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And now for your "bullshit of the week" moment... a woman who thinks she's a cat.

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Chip, Feb 11, 2016.

  1. larkcarmen

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    When I say 'hate', I don't mean legit hate. I mean kind of like the internet form of a judging stare. I don't even know if that makes sense to anyone else.

    ---------- Post added 11th Feb 2016 at 10:20 PM ----------

    Ninja'd.

    Yes, Gray, excellent.
     
  2. YinYang

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    Do you mean hate as in invalidation and rejection? Because that's what it sounds like you mean to me.
     
  3. Matto_Corvo

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    Apparently you have me never come across the comments that day "If that girl can choose to be a boy then I will choose to be a dolphin." Because I have, and then they point out people like the girl above.
    Or how bout the guy who claims to be transfincial?. That he is a rich guy born in a poor guys body and thus we should fund his transition back to his rightful life style.

    I base a lot of my stuff on science. Science can explain being transgender. Science can not explain a person being born another species. Because it is impossible. A human brain and a cat brain are completely different t in so many ways. A human male and a human female brain have very little difference, and in fact gender in the brain is so varied and fluid that its easy to believe a person is born in a body that wrongly reflects their gender.

    These "otherkins and plantkins" are usually from tumble and want to be special snowflakes or have decided to break off from reality all together.

    Now, the day that science can say that this is more than just a copeing mechanic is the days I will apologize for being wrong.
     
  4. bookreader

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    You guys shouldn't judge her. You already know how it feels to be judged. If that's who she want to be, let her be. That's petty as fuck.
     
  5. Andrew99

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    I don't care if she's trans species and no I don't hate her. But I can't say I completely believe her either because some of the things she was saying like "having better night vision" makes no sense to me.
     
  6. Chip

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    And here's the obligatory appearance of the incredibly old and tired argument that *somebody* always wheels out in discussions like these.

    In many ways we were in the "dark ages" of the psychology field, at least as far as sexual orientation and sexuality is concerned, until the 1960s. Kinsey was the first to really look at sexuality and orientation in a serious, scientific way in the 1940s, and that work didn't get serious attention until the mid-1960s. But once it did, the profession was pretty quick (in relative terms) to embrace and understand, making their first change less than 10 years later.

    In a similarvein, we've been looking at adjustment disorders, including this sort of delusional thinking, for decades. And at a certain point, we have to draw a line and say "Uh, no, there's simply zero scientific basis whatsoever for this person's ridiculous fantasy." We don't take 4 year olds seriously when they say they're a fire engine, and this is pretty much in the same category.

    This woman's claim, on the other hand, is simply bullshit.

    Well... the most current thinking (last 5 or so years) in abnormal psychology (supported by the [controversial] position of the DSM) seems to disagree with this. It's a pretty radical change from thinking 20 years ago, but today, my understanding of current thinking is that delusions that don't affect social adjustment, functioning, or the client's day-to-day enjoyment of life are not generally considered "abnormal", at least to the extent that treatment would generally not be indicated unless there is an adjustment, functioning, or quality of life issue.

    And there are a lot of other factors, including the influence of cultural sensitivity and culturally-informed counseling, that influence what western beliefs would consider "delusions." A case example was a woman who attended a local community college and honestly, in her heart of hearts, believed she was a zombie. She dressed like one, did makeup like one, acted like one... and the head of the psychology department basically used it as an example of current thinking about abnormal behavior to say that this behavior was not considered abnormal, so long as she didn't start trying to eat people or other antisocial activities.

    I'm not sure I fully agree with that viewpoint, but it is pretty much the current thought. And so, by that definition, this woman-that-thinks-shes-a-cat would probably not qualify as needing treatment solely on the basis of her belief. I, on the other hand, would argue that her delusional thinking is a symptom of a deeper psychological issue, basically a need to draw attention to herself, that might need exploring. But I understand the countervailing viewpoint here.

    It's not a "minority community." It's a bunch of bullshit. If she wants to pretend and delude herself that she's a cat, fine. But don't use that as a bullshit excuse to call attention to yourself, and in so doing, damage the credibility of people with legitimate issues.
     
  7. AtheistWorld

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    I don't really care what this person identifies as; it's her life, and her identifying as a cat doesn't hurt me whatsoever.

    There are far worse things people do that definitely impact others, but they don't get the hate she gets, because it's protected by political correctness.
     
  8. Lawrence

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    Folk will always find or invent reasons to hate trans people. However, I'm thrown off by the intense attention-seeking and I want otherkin to stop copying the "I was born in the wrong body" reasoning. If they said something like "I have the soul of a cat, I was born into a human body, so I'm going to enjoy the advantages of being human and only behave like a cat around my close friends" then I'd be more inclined to live and let live. I think she should try contherianthropy (belief that one is both human and otherkin) and maybe eventually dropping all otherkin beliefs. Anyway, no matter what she believes, she's got the perfect opportunity to help cats take over the world lol. I don't believe in souls, but whatever, some people do.

    I haven't found anything that I personally think is weirder than the person who seriously wants to become a maxi pad, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere
     
  9. BobObob

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    When I wrote what that, "Delusions are rarely, if ever, harmless," I meant it in a broader sense. I don't necessarily mean that every delusion meets the criteria for a “delusion” in the sense that the mental health community uses that word. What I wrote is basically equivalent to, “Irrational beliefs almost always have bad consequences.” Since beliefs tend to inform/influence behavior, bad conclusions tend to lead to bad consequences, even if some of those consequences aren't obvious.

    Everyone probably has some irrational beliefs, but some people have more irrational beliefs than others and some people have more extreme or unusual irrational beliefs than others. My impression when studying mental health back as an undergrad is that mental health professionals tend not to consider something a “delusion” unless it's both significantly harmful and it's significantly out of the ordinary in that society.
     
  10. larkcarmen

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    Exactly.
     
  11. Irisviel

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    There comes a judgement when someone coins a word like "transspecies". Cats don't talk, are quite dumb even compared to dumbest humans, and generally display a completely different behavioural patterns than any human. It's weird that I even need to write it. People can do what they want, but to make claims is to harm those with real identity misalignment.

    None of the above would apply to real trans issues. I actually have a big grudge against people who try to make such "transspecies" claims legitimate, so in other words, those defenders of said girl that try to blackmail people such as myself that I'm projecting the same hate and prejudice as straight cis people have against me.

    Bullshit. To say she is a cat is like saying a drag queen is a woman. And while drag queen might be someone that is a transwoman, the drag persona is not a woman. And this girl is just as much a cat.
     
  12. Michael

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    Cats talk to me, and I'd rather spend my time with a dumb cat than a human. Anytime.

    3 pages... :roflmao:
     
  13. YermanTom

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    A friend of mine is a highly respected phycologist. He doesn’t like to describe people as mad but he would refer to this lady as ‘chemically challenged’.
     
  14. HuskyPup

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    I also find that interesting.

    I've found the LGBT 'community' can often lack compassion, as if their plight is the only plight, rather than trying to be helpful and understanding. I've also found that growing up as a punk oddball/artsy kid that it was very much full of the same materialistic stereotypes as the straight world, and very conformist---very shallow and limiting. I never found it a 'community'; it seemed more like a means of excluding those who didn't fit. Or such was my experience when I came out, went to the LGBT group on campus, and sampled a few bars. I felt like if I didn't fit a few ready-made gay molds, then I was not worth talking to. I didn't even have to act like a cat to be rejected.

    ~

    And it's curious how mainstream LGBT sites sites like Pink News hype these stories to the hilt, as if they want to give people here something to bitch about. They're eager to put on a freak-show, both to make a buck, and stir the pot. If they didn't push such stories, we probably would even have this crabby thread.
     
    #54 HuskyPup, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  15. Loveislife

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    Exactly! Especially because only about 50 years ago, people probably said the exact same things about the LGBT community! And yeah, they might have said that it is just 'common sense' to think that LGBT people don't exist which is similar to saying that it is 'common sense' that you can't be born in the wrong species. After all, homosexuals and transgenders are 'unnatural', right, folks?

    As long as this woman is happy and functioning in society I don't think she needs help and who cares what people do with their lives. Imagine just for a second that being transspecies is a legitimate thing. If that is the case, then trying to 'cure' her of her 'mental illness' can have the exact same damaging effect on her as conversion therapy can have on gay people.
     
    #55 Loveislife, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  16. Skaros

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    There's no real evidence to back up being trans species. There is a ton of data to back up being transgender. I could care less what she does if it doesn't harm anyone. However, to portrait it as similar to being transgender is in fact damaging to the LGBT community.

    Before we buy into something like this, the least we can do is learn about what causes it and why it happens.
     
  17. Matto_Corvo

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    What I find I retesting is how everyone above 17 doesn't want this associated with the LGBT.

    While everyone under 17 seems to think we should just be all open arms to this thing that is damaging to us, even if the damage is unintentional.
     
  18. HuskyPup

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    It would seem, though, that it's sites like Pink News that are pushing the comparison.

    It only states she 'thinks' she was born into wrong species, which is to say that there is no claim that this is a scientific fact, but something symbolic, metaphorical, spiritual and psychological.

    There is no claim made that this is somehow the equivalent of a science-backed matter, as with differences in assigned gender...none at all.

    Personally, I find a lot of the 'special snowflake' designations such as demi-sapiosexual just as arbitrary, and more a description of lifestyle preference, than of sexual preference and gender. They don't bother me, but I see them more as additional descriptors. In this cat case, I'd say she's a heterosexual female, who likes to be a cat.

    Also: I was born in 1968, and am now 48...
     
    #58 HuskyPup, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  19. Loveislife

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    Yeah, there might not be any evidence for her claim being a legitimate thing but there is also no evidence against it being possible as far as I'm concerned. I have no idea whether what she is claiming is the truth, but I think it is best to remain open minded about it. As for her claim being damaging to the LGBT community... I think we should focus more on fighting against the people who are using her claim to make fun of or to invalidate the LGBT community rather than blaming this woman for the ignorance of others.

    ---------- Post added 12th Feb 2016 at 05:45 PM ----------

    Well, I'm actually 20 so I don't really fit in that category then haha!
     
    #59 Loveislife, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  20. I'm_Danni_x

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    Ugh this makes me feel disturbed and I definitely don't want this associated with the LGBT community at all.