Not sure if it’s age, cynicism, ADHD or a combo of all three, but I DNF most books, movies and shows now, and usually within the first 10 pages/first 35 minutes/first 15 minutes.

I can tell if the writing is something that will absorb my attention by then. If the pacing is off, my brain registers it as “nope, must be something better out there, we only have so long in this life.”

Mind you, I can also spend an hour-plus scrolling through lists of books or streaming services not finding something that will be memorable for ever, so there’s been too picky as part of this.

What are you even talking about? Read the post. I’m not enemies with JK Rowling or anybody, for that matter.

But it’s a choice based on belief, which humans have a very hard time controlling. So it’s a deeply misinformed choice.

Possibly. The two women I know who are similar in outlook are not rich, famous or exposed publicly.

But that also prevents any change or view of the matter as something that requires change; it doesn’t impact their lives to fear trans people. They don’t know any … other than a relative of mine, who they treat nicely despite their own views, because cognitive dissonance allows it.

In both cases, they are intellectually gifted but deeply emotionally arrested, so therefore immature in many of their views, attitudes and behaviours. Outwardly, loving and normal. Inwardly, incredibly conflicted and unlikely to ever trust most people enough to seek help.

Ultimately, when people suffer trauma, they also suffer mental disorders. As someone who has struggled with them my whole life, I can tell you most mentally ill people can’t see, or qualify, or quantify their issues.

So expecting them to change is extremely optimistic at best, and often just naive.

It’s very rare for people to “fix” deeply negative traits. They are defensive traits, typically. Until the person feels secure enough to get help – which usually requires outside intervention – it never happens.

Yes, she won’t seek that help because she’s rich, famous and can isolate however she likes. But equally, the average person will never seek it because they are literally never exposed to any ramification of feeling that way.

I think that’s painting all trauma survivors as people who can’t “choose”, though.

Why? I literally referred to three women going through this and posited why. I didn’t apply it to “all” at any time.

I’m also a trauma survivor and have had complex PTSD for much of my life. If I can understand their subconscious drivers are clearly beyond their control or understanding, you should be able to as well.

People are psychologically complex. By ascribing “all” to my post, you’re doing the exact thing you’re accusing me of: assuming everyone could handle it the way you did.

EVERY HUMAN BEING IS LED BY INSTINCT. We all have subconscious drivers we DO NOT, and CANNOT control.

That is a neurobiological reality of how the brain functions. No neuroscientist worth his salt will comprehensively say we have “free will” if the definition includes controlling subconscious drivers.

She’s not going to get better

You probably could have ended that sentence there, unfortunately.

I know women who have the same vehemence as her on this issue despite being liberal and progressive in every other aspect of their lives.

In both cases, they were assaulted by men when young, as Rowling was, and in both cases, the biological distinction of being a woman is important to them, because they utterly fear and loathe most men.

It’s not a conscious, constant hatred of the other gender, it’s a continual subconscious and internalized fear of being assaulted again.

Anything that reinforces that fear by allowing the notion of men being able to pass among women triggers their internal insecurity about rape, basically.

Psychologically speaking, it’s entirely understandable. It’s not stable or rational, but it’s also a product of horrible trauma and not a mere matter of them “choosing” to be bigoted.