Why are conservatives becoming so unhinged over Caitlyn Jenner?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Right. The pop culture generation probably knows more about Jenner than they would about who the Vice President is, who the House Speaker is, etc.

So out of step w/ my gen. Most of my L-G-B-T friends are older. Have much more in common with them.

I don't really respond to you very much, but that complaint is one that will be repeated endlessly about every generations' youth.

"Ey, you're so busy focused on the Kardasians/Limp Bizkit/the rap music/the Beatles/Presley's gyrating hips/chubby checker you don't even know who the Lt. gov of Arkansas is!"

[Indy Texas]

Because she has a 'y' in her first name?

Actually, I take more offense with the "Cait" part. Isn't the correct spelling Katelyn?

That's the worst part of what the person formerly known as Bruce has done. There's too many ways to choose to spell it and conservatives are horrified by choice.

[C|K][ait|ayt|ate]l[i|y][n|nn] = 24 different choices

Katelyn is not a "real" name. It's "Kate" and "Lynn" smushed together.

Caitlin is an Irish name that is related to Kathleen, or something.

I'm more bothered by the fact that Caitlyn picked a name for herself that she would never have had as a woman born in America in the 1940s. Why not call herself Deborah or Susan or Barbara or something more logical?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Because while social conservatives tend to dislike the gay/lesbian/bi part of LGBT, they are actively horrified by the "T" part of it.

 ...no, Bruce Jenner is nothing more than the snake person shock jock of their current ill(s).

 It appears to me that the John Edwards “2 Americas’” by-line is evolving to a new definition and, since SCOTUS relevancy is becoming more of a joke of its own reality, like a pretzel, definitions do have meaning.

 AS for Bruce Jenner political decisions, the ballot box has no discern till counting time, however, when he straps on one of those apple watches and clicks he’s a woman, well…  apples response will be “pretzels”.         

What in your life has caused pretzels to become such a useful metaphor for everything?

[Slander and/or Libel]

She chose the name that she felt right with. We're seriously going to get into a discussion of her feeling being wrong because it's not "logical"?

[CountryClassSF]

"Ey, you're so busy focused on the Kardasians/Limp Bizkit/the rap music/the Beatles/Presley's gyrating hips/chubby checker you don't even know who the Lt. gov of Arkansas is!"

yeah, but it's true!! Most young people do not pay much attention to politics these days

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

"Ey, you're so busy focused on the Kardasians/Limp Bizkit/the rap music/the Beatles/Presley's gyrating hips/chubby checker you don't even know who the Lt. gov of Arkansas is!"

yeah, but it's true!! Most young people do not pay much attention to politics these days

Newsflash: most young people do not pay much attention to politics period, no matter the 'days'. Don't geet hoodwinked by faux nostalgia. We, the political junkies, are the weirdos.

[CountryClassSF]

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I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

[publicunofficial]

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I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

[7,052,770]

The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

You're really going to have to provide a citation for your extremely dubious assertions.

[CountryClassSF]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

President sure because Obama has celebritized the presidency into pop culture. Many don't have a clue who Biden even is - just look at the state of our schools

[7,052,770]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

President sure because Obama has celebritized the presidency into pop culture. Many don't have a clue who Biden even is - just look at the state of our schools

Are you asserting that Biden is less well-known that Spiro Agnew, Alben Barkley, Thomas Marshall, Levi Morton, etc., were in their day?

If so, I must again ask for a citation for your fantastical claims.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

President sure because Obama has celebritized the presidency into pop culture. Many don't have a clue who Biden even is - just look at the state of our schools

Are you asserting that Biden is less well-known that Spiro Agnew, Alben Barkley, Thomas Marshall, Levi Morton, etc., were in their day?

If so, I must again ask for a citation for your fantastical claims.

And find something scientific please. A video of a random journalist asking a few stupid people /=/ scientific

[angus]

Okay, which one of you assholes doesn't know how to spell?  Get out here and defend yourself.  



And stop deleting my posts.  It is so annoying.  

Don't call them "hatefullness."  First, that's not a word.  (I think you meant hatefulness.)  Secondly, I do not hate IndyTexas.  In fact, I sort of agree with him that it's a weird name, but it's like somebody told him Lincoln got shot and he asks where and, when told, starts going on about how bad the play Our American Cousin is and how the actors are all drunkards and in the end that's all he can remember of the conversation.

Certainly no hate is intended, and none of you have any right to start bandying about such baseless acusations.  If IndyTexas wants to get weirded out about some aspect of this topic, that's fine.  It just seems to me that there are far more interesting aspects of this phenomenon than what Bruce Jenner wants to call himself.

If you disagree, then let's debate.  But don't be a dick and delete my post with false accusations of "hatefullness" if you don't agree.  It's weak and it's unfair, because I don't have the authority to disagree with your stupid posts, most of which I probably disagree with as well.  Stop misusing your moderator authority.  It's unethical.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

She's not a "man [having] a pussy dug into himself," she's a woman.

[angus]

She's not a "man [having] a pussy dug into himself," she's a woman.

I agree with you, but I think that's really what the question asks.

I was unaware that conservatives were becoming "unhinged" over Caitlyn Jenner, but I was aware that Jenner has been making the talk show circuit lately.  I saw her on one of them at the club a few weeks ago when I was on the stationary bicycle--they have little TV screens with cable on most of the treadmills, ellipticals, cycles, rowing machines, etc.--and the caption was BREAKING:  BRUCE JENNER TRANSFORMS INTO A WOMAN or something like that.  (It's always "Breaking!" isn't it?)  So I thought, "wow!," and I turned up the volume.  I'm old enough to remember Bruce Jenner and what a manly man's man he was.  Maybe Bruce came out as transgendered long ago but I don't watch much sports news so I guess this was the first I'd heard of it.  Anyway, apparently she was defending herself against charges of hypocrisy (and perhaps what some of the National Spelling Bee champions here might call "hatefullness") over much of what she has said against transgender folks.  Of course, if you listen to what she has to say then it becomes clear that none of it is really hypocritical, or inspired by hate.  It is, however, interesting.  I've had a few weeks to get used to the idea of Jenner as woman, but I have no trouble imagining that anyone, conservative or not, who is old enough to remember when Caitlyn Jenner was Bruce Jenner might be shocked at first.  And not at the name she chose!

But like everything else, it will become old news to them.  Their hinges will get re-hinged again.  We will refer to Bruce Jenner when referring to the olympian and Caitlyn Jenner when referring to the talk show guest, I suppose.  

At some point, we might even wonder at the choice of name.  

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

But like everything else, it will become old news to them.  Their hinges will get re-hinged again.  We will refer to Bruce Jenner when referring to the olympian and Caitlyn Jenner when referring to the talk show guest, I suppose. 

i would not be too sure about that

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I get unhinged over the 1000 articles a day about Bruce/Caitlyn/whatever just shut up about her.

[beaver2.0]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

President sure because Obama has celebritized the presidency into pop culture. Many don't have a clue who Biden even is - just look at the state of our schools

I think mos people know who Biden is.  Most probably know him from the images of him doing strange things.

[Mechaman]

Because she has a 'y' in her first name?

Actually, I take more offense with the "Cait" part. Isn't the correct spelling Katelyn?

That's the worst part of what the person formerly known as Bruce has done. There's too many ways to choose to spell it and conservatives are horrified by choice.

[C|K][ait|ayt|ate]l[i|y][n|nn] = 24 different choices

Katelyn is not a "real" name. It's "Kate" and "Lynn" smushed together.

Caitlin is an Irish name that is related to Kathleen, or something.

I'm more bothered by the fact that Caitlyn picked a name for herself that she would never have had as a woman born in America in the 1940s. Why not call herself Deborah or Susan or Barbara or something more logical?

Seriously dude?  STFU.  This is not the 1940s.  This is 2015.  As far as I'm concerned, if she wants to call herself Periodic Table Chart Element 264 she should without idiots freaking out about how "illogical" it sounds.

Two thumbs up, five stars, and ten out of ten Fresh ratings for the attempt though.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Bihexquadium?  I'm not a fan of five syllable first names.

[angus]

But like everything else, it will become old news to them.  Their hinges will get re-hinged again.  We will refer to Bruce Jenner when referring to the olympian and Caitlyn Jenner when referring to the talk show guest, I suppose. 

i would not be too sure about that

haha.  good call.  Anyway, I'm not really too sure about anything.  After all, I don't usually say that Cassius Clay won the 1964 fight between Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay.  If asked, I'd probably say that Mohammed Ali won that fight.  But then I'm not really sure.  Catch me unaware, sometime.

[muon2]

I'd like to take a different tack on the OP. In particular I want to get away from the talking heads and onto the non-political older suburban and exurban Americans.

Self image develops in childhood and with it ones sense of self in others. Back in the 50's through 70's there were two philosophies relating to self image inculcated on the youth. One was that you were what your body chemistry made you, not what your mental chemistry made you. The civil rights movement was about correcting for the circumstances of one's birth. The other was that behavior was largely due to environment not genetic makeup. In the psychologists' debate over "nature" vs "nurture", the nurture side was dominant.

Fast-forward to the Jenner issue. Children of that era are in their 50's and 60's today and make up one of the strongest age groups for conservatives. The Jenner issue bumps headstrong into those core notions from their childhood. First, modern society supports the idea that your brain chemistry is more important than body chemistry, ie. who you feel you are matters. Second, your brain chemistry is there from birth and isn't a product of your upbringing, even if it manifests much later in life. The fact that Jenner is a peer of that age cohort makes the cognitive dissonance (the unhinging) that much more pronounced.

[All Along The Watchtower]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I'd venture to say the majority of young people in your country would know who the PM is and some of the cabinet officials. The US is unique in it's low-info ways.

It's true that most people don't follow politics as a whole, but at least inform themselves of who leaders are/who to vote for etc.

Do you honestly think that the majority of US teens can't name who the President is?

President sure because Obama has celebritized the presidency into pop culture. Many don't have a clue who Biden even is - just look at the state of our schools

Are you asserting that Biden is less well-known that Spiro Agnew, Alben Barkley, Thomas Marshall, Levi Morton, etc., were in their day?

If so, I must again ask for a citation for your fantastical claims.

Indeed. Joe Biden is one of the better-known VPs, though to be fair, the VP has become more prominent in recent decades.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I would have thought that self-loathing Lindsey Graham would have weighed in with some derogatory comment on Jenner.

[The Dowager Mod]

I would have thought that self-loathing Lindsey Graham would have weighed in with some derogatory comment on Jenner.

I wonder what Grahams dress size is.