In a new study, neuroscientists have found that the brain's same neurons get activated when they hear a person's name or pronouns like "he", "she" or "they".

According to scientists, there are these so-called concept cells that store information regarding the representations of people, objects or abstract concepts.

It was observed that concept cells get activated when the picture of someone specific is seen or when they hear or read the person's name or when they recall a specific person from the memory.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-iconic-painting-is-doing-something-with-the-brains-of-its-viewers-scientists-say-its-called-764210">&nbsp;THIS iconic painting is doing something with the brains of its viewers. Scientists say it's called...</a>

It has also been found that they get reactivated when the pronoun is used instead of the name of a person.

<h2>How was the study carried out?</h2>

The study was done on the basis of brain recordings taken from patients who suffered from intractable epilepsy. The electrodes were implanted deep inside their hippocampus to identify the origin of their seizures.

These implants also helped the scientists study how individual neurons in the hippocampus work during wakeful activity.

The participants of the study were given a picture of Shrek, and it was noticed that a particular neuron got activated on seeing the photo.

When the participant read the book "Shrek and Courtney Love", the same neuron got activated on the appearance of the name "Shrek" and the pronoun "he" which was used to refer to the central character in the later part of the book.&nbsp;

However, when the participants read the pronoun "she", the same neuron was not activated.

"We had the participants answer a question at the end of the sentences about who performed the action,"&nbsp;stated neuroscientist&nbsp;Matthew Self, who is from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.

"We could predict whether the patients would give the correct answer based on the activity of the individual concept cells," he further explained.&nbsp;

The volunteers were also made to read sentences in which two characters shared the same pronouns. In such cases, it was observed that the person who evoked the most activity was identified with the pronoun later.

"This could be based on chance fluctuations in activity on a trial-by-trial basis or an internal preference for one of the two characters in the sentence,"&nbsp;Self said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/brains-of-humans-and-dogs-can-sync-with-each-other-study-explains-how-759032">Brains of humans and dogs can sync with each other. Study explains how</a>

In the findings, it was observed that concept cells link the brain to the information of an already existing concept.

"For example, when we read about Shrek that 'he' put on sunglasses, we can update Shrek's representation and predict his future appearance," stated the authors of the study.

"Theories about the evolving mental representation of the narrative during reading suggest that previously read words are stored in working memory so that they can be combined with new information. How brain networks implement such syntactic computations is a topic for future research, which can now be investigated," they added.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a new study, neuroscientists have found that the brain's same neurons get activated when they hear a person's name or pronouns like "he", "she" or "they". According to scientists, there are these so-called concept cells that store information regarding the representations of people, objects or abstract concepts.

In a new study, neuroscientists have found that the brain's same neurons get activated when they hear a person's name or pronouns like "he", "she" or "they". According to scientists, there are these so-called concept cells that store information regarding the representations of people, objects or abstract concepts. It was observed that concept cells get activated when the picture of someone specific is seen or when they hear or read the person's name or when they recall a specific person from the memory. Also Read: THIS iconic painting is doing something with the brains of its viewers. Scientists say it's called... It has also been found that they get reactivated when the pronoun is used instead of the name of a person. How was the study carried out? The study was done on the basis of brain recordings taken from patients who suffered from intractable epilepsy. The electrodes were implanted deep inside their hippocampus to identify the origin of their seizures. These implants also helped the scientists study how individual neurons in the hippocampus work during wakeful activity. The participants of the study were given a picture of Shrek, and it was noticed that a particular neuron got activated on seeing the photo. When the participant read the book "Shrek and Courtney Love", the same neuron got activated on the appearance of the name "Shrek" and the pronoun "he" which was used to refer to the central character in the later part of the book. However, when the participants read the pronoun "she", the same neuron was not activated. "We had the participants answer a question at the end of the sentences about who performed the action," stated neuroscientist Matthew Self, who is from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. "We could predict whether the patients would give the correct answer based on the activity of the individual concept cells," he further explained. The volunteers were also made to read sentences in which two characters shared the same pronouns. In such cases, it was observed that the person who evoked the most activity was identified with the pronoun later. "This could be based on chance fluctuations in activity on a trial-by-trial basis or an internal preference for one of the two characters in the sentence," Self said. Also Read: Brains of humans and dogs can sync with each other. Study explains how In the findings, it was observed that concept cells link the brain to the information of an already existing concept. "For example, when we read about Shrek that 'he' put on sunglasses, we can update Shrek's representation and predict his future appearance," stated the authors of the study. "Theories about the evolving mental representation of the narrative during reading suggest that previously read words are stored in working memory so that they can be combined with new information. How brain networks implement such syntactic computations is a topic for future research, which can now be investigated," they added. (With inputs from agencies)

Human brains do not differentiate between names and pronouns of people: Study

Under the new guidance released by the UK&nbsp;Department of Education, teachers in the country have been told that they do not have to address students by their chosen pronouns. The draft document states that&nbsp;children, teachers or staff at a school should "not be required to adopt the use of preferred pronouns".

The draft adds that in&nbsp;the absence of preferred pronouns, the child's preferred name should be used, with schools having a duty to ensure bullying is never tolerated.

Commenting on the decision,&nbsp;Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said teachers or&nbsp;pupils should not be pressured into using different pronouns.&nbsp;

The draft takes a 'parents first' approach under which they should be informed at the earliest if their ward demands to have a different gender at school than the one assigned at birth.&nbsp;

"Parents' views must also be at the heart of all decisions made about their children," added Keegan.&nbsp;

Despite the plethora of changes, former prime minister Liz Truss said the guidance provided "insufficient protection and clarity". Notably, Truss previously presented a private member's bill that called for social transitioning to not be recognised by schools for under-18s.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/swimming-bodys-world-cup-open-races-for-transgenders-cancelled-after-no-one-shows-up-642659">Also read |&nbsp;Swimming body's World Cup 'open' races for transgenders cancelled after no one shows up</a>

<h2>Other key points</h2>

The new guidance takes a cautious approach to the issue. It states that&nbsp;teachers do not have a "general duty" to allow pupils to socially transition and are urged to use caution, including "watchful waiting periods, and ensuring parents are fully consulted before any decision is taken".&nbsp;

"Proper use of this guidance means social transition, in practice, should be extremely rare when the appropriate safeguards are put in place and the child's best interest taken into account," the draft adds.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/rishi-sunaks-plan-to-make-maths-compulsory-in-uk-schools-583480">Watch | Rishi Sunak's plan to make maths compulsory in UK schools</a>

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Other key points from the draft states that schools must have sex-separated toilets for students aged eight and over. The schools should also strive to make sure competitive sport is fair for all students - meaning separated categories for boys and girls.&nbsp;

Sleeping arrangements like dormitories, tents and shared rooms should be sex separated. A children who is questioning their gender should wear the same uniform standard as other children of their sex.

The new Gender Questioning Guidance, promised since 2018, was supposed to be released before the summer holidays but was delayed to ensure it met the&nbsp;"high expectations" of teachers and parents.

(With inputs from agencies)

Under the new guidance released by the UK Department of Education, teachers in the country have been told that they do not have to address students by their chosen pronouns.

Under the new guidance released by the UK Department of Education, teachers in the country have been told that they do not have to address students by their chosen pronouns. The draft document states that children, teachers or staff at a school should "not be required to adopt the use of preferred pronouns". The draft adds that in the absence of preferred pronouns, the child's preferred name should be used, with schools having a duty to ensure bullying is never tolerated. Commenting on the decision, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said teachers or pupils should not be pressured into using different pronouns. The draft takes a 'parents first' approach under which they should be informed at the earliest if their ward demands to have a different gender at school than the one assigned at birth. "Parents' views must also be at the heart of all decisions made about their children," added Keegan. Despite the plethora of changes, former prime minister Liz Truss said the guidance provided "insufficient protection and clarity". Notably, Truss previously presented a private member's bill that called for social transitioning to not be recognised by schools for under-18s. Also read | Swimming body's World Cup 'open' races for transgenders cancelled after no one shows up Other key points The new guidance takes a cautious approach to the issue. It states that teachers do not have a "general duty" to allow pupils to socially transition and are urged to use caution, including "watchful waiting periods, and ensuring parents are fully consulted before any decision is taken". "Proper use of this guidance means social transition, in practice, should be extremely rare when the appropriate safeguards are put in place and the child's best interest taken into account," the draft adds. Watch | Rishi Sunak's plan to make maths compulsory in UK schools × Other key points from the draft states that schools must have sex-separated toilets for students aged eight and over. The schools should also strive to make sure competitive sport is fair for all students - meaning separated categories for boys and girls. Sleeping arrangements like dormitories, tents and shared rooms should be sex separated. A children who is questioning their gender should wear the same uniform standard as other children of their sex. The new Gender Questioning Guidance, promised since 2018, was supposed to be released before the summer holidays but was delayed to ensure it met the "high expectations" of teachers and parents. (With inputs from agencies)

Teachers in UK don’t have to address students by their preferred pronouns under new guidance

Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot, two workers&nbsp;at Houghton University in upstate New York have been fired for including pronouns at the end of their work emails and later ignoring&nbsp;the request to remove them.&nbsp;

They both were fired from their&nbsp;residence hall directors position at the university in accordance with a&nbsp;newly-introduced university policy. Reportedly, Houghton University is affiliated with a&nbsp;conservative branch of the Methodist Church and it had asked the pair to remove the pronouns before taking the harsh call, just weeks before the end of the semester.&nbsp;

"You previously tendered your resignation advising that you did not intend to return next year However, as a result of your refusal to remove pronouns in your email signature in violation of institutional policy, and false and defamatory statements attributed to you in the recent Star article, please be advised of the following: You are being relived of your duties effective immediately," read the university's termination letter to Zelaya.&nbsp;

While Zelaya used "she/her" pronouns,&nbsp;Wilmot used "he/him" to sign off their emails. They said they had&nbsp;professional, pastoral, and inclusive motivations for including their pronouns in the email but the university board saw things differently.&nbsp;

"I think it boils down to: They want to be trans-exclusive and they want to communicate that to potential students and the parents of potential students," Wilmot was quoted as saying by New York Times.&nbsp;

"There's the professional piece to it, and the practical piece, and there's also an inclusive piece, and I think that's the piece this institution doesn't want," he added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-house-passes-bill-banning-transgender-students-from-womens-sports-584628">WATCH |&nbsp;US House passes bill banning transgender students from women's sports</a>

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Meanwhile, Zelaya said, "We live in a very divided world right now where everything is this or that, right or left, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. As Christians, I think we've gotten so caught up in these ideas of, "This is what I should be advocating for or upset about," that we forget to actually care for people."

After the duo were let go, the university alumni filed a petition in protest with 600 signing it as well.&nbsp;

<h2>Conservatives vs trangenders</h2>

The banning of pronouns, gender-affirming care and restricting sports participation across US states is part of a national push by the conservatives to put restrictions on transgender people

Earlier this month,&nbsp;North Dakota Senate lawmakers passed a bill to ignore the pronouns the transgender students use.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/usa-north-dakota-implements-law-restricting-transgender-pronouns-bathroom-use-590491" target="_blank">ALSO READ | USA: North Dakota implements law restricting transgender pronouns, bathroom use</a>

Overall, at least 16 states across the US have either restricted or banned gender-affirming care for minors, while at least eight states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

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Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot, two workers at Houghton University in upstate New York have been fired for including pronouns at the end of their work emails and later ignoring the request to remove them.

Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot, two workers at Houghton University in upstate New York have been fired for including pronouns at the end of their work emails and later ignoring the request to remove them. They both were fired from their residence hall directors position at the university in accordance with a newly-introduced university policy. Reportedly, Houghton University is affiliated with a conservative branch of the Methodist Church and it had asked the pair to remove the pronouns before taking the harsh call, just weeks before the end of the semester. "You previously tendered your resignation advising that you did not intend to return next year However, as a result of your refusal to remove pronouns in your email signature in violation of institutional policy, and false and defamatory statements attributed to you in the recent Star article, please be advised of the following: You are being relived of your duties effective immediately," read the university's termination letter to Zelaya. While Zelaya used "she/her" pronouns, Wilmot used "he/him" to sign off their emails. They said they had professional, pastoral, and inclusive motivations for including their pronouns in the email but the university board saw things differently. "I think it boils down to: They want to be trans-exclusive and they want to communicate that to potential students and the parents of potential students," Wilmot was quoted as saying by New York Times. "There's the professional piece to it, and the practical piece, and there's also an inclusive piece, and I think that's the piece this institution doesn't want," he added. WATCH | US House passes bill banning transgender students from women's sports × Meanwhile, Zelaya said, "We live in a very divided world right now where everything is this or that, right or left, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. As Christians, I think we've gotten so caught up in these ideas of, "This is what I should be advocating for or upset about," that we forget to actually care for people." After the duo were let go, the university alumni filed a petition in protest with 600 signing it as well. Conservatives vs trangenders The banning of pronouns, gender-affirming care and restricting sports participation across US states is part of a national push by the conservatives to put restrictions on transgender people Earlier this month, North Dakota Senate lawmakers passed a bill to ignore the pronouns the transgender students use. ALSO READ | USA: North Dakota implements law restricting transgender pronouns, bathroom use Overall, at least 16 states across the US have either restricted or banned gender-affirming care for minors, while at least eight states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

USA: University fires two workers for putting pronouns in their email signatures

A little more than 10 days after the North Dakota Senate lawmakers passed a bill to ignore the pronouns the transgender students use, Republican Governor Doug Burgum on Monday signed it into legislation.

A little more than 10 days after the North Dakota Senate lawmakers passed a bill to ignore the pronouns the transgender students use, Republican Governor Doug Burgum on Monday signed it into legislation. Under the new law, public schools and government entities are prohibited from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by their pronouns. Additionally, it prohibits transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their choice without prior approval from a parent or guardian. Under the law, teachers will be mandated to tell parents/guardians about their ward if they identify as transgender. Burgum stated that the new law “largely codifies existing practices while reaffirming the First Amendment right to free speech...balancing the rights and interests of students, parents and teachers.” However, opponents of the law argued that the Red state was violating students' constitutional rights. They added that children could face dangerous repercussions if an abusive parent did not approve of their gender orientation. “Mandatory outing of a student’s trans identity violates their privacy rights at school – particularly for trans youth who cannot be safe at home," Cody Schuler, advocacy manager of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "And creating a supportive working and learning environment also requires treating people with dignity and respect, including – at a minimum – calling them by the name and pronouns they want to use. These are both unlawful and discriminatory practices.” WATCH | US to control land sales to foreigners near 8 military bases × Burgum and North Dakota's clampdown on transgender rights This is not the first instance where Burgum has signed a bill restricting the rights of transgender in the state. Earlier, one of the bills prohibited gender-affirming care for transgender, making it a crime. Meaning those looking to avail healthcare facilities to transition from their assigned gender at birth will not be able to do so. Moreover, healthcare providers who provide gender-affirming care to minors will be criminalised. Another law prohibits transgender girls and women from joining female sports teams in K-12 and college. The Republican leader is toeing a staunchly conservative line in the state. Apart from restricting several rights of transgenders, he has also banned abortion in the state - curtailing women's rights. Last month, he signed legislation under which abortion throughout the pregnancy period, except for a period of six weeks of gestation, has been banned. ALSO READ | North Dakota governor signs legislation banning almost all abortions Overall, at least 14 states across the US have either restricted or banned gender-affirming care for minors while at least eight states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

USA: North Dakota implements law restricting transgender pronouns, bathroom use

The board of the state university of New York passed an order allowing students to choose their names and pronouns in college documents, the board has directed all 64 colleges and universities under it to implement the ruling by fall of 2023.

'Pick your own pronoun,' New York Universities celebrate gender spectrum

Anyone who uses social media knows that gone are the days when people would write funny one-liners or deep quotes on their Instagram biographies. In today's world, people like to let others know which gender they identity with: He or Him? She or Her? Or, is it just They?&nbsp;

 
Now, in theory, the concept is empowering to some, but in reality, many countries and cultures are struggling to inculcate the concept of gender-neutral identity into their lives with complete clarity. &nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-ari-lennox-rb-star-arrested-in-amsterdam-they-hate-black-people-433012">Ari Lennox, R&amp;B star, arrested in Amsterdam: They hate Black people</a>

 
Using the wrong pronouns is like an insult. In fact, gender-neutral word 'they' was declared word of the year in 2019. But can this change be replicated in all languages? Take French, for instance. It would be a logistical nightmare because French is a gendered language: the pronoun you use reflects the gender of a person or object you are talking about.&nbsp;

 
There's no gender neutral pronoun in the French language. But now, some linguists are trying to introduce it like Le Petit Robert: the best French dictionary. They will introduce a gender-neutral pronoun from 2022. They are calling it 'Iel': the merger of two French words 'Ielle' and 'Iels'. The question is: will the French buy it? They are fiercely protective of their language. It was going to be a risk but it is already backfiring. Here's what the Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has said about the new dictionary, "... It's authors are the militants of a cause that has nothing French about it." He is talking about the 'woke culture'. It doesn't have many fans in France.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-revealed-priyanka-chopra-is-sati-in-matrix-4-korean-poster-of-the-film-confirms-432996" hreflang="en">Revealed! Priyanka Chopra is Sati in 'Matrix 4', Korean poster of the film confirms</a>

 
Even the First Lady, Brigitte Macron, is a staunch opponent. Here's how she reacted to the idea of incorporating gender-neutral words, "There are two pronouns: He and She. Our language is beautiful and two pronouns are appropriate." Many feel this way and talk about a woke-culture assault from the US . Things that challenge basic French ideals. So here's a question: are these changes for the sake of change? Do they improve gender equity or does it defeat the purpose? For example, will the trans community prefer equality in pronouns or actual socio-economic equality? In an ideal world, both. But in this case, we must prioritise. Cosmetic changes are not a substitute for meaningful reforms. Sure, they make you feel good. But there's no systemic progress.&nbsp;

 
Let us give you another example from Scotland. Scottish secondary schools have been experimenting with gender-neutral washrooms. It's been a disaster so far, to say the least. Girls are boycotting the washroom because of vandalism by boys. Survey shows 56 per cent of Scottish people are against gender-neutral washrooms. Why, then, are these schools trying them out? Encourages diversity, they say. And whatever they intend, the result has been quite the opposite. Experiments like this one are counter productive. They become a bad advertisement for gender reforms.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-barbados-declares-rihanna-national-hero-at-republic-ceremony-watch-432983" hreflang="en">Barbados declares Rihanna 'national hero' at republic ceremony: Watch</a>

 
So what could Scotland have done? Perhaps retain single-sex washrooms, offer both services and let the people decide. This has always been the problem with woke culture, nobody is questioning the intentions but the method can be too extreme sometimes. Like changing the laws of French or common washrooms against common wisdom. The gesture's not a measure of change but a tool to create buzz. Good for the headlines, not so much for social equality.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-comedian-murray-hill-loses-everything-in-fire-receives-overwhelming-support-432975" hreflang="en">Comedian Murray Hill loses 'everything' in fire, receives overwhelming support</a>

&nbsp;

https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-gender-neutral-pronouns-france-sees-red-432850

Anyone who uses social media knows that gone are the days when people would write funny one-liners or deep quotes on their Instagram biographies. In today's world, people like to let others know which gender they identity with: He or Him?

Anyone who uses social media knows that gone are the days when people would write funny one-liners or deep quotes on their Instagram biographies. In today's world, people like to let others know which gender they identity with: He or Him? She or Her? Or, is it just They? Now, in theory, the concept is empowering to some, but in reality, many countries and cultures are struggling to inculcate the concept of gender-neutral identity into their lives with complete clarity. Also read: Ari Lennox, R&B star, arrested in Amsterdam: They hate Black people Using the wrong pronouns is like an insult. In fact, gender-neutral word 'they' was declared word of the year in 2019. But can this change be replicated in all languages? Take French, for instance. It would be a logistical nightmare because French is a gendered language: the pronoun you use reflects the gender of a person or object you are talking about. There's no gender neutral pronoun in the French language. But now, some linguists are trying to introduce it like Le Petit Robert: the best French dictionary. They will introduce a gender-neutral pronoun from 2022. They are calling it 'Iel': the merger of two French words 'Ielle' and 'Iels'. The question is: will the French buy it? They are fiercely protective of their language. It was going to be a risk but it is already backfiring. Here's what the Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has said about the new dictionary, "... It's authors are the militants of a cause that has nothing French about it." He is talking about the 'woke culture'. It doesn't have many fans in France. Also read: Revealed! Priyanka Chopra is Sati in 'Matrix 4', Korean poster of the film confirms Even the First Lady, Brigitte Macron, is a staunch opponent. Here's how she reacted to the idea of incorporating gender-neutral words, "There are two pronouns: He and She. Our language is beautiful and two pronouns are appropriate." Many feel this way and talk about a woke-culture assault from the US . Things that challenge basic French ideals. So here's a question: are these changes for the sake of change? Do they improve gender equity or does it defeat the purpose? For example, will the trans community prefer equality in pronouns or actual socio-economic equality? In an ideal world, both. But in this case, we must prioritise. Cosmetic changes are not a substitute for meaningful reforms. Sure, they make you feel good. But there's no systemic progress. Let us give you another example from Scotland. Scottish secondary schools have been experimenting with gender-neutral washrooms. It's been a disaster so far, to say the least. Girls are boycotting the washroom because of vandalism by boys. Survey shows 56 per cent of Scottish people are against gender-neutral washrooms. Why, then, are these schools trying them out? Encourages diversity, they say. And whatever they intend, the result has been quite the opposite. Experiments like this one are counter productive. They become a bad advertisement for gender reforms. Also read: Barbados declares Rihanna 'national hero' at republic ceremony: Watch So what could Scotland have done? Perhaps retain single-sex washrooms, offer both services and let the people decide. This has always been the problem with woke culture, nobody is questioning the intentions but the method can be too extreme sometimes. Like changing the laws of French or common washrooms against common wisdom. The gesture's not a measure of change but a tool to create buzz. Good for the headlines, not so much for social equality. Also read: Comedian Murray Hill loses 'everything' in fire, receives overwhelming support https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-gender-neutral-pronouns-france-sees-red-432850

The Pronoun punch: Why hostility against gender-neutral identity?

A Canadian professor at the&nbsp;University of Toronto (U of T)&nbsp;named Doctor Jordan Peterson&nbsp;is taking a highly-public&nbsp;stand against what he calls &quot;totalitarian political correctness&quot;, by refusing to use the pronouns with which transgendered people identify. The issue is his refusal to call&nbsp;somone &quot;their&quot; rather than &quot;he&quot; or &quot;she&quot;.

For this he has been called everything from a transphobic bigot who the university must&nbsp;fire, to&nbsp;a martyr for free speech. First, some background.

Campus context

U of T is perhaps the campus epicentre of Canadian social justice. I graduated from teacher&#39;s college there myself. There is a so-called &quot;war&quot; on campus. While it&#39;s a modern debate, it goes back decades on campuses around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On the one side&nbsp;are&nbsp;social justice advocates&nbsp;who want radical&nbsp;changes to customary language,&nbsp;even enshrined in&nbsp;law, in an attempt to&nbsp;help people who, by social&nbsp;customar&nbsp;or the&nbsp;legal system, are&nbsp;marginalised. On the other&nbsp;is traditionally-minded&nbsp;people who find social justice&nbsp;terms and concepts either alien or appalling, and who take umbrage with the notion that not&nbsp;embracing them&nbsp;makes them necessarily&nbsp;less virtuous people.

This is an over-simplification of the extreme poles&nbsp;only worth describing because the convesation itself moves to these&nbsp;poles&nbsp;so quickly. Nuance here is not overly abundant:&nbsp;For all the talk of social justice &quot;warriors&quot; or a &quot;war&quot; against free spech,&nbsp;0 lives have been claimed.

&nbsp;

Canadian context

While the LGBT community has thankfully made some significant gains in terms of cultural acceptance the last few years, both&nbsp;legally and&nbsp;culturally, similar progress for transgendered people has been much slower.

In Canada and elsewhere, there is still confusion surrounding&nbsp;the gender spectrum and&nbsp;sexual orientation&nbsp;and in all the surrounding nomenclature.&nbsp;Seeking to address this, the&nbsp;Liberals expanded an existing Federal bill for human rights protection, called Bill C-16, to&nbsp;update the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code&nbsp;to&nbsp;include&nbsp;&quot;gender identity&quot; and &quot;gender expression&quot;. These were already covered&nbsp;under provincial legislation in Ontario, and in several other provinces.

Advocates of&nbsp;Bill C-16 welcome the&nbsp;effort to reach out to a marginalised group.&nbsp;But critics like Peterson believe the&nbsp;force of law is a strong tool, and however well-intended&nbsp;it may be&nbsp;it&#39;s wrong to outlaw certain words or force the usage of other ones.

Thus, it can be&nbsp;hard to identify whether a&nbsp;person using the wrong terminology is doing so out of visceral&nbsp;dislike&nbsp;for transgendered people or&nbsp;because they&nbsp;mean well&nbsp;but are simply confused. I spoke with Peterson&nbsp;and he fits into neither category.

&nbsp;

Dr Peterson

Doctor Peterson says he does not recognise a person&#39;s right to be referred to with genderless pronouns, like &quot;they&quot; instead of &quot;he&quot; or &quot;she&quot;. In one of his three&nbsp;hour-long YouTube lectures on the topic, the tenured clinical psychology professor has denounced the idea that a person can be something other than male or female.

When asked by CBC&#39;s Carol Off to describe his position,&nbsp;Doctor Peterson said: &quot;I don&#39;t recognise another person&#39;s right to decide what words I&#39;m going to use, especially when the words they want me to use, first of all, are non-standard elements of the English language and they are constructs of a small coterie of ideologically motivated people. They might have a point but I&#39;m not going to say their words for them.&quot;

Perhaps it&#39;s unsurprising that the man who stubbornly insists on gender as binary concept sees much else in black and white.&nbsp;In a YouTube lecture, he claimed that self-identifying as a Marxist was no better than a Nazi. The Communist Manifesto is not Mein Kampf. I haven&#39;t read Das Kapital, but nobody I&#39;ve spoken to who has said it contains incitement to, or celebration of, genocide.&nbsp;

Dr Peterson is obviously an intelligent man, but this topic has a way of creating a mental blocks that make it impossible for people on opposite sides to talk and hear each other.

His main point was that it&#39;s impractical for disempowered students to expect the world to transform itself, and orient itself around them. Well, it seems the world is trying to place the disempowered or vulnerable at the centre, but are stuck because of people like Dr Peterson.

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Language control:&nbsp;To help the powerful or powerless?

Peterson says the Bill has been crafted to permit broad&nbsp;interpretation, to transform what is&nbsp;today permissible&nbsp;speech to&nbsp;possibly&nbsp;hate crime tomorrow. [Quote about possible jail time, or murder...20 years from now, maybe.

&quot;People generate laws and don&#39;t necessarily understand their full consequence. But one of the things I learned from Solzhenitsyn [The famous Russian novelist/dissident], laws have their own life, and the intentions of the people who framed them and the consequences of the law are not necessarily the same thing,&quot; he told me.

The Soviet Union&#39;s attempt at uplifting the working class&nbsp;did not, shall we say, live up to expectations. This left-wing catastrophe is often cited as proof, that any attempt to improve working people&#39;s lives&nbsp;ends in a hideous police state and mass slaughter.

But America&#39;s&nbsp;so-called &quot;War on drugs&quot; was pitched as a moral crusade to clean up society, though&nbsp;actually its real purpose was basically&nbsp;to send minorities for minor crimes to generate income for&nbsp;for-profit prisons, and thus&nbsp;was a moral abomination and utter failure.&nbsp;

But yes, nobody should&nbsp;automatically assume&nbsp;a good intent behind a law is enough to&nbsp;bring about a good law. Either the law is disingenously pitched as human rights-directed,&nbsp;

The case of Jordan Peterson is not the case of&nbsp;Varlam Shalamov, the author of the immortal Kolyma Tales, who Stalin sent&nbsp;to the Kolyma gulag in Siberia for&nbsp;saying the classic Russian writer Ivan Bunin was a &quot;classic Russian writer&quot;.&nbsp;That&nbsp;is Totalitarian political correctness.&nbsp;

Peterson&nbsp;remains a tenured prof&nbsp;who posts&nbsp;lectures on the so-called taboo topic,&nbsp;before being&nbsp;invited to speak about it on several Canadian media platforms. At the time of writing, Peterson remains unimprisoned. That doesn&#39;t mean Peterson&#39;s&nbsp;concern&nbsp;about the law&#39;s implementation is misplaced. Not does it mean he is transphobic

While this disagreement is&nbsp;happening in an academic environment, this particular issue doesn&#39;t bear on academic freedom per se: it has nothing to do with the subject matter of Peterson&#39;s&nbsp;course. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Dear Leader

The proposed change here does not aim to control language to give&nbsp;the ruler more control, but the opposite. In North Korea, speech control is used to elevate the tyrant,&nbsp;Kim Jung Un&nbsp;

&nbsp;In North Korea the tyrant must be called &quot;Dear leader&quot;. It&#39;s healthy for free speech advocates to be concerned about just how the specifics of this&nbsp;bill are&nbsp;crafted. Yes, it&#39;s theoretically conceivable that the proposed language changes by Justin Trudeau&#39;s Liberals will only begin this&nbsp;

Moving Forward

Peterson told me he thinks the proposed rules have nothing to do with the well being or happiness of a particular individual, that they&#39;re politically motivated; this is the core of his opposition. If he thought switching pronouns&nbsp;would help a transgender person, I suspect he would. His opinion is that it doesn&#39;t, and that the people clamouring for the rule change aren&#39;t the marginalized people themselves, with whom he has experience dealing with in his practicev&nbsp;as a clinical psychologist.

Maybe, but I suppose the protesters are upset that he, being a professor, has&nbsp;power over them to determine how these people will identify themselves.

Peterson told me his job is not to comfort them, that his job is specifically to make them&nbsp;uncomfortable. In his class, when they discuss Nazism and crowd control, he makes the case to them that they would be the Nazis, not the brave ones fighting against the masses.&nbsp;

Maybe. He&#39;s in his right as an academic to call them Nazis. That&#39;s subject matter. But when it comes to the people themselves, he should call them what they want to be called.

(WION)

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but&nbsp;this points to an inconsistency in Peterson&#39;s thinking: In his first&nbsp;online lecture&nbsp;he&nbsp;plainly states that identifying as a Marxist is &quot;in my estimation no better than identifying as Nazis, given the murderousness of the Marxist doctrine and the fact that we know how it&#39;s turned out when implemented in multiple countries.&quot;

Marx&nbsp;calls for workers&#39; rights&nbsp;not religiously-determined&nbsp;mass murder, yet his writing&nbsp;has&nbsp;been hijacked by world&nbsp;leaders who were indeed murderous. Equating the opposition to economic exploitation with the desire for mass&nbsp;

Failing to make a distinction between the&nbsp;opposition to&nbsp;economic exploitation and an&nbsp;explicit call for systemic mass murder&nbsp;is a&nbsp;

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This is not a war: Chill out

The discussion between whether to include or ignore the suggestions of social justice advocates may get heated, but it is not literally a matter of life and death. The world is full of actual matters of life and death.&nbsp;

but at a time when militarised police arrest protesters or are acquited by the legal system after&nbsp;killing unarmed civilians. Why take a stand on the issue of pronouns, which i

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to kill minorities and others considered degenerates is a big failure.

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The link to Russia is&nbsp;

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Dr Peterson&#39;s critics claim he&nbsp;can&#39;t&nbsp;create&nbsp;a safe classroom for people whose&nbsp;gender he does not recognise. They call him transphobic

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&quot;That&#39;s a uni-varied analysis of a multi-variant reality...and it&#39;s not a helpful one, because you don&#39;t know what the predictors are...I&#39;m sure it&#39;s a factor, but we don&#39;t know how much of a factor it is.&quot;

&quot;We don&#39;t understand what elicits discriminatory behaviour, and to assume it&#39;s prejudice per se is not helpful. It&#39;s not helpful to the transexuals, and it&#39;s an unbelievably unsophisticated analysis.

&quot;Here&#39;s a negative outcome. What causes it? Societal oppression.Like ya, societal oppression plays a role, but you have no idea how important the role is. You just don&#39;t know.&quot;

&quot;I don&#39;t believe for a minute these PC types are anything like the people at the bottom of the hierarchy, they just find them convenient to put forward their self-righteous worldview. Just because people say&nbsp;they are speaking for the opppressed does not indicate in&nbsp;

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However much you may disagree with Dr Peterson&#39;s views,&nbsp;he exalts&nbsp;peace and truth, while making a clear distinction between what you, or he, believes to be true is not necessarily correct but that&nbsp;it&#39;s essential to air the views we truly hold to arrive at the greater truth, and to have meaning in our lives. He wrote books on religious myth making, and there&#39;s a religious air to his exaltation of the spoken truth.

&nbsp;and he has put out a large enough body of&nbsp;well thought out opinion to support his claim.&nbsp;

 
. Peterson claims he is not the enemy of transgendered&nbsp;people, and that all he opposes is vaguely worded legal documents that can result in fines or imprisonment for saying certain things.

Is he masking transphobia in a noble-sounding crusade for free speech, or&nbsp;is the government overreaching in its&nbsp;well-intentioned attempt to support a maligned&nbsp;minority?

[I need quotes about his sympathies and refusals, about his hatred for PC and how this is basically a ]

I asked him, at a time when&nbsp;transgendered people are

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To understand the issue, consider &quot;Free speech&quot; in two distinct ways;&nbsp;Free Speech versus speaking freely.&nbsp;The first is&nbsp;a guarantee that the government will not use its power to punish&nbsp;citizens for speaking how they want. The second&nbsp;is actually speaking or publishing&nbsp;without self-censorship,&nbsp;exploring ideas without restraint, something which often gives rise to mistakes that may or may not be revised later, and&nbsp;other kinds of&nbsp;messy or&nbsp;unpopular thoughts and&nbsp;speech.

These are both vital, vital concepts,&nbsp;but only the first is subject to&nbsp;the law. The government cannot encourage&nbsp;this second type, it can only bar it from existing by getting

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He says in one&nbsp;lecture &quot;I don&#39;t believe the reason for the changes is the stated reason&quot;. In other words, the changes aren&#39;t really to help transgendered people feel more included, there&#39;s some secret ulterior motive. In an email exchange with WION seeking to know about this supposed&nbsp;ulterior motive, Peterson declined to elaborate, and pointed instead to a recent op-ed carried in the Washington publication The Hill. (WION will update this article should he clarify this point, and )

&nbsp;remove the second type, but if the first is gone,&nbsp;

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second cannot exist without the first&nbsp;without which the second cannot be performed.

Peterson feels the government is removing his ability to say mistaken things, making him and his opponents both correct. The government&nbsp;

&nbsp; The govern

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While homophobes and transgender trolls haunt twitter, they don&#39;t usually bother to make thoughtful lectures

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Is the government really going to fine people, or send them to jail, for using certain phrases?&nbsp; 
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There are two separate issues to be sorted out from either side. One, what&nbsp;is&nbsp;the ideological motivation that Dr Peterson fears so badly? Is changing a pronoun a simple way to make transgendered people&nbsp;feel less hated by the world around them, or is it a conspiracy to control heteroseual people&#39;s&nbsp;free speech? OK, but whatever this is, surely people like Doctor Peterson shouldn&#39;t go to jail over their choice of pronoun...is&nbsp;he at risk or prison, or is this fear actually groundless and part of an attempt to make a trivial issue seem important?

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University of Toronto prof Dr Peterson says the Liberal government might imprison him for denouncing 'totalitarian political correctness'

A Canadian professor at the University of Toronto (U of T) named Doctor Jordan Peterson is taking a highly-public stand against what he calls "totalitarian political correctness", by refusing to use the pronouns with which transgendered people identify. The issue is his refusal to call somone "their" rather than "he" or "she". For this he has been called everything from a transphobic bigot who the university must fire, to a martyr for free speech. First, some background. Campus context U of T is perhaps the campus epicentre of Canadian social justice. I graduated from teacher's college there myself. There is a so-called "war" on campus. While it's a modern debate, it goes back decades on campuses around the world. On the one side are social justice advocates who want radical changes to customary language, even enshrined in law, in an attempt to help people who, by social customar or the legal system, are marginalised. On the other is traditionally-minded people who find social justice terms and concepts either alien or appalling, and who take umbrage with the notion that not embracing them makes them necessarily less virtuous people. This is an over-simplification of the extreme poles only worth describing because the convesation itself moves to these poles so quickly. Nuance here is not overly abundant: For all the talk of social justice "warriors" or a "war" against free spech, 0 lives have been claimed. Canadian context While the LGBT community has thankfully made some significant gains in terms of cultural acceptance the last few years, both legally and culturally, similar progress for transgendered people has been much slower. In Canada and elsewhere, there is still confusion surrounding the gender spectrum and sexual orientation and in all the surrounding nomenclature. Seeking to address this, the Liberals expanded an existing Federal bill for human rights protection, called Bill C-16, to update the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to include "gender identity" and "gender expression". These were already covered under provincial legislation in Ontario, and in several other provinces. Advocates of Bill C-16 welcome the effort to reach out to a marginalised group. But critics like Peterson believe the force of law is a strong tool, and however well-intended it may be it's wrong to outlaw certain words or force the usage of other ones. Thus, it can be hard to identify whether a person using the wrong terminology is doing so out of visceral dislike for transgendered people or because they mean well but are simply confused. I spoke with Peterson and he fits into neither category. Dr Peterson Doctor Peterson says he does not recognise a person's right to be referred to with genderless pronouns, like "they" instead of "he" or "she". In one of his three hour-long YouTube lectures on the topic, the tenured clinical psychology professor has denounced the idea that a person can be something other than male or female. When asked by CBC's Carol Off to describe his position, Doctor Peterson said: "I don't recognise another person's right to decide what words I'm going to use, especially when the words they want me to use, first of all, are non-standard elements of the English language and they are constructs of a small coterie of ideologically motivated people. They might have a point but I'm not going to say their words for them." Perhaps it's unsurprising that the man who stubbornly insists on gender as binary concept sees much else in black and white. In a YouTube lecture, he claimed that self-identifying as a Marxist was no better than a Nazi. The Communist Manifesto is not Mein Kampf. I haven't read Das Kapital, but nobody I've spoken to who has said it contains incitement to, or celebration of, genocide. Dr Peterson is obviously an intelligent man, but this topic has a way of creating a mental blocks that make it impossible for people on opposite sides to talk and hear each other. His main point was that it's impractical for disempowered students to expect the world to transform itself, and orient itself around them. Well, it seems the world is trying to place the disempowered or vulnerable at the centre, but are stuck because of people like Dr Peterson. Language control: To help the powerful or powerless? Peterson says the Bill has been crafted to permit broad interpretation, to transform what is today permissible speech to possibly hate crime tomorrow. [Quote about possible jail time, or murder...20 years from now, maybe. "People generate laws and don't necessarily understand their full consequence. But one of the things I learned from Solzhenitsyn [The famous Russian novelist/dissident], laws have their own life, and the intentions of the people who framed them and the consequences of the law are not necessarily the same thing," he told me. The Soviet Union's attempt at uplifting the working class did not, shall we say, live up to expectations. This left-wing catastrophe is often cited as proof, that any attempt to improve working people's lives ends in a hideous police state and mass slaughter. But America's so-called "War on drugs" was pitched as a moral crusade to clean up society, though actually its real purpose was basically to send minorities for minor crimes to generate income for for-profit prisons, and thus was a moral abomination and utter failure. But yes, nobody should automatically assume a good intent behind a law is enough to bring about a good law. Either the law is disingenously pitched as human rights-directed, The case of Jordan Peterson is not the case of Varlam Shalamov, the author of the immortal Kolyma Tales, who Stalin sent to the Kolyma gulag in Siberia for saying the classic Russian writer Ivan Bunin was a "classic Russian writer". That is Totalitarian political correctness. Peterson remains a tenured prof who posts lectures on the so-called taboo topic, before being invited to speak about it on several Canadian media platforms. At the time of writing, Peterson remains unimprisoned. That doesn't mean Peterson's concern about the law's implementation is misplaced. Not does it mean he is transphobic While this disagreement is happening in an academic environment, this particular issue doesn't bear on academic freedom per se: it has nothing to do with the subject matter of Peterson's course. Dear Leader The proposed change here does not aim to control language to give the ruler more control, but the opposite. In North Korea, speech control is used to elevate the tyrant, Kim Jung Un In North Korea the tyrant must be called "Dear leader". It's healthy for free speech advocates to be concerned about just how the specifics of this bill are crafted. Yes, it's theoretically conceivable that the proposed language changes by Justin Trudeau's Liberals will only begin this Moving Forward Peterson told me he thinks the proposed rules have nothing to do with the well being or happiness of a particular individual, that they're politically motivated; this is the core of his opposition. If he thought switching pronouns would help a transgender person, I suspect he would. His opinion is that it doesn't, and that the people clamouring for the rule change aren't the marginalized people themselves, with whom he has experience dealing with in his practicev as a clinical psychologist. Maybe, but I suppose the protesters are upset that he, being a professor, has power over them to determine how these people will identify themselves. Peterson told me his job is not to comfort them, that his job is specifically to make them uncomfortable. In his class, when they discuss Nazism and crowd control, he makes the case to them that they would be the Nazis, not the brave ones fighting against the masses. Maybe. He's in his right as an academic to call them Nazis. That's subject matter. But when it comes to the people themselves, he should call them what they want to be called. (WION) but this points to an inconsistency in Peterson's thinking: In his first online lecture he plainly states that identifying as a Marxist is "in my estimation no better than identifying as Nazis, given the murderousness of the Marxist doctrine and the fact that we know how it's turned out when implemented in multiple countries." Marx calls for workers' rights not religiously-determined mass murder, yet his writing has been hijacked by world leaders who were indeed murderous. Equating the opposition to economic exploitation with the desire for mass Failing to make a distinction between the opposition to economic exploitation and an explicit call for systemic mass murder is a This is not a war: Chill out The discussion between whether to include or ignore the suggestions of social justice advocates may get heated, but it is not literally a matter of life and death. The world is full of actual matters of life and death. but at a time when militarised police arrest protesters or are acquited by the legal system after killing unarmed civilians. Why take a stand on the issue of pronouns, which i to kill minorities and others considered degenerates is a big failure. The link to Russia is Dr Peterson's critics claim he can't create a safe classroom for people whose gender he does not recognise. They call him transphobic "That's a uni-varied analysis of a multi-variant reality...and it's not a helpful one, because you don't know what the predictors are...I'm sure it's a factor, but we don't know how much of a factor it is." "We don't understand what elicits discriminatory behaviour, and to assume it's prejudice per se is not helpful. It's not helpful to the transexuals, and it's an unbelievably unsophisticated analysis. "Here's a negative outcome. What causes it? Societal oppression.Like ya, societal oppression plays a role, but you have no idea how important the role is. You just don't know." "I don't believe for a minute these PC types are anything like the people at the bottom of the hierarchy, they just find them convenient to put forward their self-righteous worldview. Just because people say they are speaking for the opppressed does not indicate in However much you may disagree with Dr Peterson's views, he exalts peace and truth, while making a clear distinction between what you, or he, believes to be true is not necessarily correct but that it's essential to air the views we truly hold to arrive at the greater truth, and to have meaning in our lives. He wrote books on religious myth making, and there's a religious air to his exaltation of the spoken truth. and he has put out a large enough body of well thought out opinion to support his claim. . Peterson claims he is not the enemy of transgendered people, and that all he opposes is vaguely worded legal documents that can result in fines or imprisonment for saying certain things. Is he masking transphobia in a noble-sounding crusade for free speech, or is the government overreaching in its well-intentioned attempt to support a maligned minority? [I need quotes about his sympathies and refusals, about his hatred for PC and how this is basically a ] I asked him, at a time when transgendered people are To understand the issue, consider "Free speech" in two distinct ways; Free Speech versus speaking freely. The first is a guarantee that the government will not use its power to punish citizens for speaking how they want. The second is actually speaking or publishing without self-censorship, exploring ideas without restraint, something which often gives rise to mistakes that may or may not be revised later, and other kinds of messy or unpopular thoughts and speech. These are both vital, vital concepts, but only the first is subject to the law. The government cannot encourage this second type, it can only bar it from existing by getting He says in one lecture "I don't believe the reason for the changes is the stated reason". In other words, the changes aren't really to help transgendered people feel more included, there's some secret ulterior motive. In an email exchange with WION seeking to know about this supposed ulterior motive, Peterson declined to elaborate, and pointed instead to a recent op-ed carried in the Washington publication The Hill. (WION will update this article should he clarify this point, and ) remove the second type, but if the first is gone, second cannot exist without the first without which the second cannot be performed. Peterson feels the government is removing his ability to say mistaken things, making him and his opponents both correct. The government The govern While homophobes and transgender trolls haunt twitter, they don't usually bother to make thoughtful lectures Is the government really going to fine people, or send them to jail, for using certain phrases? There are two separate issues to be sorted out from either side. One, what is the ideological motivation that Dr Peterson fears so badly? Is changing a pronoun a simple way to make transgendered people feel less hated by the world around them, or is it a conspiracy to control heteroseual people's free speech? OK, but whatever this is, surely people like Doctor Peterson shouldn't go to jail over their choice of pronoun...is he at risk or prison, or is this fear actually groundless and part of an attempt to make a trivial issue seem important?

Toronto professor refuses to use trans-gendered pronouns

pronouns

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