Drag Shows!!

[bruto]

Things seem to be getting so scattered I have trouble following it all, but I have a couple of random thoughts.

If an attempt to overthrow an elected leader, depose those who support him, and install an unelected one is not an attempted coup, I'm not sure what is.

I've seen little if any evidence that non-library drag shows are a menace to children, or that the move against them has anything really to do with children.

I think many of the questions kids ask about diverse characters may not be those the parents fear. The children I've actually known, and been a parent to, had a pretty good grasp of what was going on around them, and a pretty good sense of when they were being lied to also, but had little interest in the gory details of adult behavior. I think a lot of parents get uptight about things that embarrass them more than they embarrass the kids, who are likely to say "oh yeah, that..." way earlier than you might expect. My kids did go to the occasional story hour, but I don't recall that they ever paid much attention to the readers.

That said, I am not entirely sure I'd have cared for my kids to go to a drag queen story hour, and the cure for that is, of course, not to take them, and if one feels it's something no kid should go to, to tell the library so. It's their judgment, and so far I have seen no evidence that more action than that is needed, and certainly no evidence that some elected gallery of elected snotgobblers would do it better.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

.... I just want the children to be required to have a parent or legal guardian with them, so they can help the child understand mature themes. In other words, help them separate fantasy from reality.

And that's up to you why?

You want a law? Some kind of restriction such as is done for movies? Or is this just an opinion—if it were up to you?

With movies there is a system of identifying which movies require which ratings. Are you suggesting something similar?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Okay, that's fair. It also rhymes with the gay panic of the 80s where a Boy Scout molestation led to the barring of any gay Scout Masters (even though it wasn't a gay Scout Master who committed the crime).

This still feels like a hasty generalization.

One person—yep, a generalization.

We could do the same for Congress, plenty of examples there we could paint the whole group with. And what about the Catholic church? Shut those buggers down, I say.

 

[Stacyhs]

Can anyone give an example of a child actually being harmed by attending a Drag Queen Story Hour?

This outrage we see from some of our members reminds me of the pre-school satan worship- child sexual abuse scare from the 1980's. All hysterics over something that never happened.

It's the right-wing "Libtard Pushed 'Think of the Children!' Thing to be Outraged About" du jour.

 

[plague311]

Jesus Christ, man. A check insures that there are no big surprises that you haven't disclosed, like for example, a child rapist who is not permitted to work around children. I mean, God damn, dude.

But there was a big surprise I didn't disclose, I'm a convicted felon. God damn, dude. Would you not call that a surprise?

You have described your convictions before. Irrelevant pissant stuff in terms of being a potential hacker or security threat or whatever.

What a background check would be looking for in your case would be an undisclosed gig like a criminal conviction for IT crimes, not fighting with your wife.

Fighting with my wife? That's one of the things I don't have a conviction for, actually.

The recent child rapist would not have shown up? I give up man.

Maybe I read it wrong, but I seem to remember his charges were from '06 and he was reading in '18? That's like a 10-12 year difference. What do you consider "recent"? I'd give up too.

 

[Thermal]

But there was a big surprise I didn't disclose, I'm a convicted felon. God damn, dude. Would you not call that a surprise?

Not a consequential one, it seems.

Fighting with my wife? That's one of the things I don't have a conviction for, actually.

My bad, then. It was for something trivial. I forget what exactly. And it doesn't matter.

Maybe I read it wrong, but I seem to remember his charges were from '06 and he was reading in '18? That's like a 10-12 year difference. What do you consider "recent"? I'd give up too.

Yes, when the argument degenerates to bickering about whether "recent" is the appropriate descriptor, giving up is surely the prudent move.

You win. Well done.

 

[arthwollipot]

"Aaaaaaaaacksssshuaaaaaalllyyyyyy not all kangaroos are marsupials!" Would that be on topic?

Aaaaaaaaacksssshuaaaaaalllyyyyyy if you'd said "not all marsupials are kangaroos", you might have a point. As it is, you do not.

 

[arthwollipot]

Snopes confirms the accuracy of the claim that a drag performer was on the sex offenders' list

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/drag-queen-library-convicted/

Giving one example out of thousands of drag performers across the world.

I don't know what WWBDD's profession is, but if I scoured the internet I bet I could find someone of that profession who was also a sex offender.

 

[arthwollipot]

Seems the guy was not a drag queen either. S/he claims to be a trans woman. If a woman, can a woman dress in drag as a woman? Seems she'd have to be in guy clothes. Or is the "drag" thing not really important?

A woman who wears the clothes usually associated with another gender for the purposes of performance is called a drag king.

Not surprised you didn't know that.

 

[arthwollipot]

Dude, everything is going over your head today.

Darat said such checks are not routinely persued over there. You and I are both checked here. Checked does not mean failed and denied. On this side of the pond, ya word is not enough.

In my world you need to get a check if you're working with children, but not if you're just existing near them.

 

[arthwollipot]

Also for some reason I'm being reminded of this. Don't know why.

 

[Emily's Cat]

Really? I'm always astonished at the level of intrusion into a person's personal life we will accept. Over here there is an obligation to provide details of any criminal convictions you may have (with a load of exceptions) but required background checks are only on a "as strictly needed" base.

Criminal background checks in the US are pretty commonplace for a ton of jobs. For example, almost any position dealing with financial reporting or assessment will require a background check to screen for financial crimes. Any position that routinely interacts with children is supposed to do a background check to screen for crimes against children.

Every position I've held in an actuarial capacity - even my internship - involved a background check due to the nature of the work and the responsibility expected. Every position I've held as a fellow has included an additional check on my accreditation status.

 

[Emily's Cat]

That would be so much dumber. "Guys guys guys: let's get a man to dress up as a woman to *jazz hands* fool the children into thinking some lady was reading to them! Huh? Huh? Genius or what? True, it will cost more to get a paid drag queen in here than to just have Marcia the librarian dress up, but come on! We can market it as a Drag Queen Story Hour that the kids won't know features a drag queen!"

"Guys guys guys: let's get a male to dress up as a caricature of a female to *jazz hands* instill the notion that females are funny characters to be laughed at and mocked by males.

 

[Emily's Cat]

I am a convicted felon (twice), have multiple misdemeanors, and I passed a background test to work for the city no problem. I work on secured, classified networks for the fire, police, etc. without any issue at all.

Do your felonies have any relation at all to network security? Are they felonies for say, hacking or other cyber crimes?

 

[Thermal]

A woman who wears the clothes usually associated with another gender for the purposes of performance is called a drag king.

Not surprised you didn't know that.

Oddly, I did know that. But it kind of doesn't mean anything, because a woman wearing men's clothes is...kind of like many women you see at the store and stuff. Not a big crowd draw.

But that's not what we are talking about. This felonious performer was dressed as a woman. And apparently was a woman, if self-identification is real. So she wasn't in drag, king or queen. She was just a woman. I'd be demanding my money back if I ordered a man dressed as a woman and got a woman dressed as a woman. Especially if she called herself a Drag King. Don't you have truth in advertising laws in 'Straya?

 

[arthwollipot]

But that's not what we are talking about. This felonious performer was dressed as a woman. And apparently was a woman, if self-identification is real. So she wasn't in drag, king or queen. She was just a woman. I'd be demanding my .oney back if I ordered a man dressed as a woman and got a woman dressed as a woman. Especially if she called herself a Drag King. Don't you have truth in advertising laws in 'Straya?

Then why are you presenting her as an example of a drag queen gone bad?

 

[Stacyhs]

Can anyone give an example of a child actually being harmed by attending a Drag Queen Story Hour? This outrage we see from some of our members reminds me of the pre-school satan worship- child sexual abuse scare from the 1980's. All hysterics over something that never happened.

It's the right-wing "Libtard Pushed 'Think of the Children!' Thing to be Outraged About" du jour.

How about it? Thermal? WWBDD? Emily's Cat? Anyone?

 

[Thermal]

Then why are you presenting her as an example of a drag queen gone bad?

I'm pretty 100% positive that I have not. I'm presenting them as a *checks notes* convicted child rapist that says they are a woman and then shows up claiming to be a man dressed as a woman to read stories to children.

 

[Thermal]

How about it? Thermal? WWBDD? Emily's Cat? Anyone?

Please pay more attention to the arguments. I, for example, am not claiming anyone is hurt or might be.

Although I propose a long term study of boys attending these shows who grow up to have profound trust issues with women, fearing they might unexpectedly whip out a schlong in a moment of intimacy.

That is a joke, btw. Please don't call for the fainting couch.

 

[arthwollipot]

I'm pretty 100% positive that I have not. I'm presenting them a *checks notes* convicted child rapist that says they are a woman and then shows up claiming to be a man dressed as a woman to read stories to children.

Okay, and...?