At the outset I want to stress I am not defending people with that response. Everyone needs to take on concepts that matter.
However, I'd suggest one you missed out is "the shock of the new". To most people not already interested in gender politics (I'm not at all sure I like the use of the word "politics" here - it besmirches) it's a new concept, one they had not thought of before. I am not ever even going to try to explain it to my 88-year-old mother, for example. It challenges their habits of thought in a very direct way - and few people actually like that. Many academics do, but they are a tiny minority.
Moreover, a heck of a lot of people either know no transpeople or don't know that they do. They have arthritic thought-patterns when it comes to issues of gender identity, and find it hard to move beyond the drag queen concept. I linked to something on FB the other day, and commented that I knew about six transpeople (a bit of a stretch really, as one I've only met a couple of times and two are online friends exclusively.) My friend Rob, an avid campaigner against all forms of discrimination, was surprised and impressed that I knew so many.
In that context, neophobia tends to come into play. A person already unsettled may lash out at the one element they feel it's not uncool to attack - this is particularly likely to happen amongst people who see themselves as generally pretty enlightened.
As for the fact that you generally find this reaction amongst women, that's not so hard. The fact of growing up female makes one aware of the existence of privilege - but also the habit of feeling oneself excluded from the privileged group. The term "cis" explicitly (and, actually, appropriately) draws attention to their own level of privilege. Even if they are a member of half a dozen "minority" groups, this term places them firmly in a privileged and, by implication, oppressive group. No wonder they react badly.
Thirty years ago I might well have had some of those reactions. I have tried to learn and extend my understanding. It's a partial and ongoing work. Many people, perhaps most, have been less fortunate than me in terms of the people they have met who have been ready to share and explain. All one can do is hope that they will learn to accept that they have no control over most of their world and that we all need to check our privilege.
no subject
However, I'd suggest one you missed out is "the shock of the new". To most people not already interested in gender politics (I'm not at all sure I like the use of the word "politics" here - it besmirches) it's a new concept, one they had not thought of before. I am not ever even going to try to explain it to my 88-year-old mother, for example. It challenges their habits of thought in a very direct way - and few people actually like that. Many academics do, but they are a tiny minority.
Moreover, a heck of a lot of people either know no transpeople or don't know that they do. They have arthritic thought-patterns when it comes to issues of gender identity, and find it hard to move beyond the drag queen concept. I linked to something on FB the other day, and commented that I knew about six transpeople (a bit of a stretch really, as one I've only met a couple of times and two are online friends exclusively.) My friend Rob, an avid campaigner against all forms of discrimination, was surprised and impressed that I knew so many.
In that context, neophobia tends to come into play. A person already unsettled may lash out at the one element they feel it's not uncool to attack - this is particularly likely to happen amongst people who see themselves as generally pretty enlightened.
As for the fact that you generally find this reaction amongst women, that's not so hard. The fact of growing up female makes one aware of the existence of privilege - but also the habit of feeling oneself excluded from the privileged group. The term "cis" explicitly (and, actually, appropriately) draws attention to their own level of privilege. Even if they are a member of half a dozen "minority" groups, this term places them firmly in a privileged and, by implication, oppressive group. No wonder they react badly.
Thirty years ago I might well have had some of those reactions. I have tried to learn and extend my understanding. It's a partial and ongoing work. Many people, perhaps most, have been less fortunate than me in terms of the people they have met who have been ready to share and explain. All one can do is hope that they will learn to accept that they have no control over most of their world and that we all need to check our privilege.
My gawd, I sound sanctimonious. Sorry about that.