Freddy loved running. He had always been fast, ever since he’d started walking. In primary school he would run every carnival, and always took out first (except for that one year when his mum has yelled from the crowd and he choked, getting second instead). The bookcase in his room was packed full of trophies, almost as many as there were books, and they would glitter when the afternoon sun brushed past the curtains in winter.
Freddy lived in a small town on the outskirts of the state’s capital. A hundred years ago it was a pretty standard satellite farming community, with a healthy shearing economy. These days there’s probably around 10,000 people there, and it’s an hour’s drive to get all the way to the CBD. His family didn’t often go into the city, but he’d take the train in with friends sometimes to ogle the strange sights and wash in the many alien experiences it offered. It had changed a lot from the time he first saw it at age 7. He was now 17 and in his final year of school, and coming up to one of the most important sprints of his life. If he did well at this one, there was a clear path to competing on the national level, and from there he could even go beyond to the Commonwealth games or Olympics. This was the big one.
Then, Blessing entered his life. No, not a blessing from on high. Blessing was the name of a kid who moved over from Kenya with his parents. Blessing liked running as well. He hadn’t been particularly outstanding at his school in Africa, but the moment he hit the ground at school in Australia, everyone knew that there was about to be a regicide of King Freddy. It was a tense rivalry for two school terms, but the school coach was fascinated by the newcomer - Freddy suspected favouritism - and eventually Blessing took first place. It was decided that the school’s place in the final sprint would go to Blessing, the sprint which should have unlocked Freddy’s athletic career for life, his place in the Australian team, and his name in the history books.
Was it Freddy’s fault? No, not at all. He had been the best in his backyard for many years. Sure, it’s possible he wouldn’t have been the fastest in the country, but at least he could be a legend in his local community, maybe even the state. He took it seriously, he pushed himself as hard as he could for all his school years. What about the coach? It wasn’t even the coach’s fault really. He reacted the way a school teacher is expected to and treated his students equally. It wasn’t the coaches fault this Kenyan kid was just so damn fast. A liberal would tell you that it’s all about meritocracy and it’s only fair that the most talented rise to the top. But is what happened to Freddy in any way fair? A government policy made by people far away invited in some people from even further away and took away Freddy’s future.
This is exactly the same as the “trans athlete controversy” currently going on, this is what women are finally reaping in their sports leagues. For the last 5 years, men have been taking their places by claiming to be women. Nobody can realistically say anything. Is it worth your job? You can see that it’s a 6’2” bloke in a dress, you can see that the girls are uncomfortable, but there’s a dozen people lined up to take your job if you speak out, so really… is it worth your livelihood to say anything…? Society is pretty much decided on this one, or at least the media are, and there’s not much good to come from stepping out of line. Why be the guy that gets 15 minutes of the struggle session spotlight? I invite any liberal to tell us all how this is any more or less fair than non-Australians coming in and taking places on Australian sports teams. They’re Australian in the same way Hannah Mouncey or Lia Thomas are women, so go ahead and argue your point, but liberalism has already lost this battle.
Some on the right are kicking up a stink about trans athletes, but there are dozens of kids in our country who were denied their place on a sports team because someone blew in from overseas and through a combination of luck, talent, and outgroup preference they took the place of the local favourite. These same people then go on to get in the spotlight and cry about racism, while being successful millionaires and star athletes, who within one generation have been privileged over the natives. The outgroup selection bias is even getting to the point where I don’t think we’re simply seeing “the best” rise to the top regardless of their origin. Aussie kids are missing out, they’re being undercut by their own country, and sport is now more than ever just a matter of who can field the most specialised racial minority. We’re lucky that the worst to happen when speaking out about trans athletes is losing your job. Imagine speaking out about immigrants taking away the spotlight of natives. Some call this “racial supremacy” or nationalism or whatever, but shouldn’t you be supreme in your own nation? Would it not be deeply concerning for the Mongolians not to be treated above all others in Mongolia? If an African started running in the Olympics for Mongolia, would anyone just sit by and accept it as, oh well, that’s just international sports now, it’s not about representing your country or your community, it’s about getting whoever can win the medal.
What’s the difference between these images? You’re a bigot for noticing one, it’s punishable by law. Well, get ready to be a bigot for noticing the other too, also punishable by law.
Who knows, maybe the trans issue will open up a broader conversation about this, maybe more people will start to equate the two issues, and maybe the tide will start to roll back. But I have a feeling this isn’t a tide swinging in and out like a pendulum between reason and insanity, it’s more like a tsunami that’s going to wipe everything normal away and leave us all reeling in its wake. Once it reaches it’s zenith are we really going to continue splitting hairs about meritocracy? The time is fast approaching for people to band together in the most illiberal ways possible.