Basically also why Swedish barns are red. I presume those two stories and red barn origins are related.

That is an important point. But why it’s unpopular is that it’s not “feminism’s” job to do this. Feminism is a struggle to give women equal opportunities to men. They do not include race, poverty, and definitely not men’s issues in this.

To put it bluntly: It’s not women’s job to fix men.

Men’s loneliness crisis may have come about as a result of modern societal changes. Including equality for women. But it’s men who need to organise and fix that.

(And honestly- as someone who has moved around the western world - this seems uniquely American problem. European men have rich social lives. Even in the most feminist nations)

I think you’re close to understanding WHY then the trans community is such a stickler about pronouns

Let me give you an example that may further close the understanding loop for you.

I moved from US to Scandinavia. This place, despite being always described as heaven for the queer community … is, on the surface, entirely devoid of them. You hardly ever notice. There is hardly ever any discussion, politics, or fuss. You struggle to spot queer couples on the street. There just isn’t a loud community shouting about queer and trans issues on the street. When you spot queer or trans folks they are just people doing their daily life.

Why? Because they are not under attack. When a community is being attacked it becomes tighter, builds rituals and ways of living that identifies members of the group. It becomes louder and with a uniform voice on the political scene. Because the coordination and loudness is necessary for their political goals- of not being attacked.

(I guess groups not on the defensive but on the offensive would do the same. I guess you have to look at the goals to understand which is which.)

But here’s my point - in conditions where the trans community is treated with respect, they again become free to NOT make their life about bathrooms and pronouns.

And thus - I argue pronouns are such a hot topic because trans folks are being deliberately misgendred as an attack by their political opponents.

Science says we’re all blended into Homo Sapiens now.

But as a spouse to a biologist my understanding is there is no agreement in science what is a species. Defining species is more art than science and often political.

That said. In such cases, whether or not two communities are different sources i or just Su populations of one species - matters little in practical sense. It’s just naming exercise.

It’s not unusual. The joke is the political spectrum is a circle. You go far enough to the left - you meet the far right.

In the end both Bernie and Trump are populists (in both senses: offering solutions that people want and proposing simplified solutions that are unrealistic)

During Covid in Germany the anti vaccine protest coalition was made up of fascists and hippies.