I'm posting again today to address some of the comments posted in the past week.

Although it should be largely irrelevant to the understanding of my writings, it may be helpful to some readers to learn some of where I am coming from. I have family, some of whom are transgender, some are multiracial, some are not heterosexual, some are disabled, some have suffered threats, some have suffered physical violence including being killed.

I want to comment as a learning opportunity and possibly to influence some readers and writers to try to uphold the ideals of "The Heterodox Way" as best they can. See https://heterodoxacademy.org/library/the-hxa-way/ . I know it is often hard to do so, but trying is important and getting better at it is too. My point is not to criticize persons, but to emphasize that a less adversarial approach, in my opinion, is more likely to be effective long term.

Here are four specific examples of comments that I feel are hurting not helping my family members in the long term. Hurting by emphasizing conflict rather than mutual understanding, respect, and eventually, love.

1) This isn't hard stuff.

2) I do not value nor do I respect your opinion....

3) Sorry, ❄.

4) I'll be over here smoking that Marisol pack.

Also, on the topic of sharing of pronouns, the following essay may be worth reading. The author writes, "I personally take any pronouns..." and that caught my attention because I know someone working in STEM who was threatened with a potential adverse employment action because (literally!) "someone had told someone who had told someone to tell the person's boss to tell the person (the person who had written a similar such statement on their profile at work) that it might offend someone. It is that level of abstraction and policing of potential offense, especially by well-meaning persons thinking that they are helping, that I feel is counter-productive and ultimately is hurting people like my family members. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/10/16/xiao-against-mandatory-preferred-gender-pronouns/

I am reminded of a family experience on my ninth birthday. We had met the tide for fishing at 2AM and were walking home by star light with our dark-adapted eyes. Walking over large boulders of a jetty, we crossed paths with someone coming the other direction who directed their flashlight in each of our faces and exclaimed, "Wow, I don't know how you can walk without a flashlight!" My whole family had to stop for a moment to allow our eyes to adapt again to the dark before we could proceed by the light of the stars again. My point is that sometimes, maybe even often, being too loud, or too strident, or too bright (with a flashlight) is not helpful.