just a reminder to kids who are 14,15,16 on this site, you are opening yourself up to a lot of groups who will try to radicalize you and most of the time it won’t be obvious. i’ve been studying radical groups for my poli sci degree for the past three years, and i still have trouble recognizing dog whistles sometimes. there’s a reason why a lot of terfs on this website are 15, and it’s so sad to see such young people filled with hate, so here are some things to look out for:
a person trying to radicalize you will always seem nice, approachable, and non-confrontational (at first). maybe you just followed their blog bc they like the same books as you, but then they start posting subtly terf-y ideology? but they seemed like such a nice person before so maybe it’s not what it seems? or maybe they’ll comment on a post that makes a trans person look out of control and the terf seem calm, collected, and in the right.
know the history of how people come to be radicalized so you can id dog whistles. for terfs, most of it comes from a) a woman is traumatized by a man so b) she develops an intense distrust of all men so c) she anchors her comfort in women are good and men are bad which leads to d) strict enforcement of gender roles in her mind and e) intense hatred for anything that steps out of that comfortable bubble she has created for herself. a lot of older terfs will find a young girl who fits part a and try to push her along to b, c, d, and e. of course, it can be more complicated than that, but it’s good to recognize how this kind of radicalization can apply to you.
if something makes you uncomfortable, walk away. block them, unfollow them, at the slightest thought of ‘this doesn’t seem right’ or ‘i don’t know if this is good’ - cut them out. it doesn’t matter if you’re mutuals or have been messaging and seem like ‘friends’, just take care of yourself first. additionally, don’t be afraid to not know something! if someone asks ‘how do you feel about ________’ or ‘don’t you think _____’, it’s far better to say ‘i’m not sure’ than jump to a conclusion on a topic you don’t understand fully. don’t be afraid to recognize a past opinion or view you had was wrong, don’t go looking to others for brownie points.
the only people i’ve seen who are vocal about being terfs are 15 year olds, and it’s so so disheartening to see and know how teenagers are targeted. you are not immune to radicalization. there are a million people who want to convince young people of their views, so please stay safe and take care of yourself.
