What's really confusing me here is that I have no idea what Jarandhel's actually trying to say, but regardless of what he's trying to say, the delivery is making me think I disagree. Is he saying that therianthropy can't be psychological? And that we're all stupid and should admit it's a spiritually-caused thing? Because that is kind of what it's coming off as, and on that I will call bullshit. Also, no one (that I have seen) is claiming they know exactly what brain-thing is causing therianthropy. People have guesses, they have theories they like, but... that's about it. And since we have not been able to organize brain scans and medical studies yet, that is actually the best we can do for the moment. There have been experiences described that definitely sound like they might be related to neuro-atypical things to me, as an average person who has no more than a layman's knowledge of psychology. Still, I can observe; I can process information; I can say "Well, this looks a bit like that, doesn't it?" even if I can't prove it, I can speculate and say, "well, maybe that's what it is." It would be wrong for me to say, "That must be it! There it is for sure!" but guesses and theories aren't hurting people when they are phrased as such.
Anyway, it does seem raaaaaaather stupid to be saying, "You need medical validation," because trans* people still have their experiences before they are necessarily diagnosed with them. Those experiences still existed and such before being medically recognized, so what the hell is the point in saying that it doesn't exist until it's diagnosed? Speaking to the "trapped in the wrong body," thing, that isn't true for all trans* individuals. Hell, not all trans* people hate and are depressed by their assigned-gender-body - they just feel like the other would fit them better or the existing one is not quite right. Problems arise when people who only know the tip of the iceberg regarding trans* issues (for example, when people thing that "trapped in the wrong body" is the extend of it) compare otherkin experiences to trans* experiences on the whole, but then, the best thing would be to correct politely with educating, rather than jumping down people's throats anyway.
I'd conclude that in general, arguing about using the word "dysphoria" is unfair to the subtlety and variety of experiences that both therians/'kin and transpeople feel, and arguing about the cause of feeling nonhuman is one of the most foolish and ignorant arguments to have, exactly because of the subtlety and variety of people's experiences. Until some neuroscientist interested in therians/otherkin comes along and does a study, and then many more studies, no one can say there is one cause for all of us.
no subject
Is he saying that therianthropy can't be psychological? And that we're all stupid and should admit it's a spiritually-caused thing? Because that is kind of what it's coming off as, and on that I will call bullshit.
Also, no one (that I have seen) is claiming they know exactly what brain-thing is causing therianthropy. People have guesses, they have theories they like, but... that's about it. And since we have not been able to organize brain scans and medical studies yet, that is actually the best we can do for the moment. There have been experiences described that definitely sound like they might be related to neuro-atypical things to me, as an average person who has no more than a layman's knowledge of psychology. Still, I can observe; I can process information; I can say "Well, this looks a bit like that, doesn't it?" even if I can't prove it, I can speculate and say, "well, maybe that's what it is." It would be wrong for me to say, "That must be it! There it is for sure!" but guesses and theories aren't hurting people when they are phrased as such.
Anyway, it does seem raaaaaaather stupid to be saying, "You need medical validation," because trans* people still have their experiences before they are necessarily diagnosed with them. Those experiences still existed and such before being medically recognized, so what the hell is the point in saying that it doesn't exist until it's diagnosed? Speaking to the "trapped in the wrong body," thing, that isn't true for all trans* individuals. Hell, not all trans* people hate and are depressed by their assigned-gender-body - they just feel like the other would fit them better or the existing one is not quite right. Problems arise when people who only know the tip of the iceberg regarding trans* issues (for example, when people thing that "trapped in the wrong body" is the extend of it) compare otherkin experiences to trans* experiences on the whole, but then, the best thing would be to correct politely with educating, rather than jumping down people's throats anyway.
I'd conclude that in general, arguing about using the word "dysphoria" is unfair to the subtlety and variety of experiences that both therians/'kin and transpeople feel, and arguing about the cause of feeling nonhuman is one of the most foolish and ignorant arguments to have, exactly because of the subtlety and variety of people's experiences. Until some neuroscientist interested in therians/otherkin comes along and does a study, and then many more studies, no one can say there is one cause for all of us.