DOUBLE STANDARDS

DOUBLE STANDARDS

Today's blog was inspired by an exchange of ideas and opinions on Instagram. The post under discussion was shared by Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage, an alternative rock group famous in the Nineties. The aforementioned represented a photograph of Lil Nas X immortalized during his live performance at SNL, together with a quote from the artist who, more or less, says he wants to take on the claim of the rights of the LGBT community and that he and his image are not the result of a big commercial campaign by some major record company. Shirley Manson added a caption full of compliments and admiration towards the boy, calling him a turning point in the music scene. Is it just me who doesn't see it all? We have already seen singers in stilettos and skimpy clothes since the Seventies together with homosexual musicians who openly affirmed and declared their sexuality; just remember names such as Prince, Rick James, Freddy Mercury, George Michael, Boy George, Elton John etc. I am not so stupid not to see or understand the social differences of today and then but, on a musical level, I can say with an open heart that the quality has been waning. The artists I cited not only contributed to the social and stylistic turning point of a still immature culture to accept homosexuality and gender identity, but at the same time contributed to a revolt in the artistic field through the composition of milestones in the history of music. Aside from the social injustices that spill over to LGBT communities, I don't see any artistic value in most of today's mainstream singers. Should the turning point be dancers licking on the performer's neck, riding a stripper pole, and sponsoring Satan's shoes? My first comment underlined the fact that today's artists take it upon themselves to be spokespersons for certain issues by doing it the wrong way. Lil Nas X and the people in the service of his image have made children and adolescents their primary target and, honestly, bombarding children and preteens with subliminal images and intrinsic lyrics of sex, lust and status symbols can lead to dramatic consequences, such as gender dysphoria. The same problem applies to many female artists, such as Cardi B, who through sex promote what they call feminism and gender freedom when that's not exactly the case. My question to Shirley's post was: why does homosexuality always have to be compared to sexual extravagance and a certain lifestyle? Why are these artists always and only talking about sex? I understand that sex sells and I am aware of the fact that George Michael, for example, also had songs in his repertoire such as Fastlove and I Want Your Sex (which, in my opinion, remain masterpieces compared to Montero or WAP) but heck, the image was not so quick and vulgar! I think that quality always wins the provocative image without substance. In a nutshell my question was, aren't these same artists against double standards creating them instead? An Instagram user then decided to answer my questions by saying that not being part of the target these artists are addressing, and not understanding their problems, I shouldn't reject their requests. Understanding the turn that the conversation was about to take, I immediately stressed the fact that adults can do what they believe is best for their body and sanity and that every human being is entitled to receive rights regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, but I am opposed to subjecting children to medical practices to stop puberty. The gentleman presented himself as being a trans child therapist and in favor of hormone blocking practices because, in his opinion, they save lives. I therefore placed the emphasis on the fact that we adults should approach the problem in a somewhat different way, since the social and psychological pressures to which children are subjected by the media lead to the emergence of the gender crisis defined as dysphoria. Being a psychology student and thinking of having a conversation with a professional, I reminded the gentleman what the stages of brain cognitive development are and how children are, nowadays, exposed to problems such as sex and sexuality at the wrong time of their growth and in the least suitable way possible. I am then told that I am unable to understand and that kids are born trans. With all the respect I can have towards the LGBT community, no one is born trans and the endocrinological studies on the subject confirm this. Furthermore, most doctors point out that only 10% to 15% of children experiencing gender dysphoria do not overcome it after puberty; this means that a good 90% of children survive this psychological condition simply by experiencing puberty in a completely normal and natural way and, therefore, the abuse of hormonal treatments is not recommended. I also added that, if one were to be born trans, it would not be possible to explain why this phenomenon especially affects certain Western societies and not all cultures around the globe. I am appalled that a therapist, technically, does even more harm to children who are already in pain. Statistics suggest that hormone blockers do not guarantee the overcoming of manias and suicidal thoughts; indeed, many individuals after undergoing the treatments continue to experience internal struggles and the same sufferings and inclinations to take their own lives. If Lil Nas X and artists of his caliber are advocating self-acceptance, what are we teaching a child by allowing him to stop his puberty with hormone treatment? Aren't we sending the message that it's okay not to accept yourself for what you are at birth because science now offers alternative ways to alter our appearance? Isn't that a double standard in itself? I see huge problems arising from the adults themselves. I see on the part of the parents too much condescension towards their children and, above all, a lot of indifference. What do you expect a child left to the mercy of YouTube and social media to learn? We are already surrounded by too many adults who cannot distinguish reality from the lies written in memes, how can you think that a child has cognitive skills so developed that they can do it? Nowadays the phenomenon of idolatry of artists and influencers is getting out of control. Even as a child I loved my favorite singers and, in a certain sense, I emulated them but I also listened to authorities of the scientific field and I would have never let any ignorant ass on Instagram or YouTube give me lessons in medicine, history or psychology (I was lucky enough to grow up in an era free from social media). I feel nothing but love for the gay and trans communities but I would not want false myths and some stereotypes to harm the weakest: children.

Thanks for your attention, Martina.