf Blitzer in the light of a full moon. *shiver*
To Catch a CNN Predator - Like NBC's To Catch A Predator, but with a twist: the host and film crew are all predators too!
Don Lemondalorian - Just like Lemon's regular news show except he'll hold a baby Yoda the whole time. Awwwwww!
Game of Thrones, but every character is played by Chris Wallace - He'll make an amazing mother of dragons. His acting range is incredible. Warning: extremely disturbing.
Real Housewives of Chris Cuomo - Take a peek into the sordid lives of Chris Cuomo's housewives--all twelve of them!
Bedtime ASMR: Bob Muller Reads the Muller Report - ZZZZzzzzzzzz...
Jeopardy! but every answer is 'January 6' - "I'll take January 6 for $600. What is January 6? JANUARY 6!!!!!!!"
Survivor: Epstein Island - After filming, they will delete the footage and pretend the story never existed.
Naked and Afraid, with Jeffrey Toobin - Jeffrey Toobin walks in on coworkers while naked, making them feel very afraid. Just a normal day at the office.
Wheel of Science, with Dr. Fauci - This delightful game show will let contestants spin the wheel to find out what THE SCIENCE (or Pfizer) want them to do today!
The Muppet View - The View, but with Muppets. Unlike the original, this will feature witty and intelligent conversations.
Shark Tank+ - A show in which Jeff Zucker makes a pitch to the Sharks to please buy CNN+ for $7
[three]
By now, you surely know Will Smith resigned from the Academy (making him ineligible for future Oscars) after his fiasco at the Awards ceremony.
But there’s more to the story, according to Deadline:
A previously undisclosed short virtual meeting between Will Smith and Academy … President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson on March 29 could be causing a new crisis to hit the Oscar organization.
The new shockwave is hitting hard because those in the Academy’s Board of Governors meeting yesterday beginning disciplinary procedures against Smith weren’t in the know.
“Why would they keep this from us?” exclaimed one insider who participated in Wednesday’s board meeting. “It only contributes to an atmosphere of suspicion and lack of leadership.”
Smith has officially “resigned,” but even Hollywood is calling B.S. here, as the circumstantial evidence points to some sort of back-alley deal worked out here that even elite industry insiders were shut out from.
[four]
Controversial freshman rep AOC dominated headlines when she wore a “tax the rich” dress to New York’s Met Gala. However, the bigger story might be who the Congresswoman ditched.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ditched an Amazon workers’ rally in her home state due to what she and her team said was a hiatus on public appearances and possible “security threats” but she then wore a flashy “tax the rich” dress at the Met Gala, which traditionally boasts some 600 attendees, weeks later.
AOC tweeted in support of Amazon workers’ bid to unionize on Thursday but her celebration was cut short when “Breaking Points” co-host Krystal Ball confronted her with evidence that she lied about postponing public appearances weeks before she attended the high-profile Met Gala.
“Here’s the guy who organized the union drive talking about how you left them high and dry. These are your constituents, and you couldn’t be bothered to show up until they’re on the cusp of victory,” Ball tweeted at the Squad member along with a video interview with Amazon labor organizer Christian Smalls.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez claimed she was absent due to a scheduling conflict, which didn’t sync with the story her staff had shared with pro-union organizers.
Multiple commentators on Twitter pointed out that around the time of the Amazon Workers Union efforts, AOC vacationed in Miami and ate at an outdoor cafe (a big no-no if people are legitimately trying to kill you) and made several other public appearances.
Traditionally, union workers have been faithful voters for the Democratic party. However, this trend shifted in 2020, with more union members shifting to the political right.
For the most part, AOC has enjoyed a Trump-like core fanbase, characterized by unwavering loyalty throughout any negative press…so it’s doubtful this issue will hurt Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election bid.
Butt the incident may further polarize working class union members against the Democratic Party, who have the optics problem of being seen as the “party of the elite” going into the midterms.
Having one of the most high profile members of Congress skip a union rally in favor of partying with the rich and famous certainly doesn’t help correct course.
[five]
As always, let’s close out with a pop-culture roundup.
James Gunn is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, coming off back-to-back-to-back wins with Guardians of the Galaxy I and II, The Suicide Squad and the surprise HBO Max hit Peacemaker…and apparently thinks he can keep hitting unexpected home runs.
Gunn will release Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ this December, which he refers to as “more of an homage than a parody” of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, which was so bad director George Lucas banned it from public broadcast after it was roasted by fans and critics alike. (See a few cringe-inducing scenes here).
Gunn, who has mainly written and directed sci fi and horror projects…is famous for including dancing scenes in genres that…don’t normally involve dancing. The dance opening for Peacemaker was described as “if Claymation was in human form.”
Whatever this “holiday special” is will be on Disney+ in time for the holidays.
Halo (the series) just became the biggest streaming show for Paramount+, breaking previous records held by the Yellowstone spinoff 1883. In a crowded streaming environment, Paramount+ is enjoying a very solid first year by delivering back-to-back hit shows.
The video-game-to-TV-show adaptation languished in development for more than a decade and has been met with a fair amount of backlash by some critics who are fans of the video games…but the negative buzz doesn’t seem to beslowing this one down much.
The Crow is one of the most well known movies of the 90’s, due to the fact that Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) was killed in an accident while filming. The movie is also notable for kicking off a goth music craze.
The tale of a murdered musician who comes back from the dead to avenge his fiancée has so far alluded all remake attempts (Game of Thrones/Aquaman actor Jason Momoa was once set to start in a reboot).
However, it looks like The Crow will return to the big screen in a new form with Bill Skarsgaard (It, Atomic Blonde) and singer FKA Twigs in the lead roles. Many fans of the original have spoken out against the remake, which some fans see as disrespectful to Lee’s legacy, considering his iconic take on the role and the fact that filming it literally killed him.
NEW MUSIC: Couple of albums of note this week. The first is the new Weezer, which I’ve given a couple of spins. The power pop group are currently putting out four pack of albums themed around the seasons.
Also noteworthy is country artist Maren Morris’ new album (you may also know Morris as a member of the all-female supergroup The Highwomen). Once again, Morris shows more songwriting chops and keender instincts for arrangements than much of the pop-country fodder she’s played alongside on the radio.
Until the next one,
-sth