Here is a news story about a Canadian man who legally changed his gender to female in order to reduce his car insurance rate. Apparently, he saved nearly $1,100 Canadian Dollars and all he had to do was legally change his gender on the birth certificate…and all he needed to do that was obtain a note from a doctor acknowledging his identification as a woman.
But the man drew some criticism. The article mentions a claim that he committed a form of perjury and should face time in prison. The transgender community also criticized him, saying it downgrades the whole process of changing ones gender.
This ridiculous situation reminded me of a basic principle of reason and how it applies to coherent thought. Non-arbitrary opinions or theories are based upon publicly verifiable evidence.1 Evidence accessible only to you is subjective. Objective evidence is accessible to everyone and based on facts that can be proved through analysis, measurement, observation, etc.….And shouldn’t any public policy—or an insurance policy available to the public—be based on publicly verifiable evidence?
If you say you are a woman, what kind of objective and publicly verifiable evidence can you show to support your theory? There is genetic data (xx chromosomes), hormone data, size/shape and also physical body parts that can be publicly verified…hopefully in a way that will not violate public nudity laws.
What if you say you were born a man, but now self-identify as a woman? What publicly verifiable evidence can you show? To avoid this awkward conundrum, we can simply define gender as primarily existing “between the ears” (whatever you identify with). In this case a note from a doctor stating that you truly believe you are a woman should suffice as publicly verifiable evidence.
If the later example is coherent, it could and should be applied in a universal way. My 16-year-old son just got his driver’s license last month, and when I was quoted the new car insurance rate, I just about fell out of my chair. My son also started his first job about a month ago, so between his working and driving he has informed me that he is basically an adult now. If my son self-identifies as an adult, who am I to disagree? A note from a doctor acknowledging his identification as an adult should suffice to have his birth-date changed to make him 18, or whatever age he identifies with. The older the better as far as our car insurance bill is concerned!
Other things to consider…
- How about your place of birth for passports and such? Just have the physical reality of your birth legally changed to the place of birth you identify with.
- Have you ever lied about your weight listed on your driver’s license? How can it be lying if you merely stated the weight you identify with? Who is anyone to say what you weigh, but you?
- If a Caucasian man was raised by African Americans in an African American community and he also self-identifies as an African America, then he is an African American and should have access to any and all affirmative action benefits. Agreed?
In this new age of “self-identification”, I wonder how the movie “The Jerk” would be received if it premiered today?
- Fr. Roberts J. Spitzer, Ten Universal Principles (San Francisco: Ignatius Press), 2011), p.11
Great analysis.
Believe it or not, one of King of the Hill’s funniest episodes ever was along these lines in reverse. Hank Hill had “F” listed on his driver’s license as a mistake and he spent an entire episode trying to get it changed to “male.” Hilarity followed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdmIvpLTuRE
Nowadays it seems like a prophecy.
Also:
This is literally part of the background with the main character in Star Trek: Discovery. A human raised on Vulcan so she wants to identify as Vulcan (even though her blood is still red). Yes it bugs me to no end.
I can soooooo identify with car insurance woes. Three cars, four drivers including two males under 21, and a third one (male) starting driver’s ed on Monday.
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I’ve often wondered if the Blood Bank allows people to “identify” as the gender/race/gravid/etc de jour. I have a tremendously boring health history, but in order to donate using via This Really Cool Machine, I had to be screened for some kind of antibody (?) that may develop during pregnancy. (And I have been four times, actually). Having the antibody and using TRCM can cause issues, or so I understand.
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But maybe I identify as a virgin and never been pregnant, so of course I don’t have that antibody. Could I donate using TRCM? Would the machine/antibody mismatch know to not harm me?
Oh. my. goodness. This is insanity. It’s so insane I couldn’t stop laughing. I’d like to identify as being an academic genius, but unfortunately that doesn’t make me an academic genius. Shouldn’t the guy be forced to prove he was a lady? Otherwise the doctor should be charged for writing a false letter. All this man needs to do is drop his dacks and it would show clearly that he is a man. Too funny.
If “self” is all that is necessary for such game–playing why can’t we all just identify as being all things at the same time?
I’m first to claim that I’m (being a white Christian older male) an endangered species….
“TRCM” ? I’ve ruled out this TRCM (The Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba) or Trash Rack Cleaning Machine.
KJG, regardless of what TRCM is, your example illustrates how dangerous this whole gender confusion fad/trend could be.
Moderate AM radio talker Rush Limbaugh started this farce about 30 years ago.
In reaction to feminazis getting their bloomers in bunches over men ogling/whistling at attractive women, he said it would be OK if the men were lesbians trapped in a men’s bodies.
Regarding the coming second American Revolution. One side has 400 million guns and eight trillion bullets. The enemas don’t know what latrine to use.
Two Scoops! Two Genders! Two Trump Terms!
@CAM: Google Alyx blood donation. I think maybe Alyx is the older brother of the machine to which I refer (I do not know the name), since according to what I find on the web, I do not quality to donate blood via Alyx (I’m too short and too light weight), but on this other machine they use at my donation center, I qualify for both height, weight, an lack of whatever antibody it is that they are looking for (I don’t think it is the Rh anti-body that occurs when an O- mother has an A+ child, for example…or something like that. I’ve been out of high school advance bio for 30 years). They r.e.a.l.l.y. like their two machines at my blood bank, and want people to commit (it takes something like 90 minutes, as oppose to only 20 for garden variety blood donation) to use it. But if you are a woman (and I’ve not seen a woman using it yet) you have to be screened for some kind of antibody. I’m negative for it, so that’s good.
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But a 90 plus minute blood donation draw time, oh my. (Having said that, may I put in a plug for people to donate in the next few weeks? There appears to be a blood shortage.)
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I’ve noted that the questions that people get asked are not nearly as in depth as they used to be. It makes me wonder about the safety/quality of donated blood. Of course, I wonder if people simply lie if they can’t answer in a non-embarrassing wa, so perhaps the shortened screening questions is just a paper work reduction act. They have to test blood anyway, and you can be put on deferment list.
Change your age to adult you say?
Heck, when I was a youth, that was all the rage.
http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7027663/14-hilarious-fake-ids-we-cant-believe-were-made
Consider the curious results of the EU directive forbidding gender discrimination in the calculation of motor insurance premiums.
http://tinyurl.com/jymruyj