In 1634 the Dutch became enamored of tulips. So much so that many neglected their ordinary affairs in order to pursue the tulip trade. Soon, tulip sales were posted on the Stock Exchange of Amsterdam. People bought tulip bulbs on credit hoping to recoup their expenses as the value climbed. By 1637 the market turned, as markets always do, and investors had to sell their bulbs at a loss, some declaring bankruptcy. Prices returned to normal the following year.
One spring day in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, a group of young girls accused local women of bewitching them, claiming the women caused them to be possessed by Satan. Tensions were already high due to conflicts with local Native American tribes, a recent smallpox outbreak, and the normal jealousies and disputes between neighbors. Hysteria ensued, followed by trials and one woman was hanged. The hangings of eighteen more women followed and 150 other men, women and children were similarly accused. By September, the panic subsided and life returned to normal.
Americans in the 19th century saw fads such as hairpin pilfering and ring turning, while people in the 20th century were entertained by things like telephone booth stuffing, telephone pole sitting, and dance marathons. All these came into the public consciousness, assumed temporary popularity, and then passed by the wayside. Some of them were fun and mostly harmless, others caused physical and financial harm.
It could be argued that these are examples of social contagion, which occurs when a message is amplified and ‘goes viral.’ We’ve seen it recently with idiotic challenges such as those involving Tide Pods, cinnamon, and hot peppers. Tragically, when certain crimes are glamorized they can inspire copycats who then drive cars through crowds, participate in smash-and-grab robberies, or attempt to assault or even assassinate public figures.
A particularly disturbing recent development involves pediatric transgender surgeries. Once extremely rare, the occurrence increased rapidly in the new millennium, with one estimate placing the number of pediatric gender clinics as high as 300. Children who avail themselves of these treatments receive puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. I’ll leave it to the reader to investigate the details of phalloplasties and metoidioplasty. I recommend you not eat beforehand. One report found that in the U.S., 53% of adults who identify as trans are under 35, with 23% of adults between the ages of 35 and 54 and the same percentage of those over 55.
Are they getting a message that it’s cool to be trans? Celebrities like Charlize Theron and Cher have gay, trans, and non-binary children. Actress Marcia Gay Harden has three! She says this, “What drives me is my children are all queer. My eldest child is nonbinary. My son is gay. My youngest is fluid. And you know, they are my kids and they teach me every day.”
Friedrich Nietzsche once said that, “If you stare into the Abyss long enough the Abyss stares back at you.”
When we cast our gaze heavenward we aspire toward those things that are noble and good. Not so with the Abyss. When we stare, when we dwell too long on things that are unwholesome we run the risk of those things changing us in unfavorable ways. This becomes even more dangerous when science and technology allow us to pursue those ideas to extremes. Add preexisting mental instabilities to the mix and you’ve got some dangerous combinations.
We’ve seen what happens when men pretending to be women participate in women’s sports. Besides being cheated out of awards and scholarships, some women are being grievously injured. A 17-year-old female volleyball player suffered brain damage and was left paralyzed after a transgender opponent smashed her in the face with a ball moving at over 70 mph.
The 2024 Summer Olympics showed two male boxers competing as women. Both men were earlier disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships New Delhi after DNA tests revealed they possessed XY chromosomes. Their female opponents barely escaped serious injury.
Some individuals suffer from Body Identity Dysphoria, (BID) an extremely rare condition in which people desire to become disabled in some way. In one particularly grievous instance a woman who had dreamed of being blind found a sympathetic psychologist who, at her insistence poured drain cleaner in her eyes. Now she’s blind and says she’s never been happier. Another case involves a woman who wishes to rid herself of her left leg. Hers is not an isolated instance. People with this condition have a mental image of themselves that differs from their physical body, and if they can’t find a surgeon to correct it they sometimes take action themselves. In either case the results are not always fortuitous, but surprisingly, sometimes they are.
All of this begs the question — What is the difference between BID and gender dysphoria? Is there one? I was involved in a debate recently with an advocate of so-called gender-affirming surgery. She disapproved of people with BID removing healthy body parts such as arms or legs, but she had no problem at all with transgender surgeries. I was unable to make her see the connection.
In both BID and gender dysphoria the individual is being ruled by their feelings, not by reality. Pursuing those feelings to their conclusion can lead to mutilation of their own bodies as well as causing serious harm to others. And feelings change. A Loudon County, Virginia boy ‘felt’ like a girl and began wearing a skirt to school. Then his feelings apparently changed and he sexually assaulted a female schoolmate in the girl’s bathroom.
As a Catholic I subscribe to the Church’s position, which is based on biological reality. We are created in the image and likeness of God, being born male or female. As a society we should be helping people discover their true identities as God’s children, not assisting them in an objectively unnatural and disordered attempt to change their natal identities.
Image: Jan Brueghel
Jesus Christ is King
