I don’t worry about 99% of what the news reports as “important to know”, “what you should be afraid of” or “why you should be concerned”.
I live in North Carolina where there was a multiyear brouhaha on bathrooms for trans people. Until recently, I never even knew any trans people. I vaguely remember one cross-dressing man who used to shop at the computer store where I worked back in the 1990s. So that’s one person I’ve seen in my lifetime. I have a feeling that trans people using public bathrooms is a rarity because trans people are a rarity.
At my city swimming pool there’s a sign on the men’s locker room door that says, “Only girls under 5 years old are allowed to enter the Men’s locker room with their parent. If your child is over 5 and needs adult supervision, please use the private Family Restroom/Changing Room down the hall.” That seems like a fair, simple and straight forward solution to address any trans and non trans bathroom concerns.
The Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for two gay men went to the Supreme Court. This case has been in the news for years. Really?
I have heard the straw man and slippery slope arguments both for and against compelling the baker to make the cake. I would never sue someone to make food for me. What are the chances they’d spit in it, do a Fight Club in it, or just make it terrible on purpose? I mean, I’ve got to eat this later. There are plenty of other bakeries I could go to who want to serve me. I’m certain it’s the same for the gay couple.
Micro aggressions, subconscious racism, safe spaces, abortion rights, voting rights, wildfires, climate change, California’s recall election, impeachment, Afghanistan and critical race theory are all used as attack vectors and political posturing by both the democrats and republicans.
I believe there are individual actions we can take that are obvious and pragmatic to address some of these issues. Will it change them on a societal or global level. Nope? But we can impact them on a personal level.
Some of these issues, we can do nothing to impact personally.
Many of these issues don’t affect us personally at all. They’re just something to get mad about.
If we change our behaviors, eventually the government will catch up. If we wait for the government to issue edicts and enforce behavioral change, short of threatening punishment and violence, I think most people will go on with their lives acting the way they always have.