I want to delete this.

I was on the brink of scrapping this video. But I think it's important to put it out there. Even if it's a mistake.
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FIGHT FOR TOGETHER IS: Ben (DAD), Kami (MOM), Dove (20), Eden (19), Seven (17), Memory (15), Filia (10), Rainier (5)
Music by: The Green Orbs

[@tiffanysannicolas448]

Yes. Beware of individuals/cultures who dictate what you can think or say. Thank you for being a thinking/speaking young person.

[@carasonya]

When you said you should be able to share your opinion, you’re exactly right. Negative or neutral opinions are only being shut down on certain topics with negative or neutral opinions allowed and encouraged on other topics. Words like “dangerous” are overused for hurt feelings or making people uncomfortable. No one called for violence against anyone or even called anyone bad. Obviously people should never intentionally hurt someone else, but also people should be able to navigate uncomfortable feelings from everyday conversations and opinions. You are very reflective, and that’s great.. I hope you keep that and let others opinions of how you should see the world give you a lot to think about but not pressure you into being who you aren’t.

[@myfavoriteplanet3247]

Since there will always be people who will disagree: "Hike you own Hike". -2000 Miles Together. Just read the book, I can relate. It's just what I needed to read at this time.

[@discardedgranny9475]

Eden…You’re a DEEP & conscientious thinker. I appreciate your points of view. ❤️

[@GenXtothe7thPower]

40-50s women go through peri menopause/menopause, hormone imbalances. As far as not being allowed to have an opinion for whatever reason, that’s just silly. You’re right..it perpetuates a division, which can devolve into an us vs them mentality. Just one more way to divide people.

[@KaitsterSaysHello]

I think what Sam is trying to say is that 1. Trans people are murdered at much higher rates than Cis people. They also commit suicide at much higher rates and are much more likely to be homeless in adolescence. 2. When people with a platform, like Dave Chapelle turn them into a butt of a joke, it gives fuel to violent people who are transphobic into thinking that its okay to continue to hurt them and be violent toward them. Within our culture, making transphobic jokes promotes discrimination and keeps that kind of rhetoric part of our culture. It promotes trans self-hate as well. I really did not understand what transgender was until I became good friends with a transgender person (I didn't know it at the time). This helped me understand their life experience more and the bravery it takes for them to show up and be themselves. I also learned about gender dysphoria, which I recommend reading about if you never have before. I will stand up for trans people because they matter to me and so does their experience. It does not matter to me that I cannot understand it first hand. Its easy to think one way when we are surrounded by people who look like us and share similar experiences as us. That's how I was. My perspective changed through critical discussions and surrounding myself with people who thought differently. I do disagree with you, that being said I don't think you need to delete this video. Opinions change over time, mine certainly did. Regardless of your opinion, its most important you treat all humans with respect, have critical discussions and keep an open mind. It is possible to disagree and share respect for one another. And shutting down critical discussions is never helpful.

[@melissajordan8679]

Never a mistake to respectfully engage on this topic! On the one hand, I totally get why trans activists have described this kind of discourse as "debating about whether we actually exist, or have a right to exist." But since trans people have had to hide who they are for so long, it's also natural that the rest of us, who considered ourselves "normal," are like toddlers trying to make sense of the world....Ultimately, I'm always guided by what seems to be the most common-sensical approach -- Why not listen to the community itself? When it comes to Chappelle, they don't want him arrested or anything -- they just want it to be known that people should not get their information from HIM about something that's not his community.

[@shess1640]

I love Dave Chapelle…. It’s your life…. Why not feel free to express yourself?! I don’t think of you as a closed book and I love that you are doing exactly what one ought to do in life… Hey,,…I encourage you not to let the comments determine YOUR vlog. Just be you.

[@aingle4338]

Thank you for reading the comments. I really loved that you encouraged the right to express your opinion (even if it is an opinion contrary to many people). There are many people that would rather you blindly fall in line, agree to terms and conditions, and to simply comply because that is your duty. My fiancé and I are complete opposites politically, socially, you name it etc. We hold friendly debates often. We call each other out when we fail an argument, it is rather funny. Despite our differences, we are in love, and we're happy and lucky to have each other. You're right, having a forum (with all parties attending) to discuss opinion is vital and imperative. Progress and growth is built upon this foundation.

[@allenshiflett]

So glad you made this vlog and sharing your ideas in response to comments you received. 😀💜❤️

[@marysmyczynski3425]

We all have opinions on every single thing in this world. We all have a different perspective of everyone’s opinion. In some cases, it’s better to keep a mouth shut and let people wonder, than open it and let them know. I personally think that you have handled expressing your opinion in a very mature way.

[@fragilefleur]

I may not support what comes out of Dave’s mouth if it’s derogatory about a vulnerable sector but I applaud you on being honest snd open and exploring your reasons for enjoying this comedian and also love that it made you research what is the cause of deaths in the LGBT community. I think you are faced with some of it smack dab in your own house and grappling with both past and present feelings about religious idea confinement but also feeling like you don’t want your ideas or reactions to be confined by people saying this comic is not super savory with his words. I have had friends who are Trans and the fact of daily safety and prejudice is so severe that their lives are extremely confined and painful might help you understand what it’s like and why they may live in fear and also anger and oppression as a result of a common and past thought process that being trans means you are also somehow crazy or unsavory in some way. It’s really sad and very true that suicide is common but not just due to a discontent with themselves but the world being discontent with them. This makes for a world where you either live your truth and receive a mega ton of problems and rejection as well as danger and potential violence but you can also be rejected by your own family, be pushed into poverty vis rejection of people hiring someone who is openly trans etc. The fact is that there have always been people making jokes about vulnerable or populations who are less than the popular culture. It’s been happening for ages. But the reality is that making jokes about someone vulnerable is less positive ethically than creative humor that doesn’t touch the vulnerable but which uplifts them or at least can bring joy and laughter from daily life that doesn’t hurt another person’s feelings or make light of something personal. I am super glad that you are thinking out loud about this and for me even it made me question what makes ethically good comedy which is still sharp witted and pulls a full laugh. I come from the LGBT community and have met and heard of such painful struggle on the daily in people who have been so rejected by family that they live in the depths of depression and self doubt of their worth as a result. It’s not helpful for the comic to provide more reasons to laugh at and hate people who are different whether they are in the lgbt community or a non white man with more privilege and open doors. I love that you say that speaking your opinion is a good thing bc it opened my mind up more to think on this subject and also how to teach younger people how to stay curious and do research to learn. The best thing I can say is consider and read from many perspectives and figure out what seems to make common sense and what feels right to your gut feelings. Some of your gut and senses can be right and occasionally they might be wrong. We all learn and grow as I said and I’m 55 and still learning and growing. It’s true that open discussion, especially in a safe setting, can create more dialogue and exploration and eventually learning if people stay open minded. The topic is a great one and you could do a whole college research paper on why and how this comic is well received by some and Ill received by others. You can also speak on and research and do personal interviews from people kn the trans community on how they feel and why it’s harmful to them and what their daily life is like. Sorry my comments are so long but this topic is near and dear to my heart and though I am not trans I feel compassion and have seen the fallout from the rejection to this community one person at a time. You could do another video and research and interview people on how they feel and what in their experience has been closed off to them or if they have been hurt or felt bad being in the general public just living daily life. It would be interesting to hear from someone older and someone closer to your age who is also grappling with it as well as including your mom’s more non binary experience and how hard it was for her to actually open up and be her true self openly when she came out and how it is for her now. I also would love to hear how it is for you as her kid in working through accepting her, making changes in how you refer to her and see her as a person now. Has it changed your relationship? Has it made you have upset or confused feelings as well? It’s a great topic to continue exploring amidst your amazing other life events like covid and artist life, and trying to stay connected with your siblings while also doing things like the house project where you guys don’t always agree. I also love the topic of not wanting to be told who and how to be as a reaction to being under the church or religious teachings. You are right that we all do our best with what we have to work with and when we know better we do better. That’s all anyone can do. Loving learning is the best part of it all and with learning hard things you will also be exposed to amazing magical sweet and cool things in the world. Your heart is in the right place and it’s apparent.

[@kellypat125]

"You cant make everyone happy with this stuff" - exactly. I think you're handling this very maturely and I definitely think you have a right to have opinions about these issues and share them. Just try to keep it civil (which you do)

[@ellie_5276]

I applaud you for your ability to think critically and reflect, and to not be bullied in to conforming to what others want you to think. Strangely now it feels like the people that claim to be inclusive and tolerant, are often the least tolerant of differences in thought and feeling. Just be true to you. You’re awesome 👍

[@hudsonsailor54]

Opinions are just that, everyone has them. Facts are another matter. If a person develop opinions based on facts, so be it, opinions created on misinformation or lies can be dangerous.People have to be responsible for their speech and accept the consequences.

[@sparkes7293]

I really hate the "you're not trans so you can't have an opinion on it" argument. You don't need to sympathise to empathise and you don't need to be trans to know what's offensive, similarly you don't need to be a person of colour to understand what's racist. If people tell you otherwise, they're essentially saying you get a pass to be offensive to groups of people because they're saying you just don't know any better which is arguably more harmful. It's awesome that you have your own opinions and not adopt somebody else's, and if your opinions align with those who want your opinion to align with them, then great for them, you can consider yourself an ally to that group of people, if not, well too bad maybe another time if your opinions change. I'm an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, but I'm also a straight white male. There are genuinely people out there who belong in the LGBTQIA+ community who will tell me because I'm a straight white male that I'm not allowed to be an ally, but that one person doesn't represent the whole community and quite frankly they're a danger to their own cause if you ask me. Not like it matters, but for the record I bet there's many trans people who like Dave Chapelle

[@jenc-z6786]

You are a gift. Keep sharing and protect your heart. 💗

[@casrun1oleary410]

Two thoughts, I don't think we are responsible for how another person perceives the way we express our selves or how we communicate...the old " the one who is upset owns the problem" mentality. What we can do is listen to each other and try to understand how a person came to see things any given way. Second, I have always felt humour is...exploiting pain, your own and others, a way of dealing with pain, a way of changing fear/sadness into a more pleasant feeling and an attempt to make suffering more palatable, not necessarily a bad thing but definitely important to keep in context especially if you are being entertained by a comedian.

[@danieljcowan]

Hey Eden, is there a vlog where you or your dad talk about you taking over the vlog? I must have missed it. I’d love to hear how this transition happened. I really like what you’re doing!

[@danieljcowan]

Oh…lol. I just found it. From 11 days ago.

[@kellys6788]

Everything is offensive today.

[@lolsaXx]

Thank you for sharing.

[@jake2213b]

I would not put to much into what people comment about because so just want to get to you. I am a person who goes on his own way. If they don't agree with me than good for them. You have freedom to speak the way you feel as long you don't use a hate speech that can put a person in danger.

[@debvoltolina6143]

I would love to see you start your own channel that is just you !..

[@JWendt56]

Hey Edan please express yourself in your personal ways and thought. 50 percent of people are going to say your wrong, and the other 50 percent are going to say your right. Shit if you want start a book club style where you give us the viewer books that you have read or are reading that would be cool, J, they/ Them

[@allisonblair6254]

Bravo! You have a lot of emotional intelligence, keep up the great vlogs

[@jeffbee6090]

it's obvious you've spent a LOT of time thinking before making this video! .... it was actually quite enjoyable to hear you talk through your thoughts while recording live--

[@29028ft]

There's a difference between sharing an opinion, and amplifying an opinion. The ideal of sharing of opinions is really useful insofar as all the opinions can be heard somewhat equally (this is the basis of the "marketplace of ideas"). However, we don't have a society where all opinions are just as loud, or able to be heard at all. You can't ignore inequality and power dynamics when considering this. You may believe that everyone has a right to an opinion, and you may believe that everyone has the right to share that opinion. But, that doesn't therefore mean you have the right to have that opinion amplified, which then effectively drowns out others. To draw on a power dynamic you might be more familiar with: the pastor of a large church congregation has a might bigger metaphorical megaphone for their opinions than a member of the church. Both may share their opinions, but these aren't heard equally, and congregants are much more likely to internalize the opinion of the pastor - even if they wouldn't have held that opinion themselves - just because the pastor shared that opinion using their platform. Power structures are inherently setup to stop people from thinking for themselves, and take in the loudest opinion they here. And anyone with a large platform - including many celebrities - have a similar capability.

[@thrillcker68]

Thank you for your dedication to the Vlogs. I’m enjoying them. Thanks for just keeping it real. People have strong opinions don’t let it get to you. I believe in Christian kindness and letting god sort out the rest. Only god is qualified to judge.

[@ellie_5276]

A lot of people don’t appreciate that freedom of speech necessarily has to include the freedom to offend. Obviously that’s not an invitation to use your speech to be cruel or hateful to other people, but if you genuinely have an opinion and that opinion may upset a certain group of people, you have the right to share that opinion even if it offends. It is not your job to censor yourself so that everything you say is palatable and inoffensive to everyone. People in the west have forgotten how important truly free speech is, since they haven’t lived through a tyrannical authoritarian regime. But policing people’s language and thoughts so that a small minority of people feel comfortable, cannot be a good thing in the long term. It is tyranny disguised in “good intentions”. It is not your job to manage the emotional reactions of other people. Keep thinking and saying freely. You of all people show considerable self-reflection and therefore anything you say, I am sure is well considered.

[@RufanaDenmark]

I love your reflections on this topic. Trust your instinct and please don't let anyone dictate your opinions. David Chapelle said : “Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. This is a fact.” He went on to say that “trans women’s” genitalia are “not quite what it is”. I think he's absolutely right.

[@logan2113]

One of the things that dave fails to understand is that gender is something we have constructed socially. It has changed over time, and will continue to change. Even pronouns have changed over time to reflect our ideas of personhood. And most trans aren’t going to fight you on biological sex. Although the idea of sex being just your chromosomes is not fully correct either because there are many things that comprise sex. And those things often do differ in trans people… we understand that sex exists and even if you can change your life around to match your gender, there are facets of your biological sex that are never going to change. He just grandly oversimplified some thing that he doesn’t have a particularly good grasp of. And the people passing judgement on it also don’t really have a great grasp on it. Not all of the things he said are actually things that needed to be cancelled about or wrong. I don’t think that you can’t make jokes about the communities you’re not in as long as you get it right. As long as you don’t punch down. But he doesn’t seem to have a good enough understanding of the trans community and the trans experience to be able to articulate what he seems to want to. He ends up punching down, not all the time, but enough that it’s harmful. Even his comments about J. K. Rowling, he clearly does not understand what she was saying, and she does not understand what it takes for trans people to actually go through transitions. And so you have layer upon layer of that interpretation of the trans community and it adds up to damaging and blatantly incorrect comments.

[@RufanaDenmark]

@@logan2113 No communities or movements are above criticism. If an ideology is threatening the safety of women and girls in particular, we need to be able to address this openly. Saying that trans women are men is the truth. The vast majority of trans women haven’t even medically transitioned. Instead of “No debate”, “Terf” and “bigot”, we need to ask questions. Is it ethical to give dangerous drugs to children if statistics show that the vast majority will grow out of dysphoria? Shouldn’t we look into the reasons why there’s a 4000% increase over a decade of young girls in UK that wants to transition? Is irreversable hormone treatments and surgery the only option or should we look into other causes of dysphoria -like autism, trauma, homosexuality, mental disorders? What does it mean to be transgender? Is it gender dysphoria? Autogynaphilia? A random feeling? What is a woman? If a woman is nothing but a feeling, how can she oppose misogyny?If there’s no difference between men and women, why are women paid less? How do we adjust healthcare treatments to women? Why does it take women several years longer to become diagnosed? Gender Ideology is nothing more than religion.

[@logan2113]

@@RufanaDenmark literally we have the evidence that trans women are not a threat to children. Cisgender men might be a threat to children. But trans people just wanna live their lives. We also do not give dangerous drugs to children. At worst we block puberty and when they are in adult they are allowed to make their own choices. But we don’t transition kids. That’s not how it works and it’s not legal. Protecting children, and again we have evidence for this, is the same as protecting trans people

[@RufanaDenmark]

​@@logan2113 There are plenty of cases in which self-identifying men have been a threat to women. Men do not magically become less of a threat to women and children just because they claim to be women. This is incredibly naive -especially considering that a lot of these men are Autogynephiles.

[@RufanaDenmark]

​@@logan2113 In some cases teenagers are given cross sex hormones. In UK, teenagers from the age of 16 who've been on hormone blockers for at least 12 months may be given cross-sex hormones. I've heard of quite a few cases in which teenagers are purchasing cross sex hormones illegally. I don't believe in terms like "Born in the wrong body" -I think we should look into what is causing the distress. Puberty blockers have loads of side effects too.

[@GenXtothe7thPower]

Cute overalls!

[@marcylandon5872]

Love your hair

[@toddlucas1550]

Interdum comoedia truculenta et taetra esse potest.

[@brandyleigh3635]

Have you heard of demand resistance? Do you identify with it?

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

Is it finally about flat earth? I saw a flat water "level" in the thumbnail. Time to do another 180 back to Christianity? #biblesaysflatearth #alsoitsreallyflat #ichecked

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

The bible is clear about what it means to be a man and a woman, so how can you glorify your creator if you claim the truth is the opposite. That glorifies the god of evolution and chance. Is it really true that nothingness created you? Science has never shown that life can come from non-life. It's only a belief that it did.

[@logan2113]

Curiosity, genuine curiosity, if the argument against evolution is that we do not have an exact answer on how life evolved from non-life. How did God come to exist? We also do have evidence and explanations of how life came from non-life. For my friends who are religious it is the explanation of gods work, for my atheist friends it is evidence against God. But tho we do not have the exact answer or definitive proof, we actually do have a pretty good idea how it all happened!

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

@@logan2113 Something has to have always existed because if not, then what created the first thing? You need a First Cause.

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

For your religious friends, if they believe the world, then they don't believe the bible. They have just added God back in as an afterthought to deceive themselves about their own beliefs. No one was there when life first came into being. You don't know that it was amino acids coming together or whatever they say. We really don't know. All we have are bits and pieces of things and man just tries to put together a story without God being part of it. (That's essential, that God is never a part of the story). The gospel is that we have eternal life by believing God ultimately, a real belief that shows itself through how we act because it's genuine. Real faith is not something we can will into being. I was a Catholic who always struggled with the existence of God just like you. My faith wasn't real, but I tried to force myself to believe. But that kind of faith isn't going to get you to heaven I don't think. Flat earth made me realize what reality really was and that God really did create us. (Although looking back, the incredible complexity of life should have been obvious to me, but only in hindsight, so I get it). Rob Skiba and DITRH are youtube channels that you can use to begin thinking about flat earth. You can also look into archeology that proves the bible, and a youtube channel that I think is fascinating is by John Kostik who shows how incredible the Hebrew is in the old testament. This could help prove to you that it's from God. Good luck in your search for truth! Always seek the truth because Jesus IS the Truth. Don't shy away from challenging things because of what you want to be true. If it's true, it will show itself to be true the more you dig, and what we want is the truth, no matter what it is.

[@logan2113]

@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr somehow I missed that you think the earth is flat. Also very insulting to my friends to just say that they add God in as an afterthought. While there must be a first thing, I am no more convinced that it is God from your answer. But nonetheless I appreciate you taking the time to reply earnestly.

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

@@logan2113 How can they believe the bible if that's not what the bible says and it tells a different story? That's cognitive dissonance and doublethink to try to convince yourself that you can simultaneously believe 2 conflicting things, and it's not reality. Most people try to live like this by not reading the bible often, then you can more easily convince yourself that you can believe both. But no, you can't. Maybe they believe in A god, but not the God of the bible? No Jesus then. There are people like that, maybe that's them. To me, when I realized we must have a creator (complexity and design of life, also flat earth) then it made sense to me that he might have something to say to us. Also Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by many. That's supernatural, and he affirmed the old testament. You could look into the historical evidence for the resurrection. If you prove that one piece, the rest falls into place. There are 4 gospels, which is the same story retold by 4 independent people. If there was any other event in history with preserved independent accounts of it, historians would think it happened! But the bible is exempt as never being true, like it's own category. How about you treat them as historical documents, which they are, and see how they stand up? Jesus' own brothers, who at first didn't believe him, came to be believers. Do most people's brothers end up worshipping their sibling as the messiah? Unlikely unless it was really true. Another thing that really struck me was how absolutely opposite the world tries to be from the bible. It sounds weird, but seeing Satan's work in the world helped prove the bible for me. Why is the world pushing transgenderism so hard? No money in it. This is what I see, do you see it too?: 1 John 5:19 ...the whole world is under the control of the evil one.