From Caitlyn Jenner to Australia Day: Social Justice Warriors really need to be More Practical.

The recent decision by reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner to cover Dude Looks Like A Lady has caused outrage among online social justice warriors (SJWs). The song, interpreted as transphobic by some, has always been controversial. Yet the fact that it is Caitlyn Jenner, a transwoman, who has decided to cover it, should logically mean there is no need for outrage this time. Several queer commentators have also said that people who get outraged over this are simply too easily triggered and lack humour. As with everything, it's the context that's matter. Furthermore, stirring controversy in this way would likely reduce public sympathy to trans rights. As always, SJWs are often too quickly to jump at apparent injustice, without looking at the context and consequences.

Meanwhile, half the world away in Australia, there is increasing controversy over Australia Day (sort of equivalent to the fourth of July in America), because it commemorates the day of the arrival of the British and hence represents a day of invasion for some people. Two city councils have decided that they will not be celebrating Australia Day next January. The Australian federal government has responded by revoking the councils' power to conduct citizenship ceremony. As expected, Australian SJWs are getting really upset over all this. However, all this is sort of meaningless anyway. Two councils can't change the date of Australia day. A national referendum would likely be needed. And there won't be the numbers to win the referendum if one was held. In addition, the fact that neither the government nor the Labor opposition (the Democrats' counterpart in Australia) support changing the date means that there won't be prospect of anything happening anytime soon.

Real injustice is happening every day out there. There are people everywhere who would benefit from practical change. Focusing on symbolic fights that ultimately get us nowhere only distracts us from the fights that really matter.

Diversity in Hollywood remains poor. What should we do?

A recent study by USC has showed that representation of women, ethnic minorities and LGBTI people in Hollywood remains stuck at about the same level as 2007. Clearly more needs to be done.

But what can be done?

It would really not be meaningful to just add a few more token characters here and there. This may fill the quota, but will really add nothing to our cultural consciousness. It's like how affirmative action programs often make things better on paper without making things better in reality.

I suggest that we should all help encourage more diverse voices and perspectives to enter the mainstream consciousness. Since many movies are based on written text, perhaps we should start there. Putting it in market terms, there's both a supply side issue, i.e. minorities often aren't as encouraged to write about their experiences as much, and a demand side issue, i.e. minorities' work don't get read as much, and don't often get widespread mainstream attention. The demand side issue is especially one that we can all help to fix, I believe.

Ina Garten loves to cook to Taylor Swift. Who would have thought?

Celebrity chef Ina Garten has revealed that her favourite music to cook to is Taylor Swift's most recent album 1989.

Who would have thought?

I mean, the album is nice, but I never even thought of it as music for cooking. But then, I don't cook either, so perhaps I wouldn't understand.

Will Donald Trump finally listen to Jackie Evancho now? (It actually doesn't matter that much.)

Donald Trump's inauguration singer Jackie Evancho has been waiting to meet the president for some time, to talk about trans rights. (For those who haven't been following this story, Evancho's sister Juliet is trans.) So far, Trump has not yet answered her request.

Now Jackie Evancho will instead take her message to the platform of television. An TLC special about her family will air across the US on 9 August.

This means Donald Trump finally has a chance to listen. But will he? Perhaps it really is a bit too optimistic to even wish that he will.

But that won't matter too much, because millions of Americans will be listening. In the end, personal stories are what can change people's minds, not a president's actions.

Real change is always bottom-up, and change is always won by convincing real, everyday people out there. The politics is not unimportant, but way, way more secondary. Perhaps we should all remember this, especially in the face of politicians like Trump.