Flying in the Face of Reality

I was absent-mindedly listening to some Conservative MP on Radio 4 talking about the Conservative Party's stance on transgender rights and how she disagreed with it. She used the analogy of people with anorexia and how affirming their view of themselves as fat actually does them physical harm and flies in the face of reality, a view I agree with on that particular issue. She views transgender people as having a psychological condition, which may or may not be the case, but there again, the Conservatives don't seem to be particularly worried about any people with psychological conditions.

Firstly, the initial question to ask oneself is whether gay and transgender people are harming anyone in living their lifestyles. In fact, it can be said they're harming themselves less by living that lifestyle than burying their feelings in order to conform to what's seen as 'normal'. I have a good friend who has come out as transgender, and the change in her personality and mental state since 'coming out' is phenomenal. She feels liberated and no longer permanently anxious. LGBT (and now I see there's  Q and an I in the alphabet soup of sexuality) people don't harm anyone else.

Secondly, this Conservative MP had the gall to immediately follow her pronouncement with an assertion that the Conservative Party should not ditch its Christian principles. Well, if man-gods, miracles and people returning from the dead isn't flying in the face of reality, I don't know what is. While gay and transgender people are not forcing anyone else to adopt their lifestyles, the muscular, Christian right does seem to want to impose its values on everyone else and does indeed harm some people.

Oh, and talking about reality, there's also pro-Brexit arguments, climate change denial, Trump making America great again and all the other defences of the indefensible.

Whenever I hear a politician say; "The truth of the matter is," my hackles instantly rise, as you can almost guarantee that if will be followed by either an outright lie or cherry-picked data.

Another MP was blathering on about the UK's economic performance being brilliant, when any cursory research (it's not even research - it's just listening to the news, of any persuasion) will show it's anything but. His criticism of the remain campaign was preceded by; "The fact of the matter is...," when the IMF has just downgraded the UK's growth prospects yet again following a weaker than expected performance. The mind boggles at the sheer effrontery of these people - they'd tell you black was white if it furthered their misbegotten cause.

The orchestrated campaign alleging anti-Brexit bias on the part of the BBC is working though, as the interviewer didn't immediately launch an  immediate and fully justified attack on the MP's delusional pronouncements.