What I mean by “Rights,” what I mean by “Woman,” what I mean by “Equality,” needs to be the same as what you understand by “Rights,” “Woman,” and “Equality.” We cannot willy-nilly redefine common words in order to weigh the debate in our favor. Only then can rational discussion and meaningful progress be made to advance the safety and prosperity of all Americans. After all, isn’t that our main desire? To live in safety and to prosper in all that we choose to do?
Let’s delve a little more deeply into “Rights,” for example. When I say “rights” I mean the rights afforded to us by our Declaration of Independence (the God-given rights that the government cannot bestow or take away), as well as the rights granted to each individual by the Grand Contract between the people and the government that is known as The Constitution of the United States. The additional rights I mean when I say “rights” are those extra granted immunities or individual powers that are granted by our respective State constitutions.
For example, we have a “right” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We don’t have a “right” to murder. We have a “right” to trial by jury for a criminal offense. We don’t have a “right” to threaten judges at their homes for a decision we don’t like. Why don’t we have that right? Because they also have rights. And where our rights would impede on their enjoyment of their rights, our rights end. And we would have it that way, wouldn’t you? Because otherwise, someone stronger or meaner or more powerful would be able to step on all your rights without your being able to stop them. Doesn’t that make sense?
What I mean by “equality” is not what you mean by “equity.” These are not the same things. Look them up in a dictionary, and don’t let some used-car salesman try to tell you that you want to be treated with equity. You and I both want or do not want to be treated with equality. That is a proper debate question. Let’s not change a word to make the debate complete nonsense, and let’s not conflate equality with equity. If there is a reason to debate equity, then let’s do so, without thinking it means equality.
What I mean by “woman” is a human being whose body is physically endowed with female reproductive parts and who has reached an age past that of childhood and who has had these female reproductive parts since birth. Someone who wants to spiritually live and mentally think and physically talk and walk like a woman is not a woman according to the colloquial definition, which should be common, or acceptable to all. Just because you want to rename a cumulonimbus cloud “cotton candy” does not make it cotton candy, though it may resemble it. The common meaning of words must remain common, or you will cease to have a language.
The purpose of language is to communicate. And if I use words with which you are unfamiliar, then I am not communicating to you. I may see myself as winning the whole debate, but what did I really win if you understood nothing I said? How can I convince you if I do not at least establish a commonality of language in order to communicate with you my reasons, my logic, my conclusions?
And wouldn’t you be selling your own ideas short if they cannot withstand honest scrutiny? I would think you would be grateful to be corrected in some matter, especially serious matters, so that you could avoid some hardship or another. And that’s just on a small matter. What about the National Debate?
On the National Debate stage, we all should communicate effectively with words that all mean the same thing to us — not to insist on our own way, but to arrive at the best possible answer that benefits to the greatest extent most of the people without trampling on the rights of the individual. When you trample on the rights of others with impunity (meaning you do it without being held accountable or punished for doing so) — when you trample on the rights of others with impunity you set a dangerous precedent for you yourself to be trampled on. If we’re all equal, then someone should be able to treat you awful with impunity as well.
But some people are inventing identities in order to become more than equal. I recently heard a story about a group of high school students who demanded “Prince/Princess” to be their personal pronouns, claiming they were all descendants of African royalty. They dropped their demands when just one white student then demanded to have them call him by his chosen pronoun: “Master.” Do you see how absurd all this pronoun stuff is?
“I identify as _____” fill in the blank. Identifying as something might fill your ego, but it doesn’t make it true. Don’t you think that anyone would like to identify as a young rich and successful royal prince/princess? But alas, identifying as that is merely a wish (for all except those who might actually be young, rich, successful and a royal heir!).
Can we stop with that type of nonsense, then? It doesn’t matter if you’re on the left or on the right, whether you’re a liberal, libertarian, conservative, or “other.” What matters is that we all speak the same language and stop inventing words to try to tip the balance. If your ideas are wholesome and good for society, bullet point the merits of your ideas, and we might be convinced. If your ideas aren’t, and perhaps there are more negative points than positive ones, then perhaps you might be best served to abandon those ideas.
We must come together in a common language so that we can COMMUNICATE with each other. We don’t need to be angry with each other. We don’t need to shout each other down. Let each State do as its majority of people wills. And if that does not fit with your ideas, then improve your debating skills and some meritorious bullet points for your idea — or just move to another State that is more akin to your ideology, even if that means moving out of country.
Finally, we should understand that changing our country to make it evolve is fine, as long as everyone’s rights are preserved and no one gets less rights because of it. But destroying our country should be the farthest thing from your intent, no matter what political party you follow or advocate. You don’t shit in your own backyard, right? Well, your country is where you live. You and I should all have its best interests as our intent, because we don’t want to destroy where we live. We don’t want to worsen our quality of life. We want it better and better, not only for ourselves, but for our children.
Please, let’s stop destroying our Nation, and work together with honest debate, to make it better.
