I get it, and I saw the trans-care vid and was repulsed by it as well. (Her take on capitalism sucks as well.) But she did make analyses of sports that I’ve not heard elsewhere, so even if she’s not a reliable authority she can sometimes offer sound logic.
And yes, no-one else breaks down how we sort sporting matches or raises the question of fairness, because it’s impossible to make sports fair since genetics can be a bigger advantage than sex (or, for that matter, weight) since it informs not just the capacity for training discipline, but responsiveness to training and peak levels.
It could be that some of us really don’t get sports. As a kid, I was criticized for being small (I gained my full height and strength when I was well out of High School and studying computer science) and yet I was harshly criticized for not being as burly as my classmates in sports. (And could get no sympathy when I was bullied by bigger kids as well.) So I don’t get why we celebrate athletics competitively, when we should be striving for a personal best.
And as Hossenfelder points out, those who like sports don’t want a fair match, but an interesting one. Hence if an ogre with a genetic throwback is able to one-punch every other heavyweight contender, that’s not exciting. What’s exciting is if two rivals who are nearly evenly matched, are punching it out for the crown.
And in that regard, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu‑ting are established contender their boxing league. Sometimes they win against other contenders, sometimes they lose, and so the ambiguous outcome of the next match is what is important. I’d think if a non-binary person with male sexual characteristics were fighting in the league and wasn’t showing clear advantages, they should be allowed in the league, and if someone completely outperforms everyone else in the league, then their gender doesn’t matter, they need a different league.
(This has become an issue in some high school wrestling leagues, since sometimes a girl wants to wrestle, and is a strong contender, but other high-schools get wary and misogynistic and no-one wants to wrestle her – possibly for fear of the stigma of getting beaten by a girl.)
That said, a lot of people are opining about this who really shouldn’t be given authority, so I’d suggest challenge every take critically, whether it’s coming from Hossenfelder or not. Especially mine.
Sorry, but after her Trans care Video I don’t have a single ounce of respect left for her. Surely you can find better people to quote here?
100%. She should really stick to physics.
I get it, and I saw the trans-care vid and was repulsed by it as well. (Her take on capitalism sucks as well.) But she did make analyses of sports that I’ve not heard elsewhere, so even if she’s not a reliable authority she can sometimes offer sound logic.
And yes, no-one else breaks down how we sort sporting matches or raises the question of fairness, because it’s impossible to make sports fair since genetics can be a bigger advantage than sex (or, for that matter, weight) since it informs not just the capacity for training discipline, but responsiveness to training and peak levels.
It could be that some of us really don’t get sports. As a kid, I was criticized for being small (I gained my full height and strength when I was well out of High School and studying computer science) and yet I was harshly criticized for not being as burly as my classmates in sports. (And could get no sympathy when I was bullied by bigger kids as well.) So I don’t get why we celebrate athletics competitively, when we should be striving for a personal best.
And as Hossenfelder points out, those who like sports don’t want a fair match, but an interesting one. Hence if an ogre with a genetic throwback is able to one-punch every other heavyweight contender, that’s not exciting. What’s exciting is if two rivals who are nearly evenly matched, are punching it out for the crown.
And in that regard, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu‑ting are established contender their boxing league. Sometimes they win against other contenders, sometimes they lose, and so the ambiguous outcome of the next match is what is important. I’d think if a non-binary person with male sexual characteristics were fighting in the league and wasn’t showing clear advantages, they should be allowed in the league, and if someone completely outperforms everyone else in the league, then their gender doesn’t matter, they need a different league.
(This has become an issue in some high school wrestling leagues, since sometimes a girl wants to wrestle, and is a strong contender, but other high-schools get wary and misogynistic and no-one wants to wrestle her – possibly for fear of the stigma of getting beaten by a girl.)
That said, a lot of people are opining about this who really shouldn’t be given authority, so I’d suggest challenge every take critically, whether it’s coming from Hossenfelder or not. Especially mine.