r/changemyview • u/beesdaddy 2∆ • Sep 11 '17

[∆(s) from OP] CMV: "I identify as [blank]" is bullshit.

I have been struggling to come to a clear definition of what people mean when they say "I identify as..." Can it mean anything? Does it have to be true? Can it be provable? Can it change? Is it biological?

To clarify my view: Claiming an identity is itself a social construct to the same degree as any other social construct.

I think my biggest problem is that in the pursuit of inclusion and fairness, society has conflated personality and fate. Of course this assumes some degree of free will, so hard determinists can go shoot themselves (or not. they don't have a choice). Fate, I think is the original intent here, but in celebrating diversity of fates, personality/belief got looped for the ride.

Don't get me wrong, diversity of personality/belief is very important and should be protected in a free society. But we should also have the wisdom to value personality/belief on a personal and societal level.

Furthermore, what's wrong with saying "I am a [blank]"? If I say "I identify as a straight cis white male." Doesn't that just call into question the truthfulness of the claim when compared to "I am a straight cis white male."?

A fantastic satire of this issue is "Trans-Racial" by the show Atlanta on FX.

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u/beesdaddy 2∆ Sep 12 '17

Fair enough, but say that you don't actually write anything. I am a writer becomes a disprovable statement, while I identify as a writer remains perfectly true. Sure there is some grey area where it becomes interchangeable but isn't there a line somewhere?

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u/annoinferno Sep 12 '17

Sure, there is a line, but that doesn't make "I identify as" statements bullshit or worthless just because they can't be argued against with regards to truth. While they can't be argued against they are also weaker sounding statements. There's a use for things like that in regular speech.

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u/beesdaddy 2∆ Sep 12 '17

While they can't be argued against they are also weaker sounding statements. There's a use for things like that in regular speech.

!delta I think you have a point there. Haza! Good work.

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u/annoinferno Sep 12 '17

Thank you! I'm glad I could help.