Artifact 7 - Social Constructs (or, 'What is A Woman, Really?') - Abigail Thorn, Philosophy Tube

While this video covers many interesting topics surrounding the formation and dissemination of social constructs, I found one part to be particularly interesting. In her conclusion section (around 19:35), she mentions how often the social ideas and constructions we use to justify important practical policies become valued primarily through their use as a rhetorical tool, however we will ascribe the values of the result to the rhetoric itself. That is to say, even though there is a reasonable justification that expression of homosexuality can occasionally be the result of socialization, we often reject the notion outright because it shakes the foundation of a large portion of the gay rights movement which posits the opposite. And we’re not wrong to be skeptical of it! Of course most of the time in modern discourse that someone believes that to be true it in not in a good-faith, gay rights supporting way, and that should be condemned. It can be hard to separate the well-meaning from the ill-meaning, simply because of the particular evolution of the rhetoric involved. I see this as a very pertinent example of what Gendered Lives discusses on page 30, with regards to the dynamic nature of communication. The rhetorical value and meanings of certain ideas is a fluid, ever-changing topic, and it’s fascinating how these sociopolitical ideas morph over time.