"Selling a product" is a metaphor I used to describe the act of convincing people you have something amazingly valuable to give to them that they can't get anywhere else. The "product" activist are trying to sell are the cure for bigotry and transphobia. The catch being that these are ideas and you can't cure an idea. Although if you convince enough people that you can get the truth doesn't matter. It's kind of like the vitamin c cold and flu supplements. Studies show little to no benefits in treating cold and flu but people are convinced they do so it's a 800 million dollar industry. The civil rights industry and increasingly the trans rights movement is the same. If they can convince enough people that they can rid the world of these ills no matter if they actual can or not they can rake in the dough from government programs, government grants, speaking engagements, corporate and private donors, media engagements, book deals, tenured professor jobs. The list is never ending. Look at the most prominent civil rights leader, Rev. Jessie Jackson. He has a net worth of 10 million. He didn't make that preaching in church.

@Shiosakai That clarifies your point for me. Thank you! I think I was taking the phrase "selling a product" too literally. (I'm often guilty of that!)

I think you're getting somewhere with the idea. I'll change my vote to "almost there."

i think selling an idea is more likely than selling the product here. the idealistic way of life. everyone is valid etc.

@ariellescarcella All products are just tangible ideas. Which is why I used the metaphor. One of the reason. The other reason is I thought it conveyed the imagery of a huckster convincing the emperor he's wearing magnificent golden robes when he's actually naked. Just like some of these activist hucksters that convince young girl to alter her body before their prefrontal cortex is fully developed. Also I thought it was cool. I'm a dork, people throw nickels at me, lots of social ostracizing but plenty of free nickels.

I been saying for years that Western culture is becoming a cult of happiness. Where we expect to be happy all the time and if you're not something is wrong but like every emotion it's fleeting. So we spend our time "chasing butterflies". Meaning were seeking out those moments and people who give us that happy, excited butterflies in the stomach feeling. No matter if that feeling is what we need to become a better version on ourselves which I think we all try to be. It's almost always the shitty shit shit in life that's makes us better, stronger people. I think these activists use that on young impressionable girls. I don't think they do it maliciously or purposely but it happens. When your a teenager you're not a kid and you're not an adult. You still have a one foot in childhood and still are given childhood protection but that limits you so you're not in control of your life and you're just entering the adult world and you don't really know how to exist in that world yet so that gives you a lot of anxiety and angst. Then you find something like transgenderism then you're praised and given support and acceptance. You've found the butterflies. And people will do crazy things to keep the feeling going. Especially girls for some reason. They Stay in a abusive relationship, take risks with their sexuality, They'll even self harm to keep the butterflies there and the anxiety away.

Sorry for the novel. I started an idea in the middle of writing this so most of this is half baked. I had more but I had to stop myself.

I have to disagree. The civil rights movement is just a cancerous. Black lives scammers supporters are shooting people in the streets because of the victim mentality fostered and endorsed by the movement. Not to mention the total destruction of the family structure in the black community from the policies they created. Which they use to gain more funding and political clout by calling it systemic racism. 99% of the problems in the black community can be traced to the psychological effects of growing up without a father. [psychologytoday.com]

@Shiosakai I see what you mean.... To be honest, I don't consider Black Lives Matter to be the same as the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was rooted in classical liberalism. It was well-organized, welcomed civil debate, and achieved meaningful social change. Black Lives Matter is based on identity politics, and uses the same insane tactics as TRAs. They are disorganized ideologues who have no end goals to improve society. They are power-hungry anarchists -- not civil rights activists.