What Is the Acceptable Number of Unacceptable Things? Zero.

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When arguing matters of public policy, it’s often appropriate to determine an acceptable level of certain outcomes. An action like raising interest rates may have some positive effect on quashing inflation, but it may also, on the margin, result in an increase in mortgage interest, making it more difficult for people—especially young people starting out—to buy a home. Part of that discussion then becomes, “What is the acceptable level of people who will not be able to afford a home because of this increase in interest rates?” That discussion should then be part of the debate.

Some issues, though, don’t fit into this mold. In some matters, the only acceptable answer to “What is the acceptable level…” is “Zero.” But there are, nonetheless, those who will try to play a numbers game when discussing and debating these issues.

One such debate involves the transgender issue. There are two aspects to this: The invasion of men into women’s private spaces, such as restrooms, locker rooms, and showers, and the invasion of men and boys into women’s and girl’s sports leagues. The questions to be asked here begin with “What is the acceptable number of men to be allowed in women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and showers?” The answer is “Zero.” Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a self-described rape survivor, is fighting this issue in Congress even as I write these words. Now, some might object, pointing out that a convincing “dude looks like a lady” could walk into a restroom, go into the booth, close the door, and do his business with nobody the wiser. But this issue has gone beyond incidents like this, and Congresswoman Mace has received death threats due to her activism on this issue. The question here is “What is the acceptable number of men to use women’s locker rooms and showers?” The only acceptable answer is “Zero.”

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But a more serious matter is the invasion of men and boys into women’s and girl’s sports leagues. The left in particular argues that this doesn’t happen often; they argue that the number of “transgender women” competing, unfairly, against actual women is low, and therefore we shouldn’t worry. But the question isn’t a matter of quantity; it is a matter of fairness and safety. As we have discussed many times, “identity” cannot preclude biology, and the practice of allowing boys and men to compete on teams formed for girls and women is hideously unfair. So the question becomes “What is the acceptable number of girls to lose awards, titles, and college scholarships to boys? What is the acceptable number of girls and women to suffer permanent injury due to a stronger, faster boy or man being on an opposing team?” These things have happened, and to both of these questions, the only acceptable answer is “Zero.”

Today, though, on this chilly Wednesday, we are served a stark reminder of one of the most egregious cases of this argument-by-number. On the topic of illegal immigration, the left, again, argues that “illegal aliens commit crimes at lower levels than natural-born Americans,” which is false on the face of it since the very first act these people have committed on entering our country is to break our immigration laws. That’s not the question, though. The question has to do with illegal aliens who commit serious crimes. Today’s stark reminder of this comes from the conviction of Laken Riley’s murderer.

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The question in this case is obvious: “What is the acceptable number of young women to be raped and murdered by illegal aliens who, were our immigration laws being properly enforced, would not have been in the country in the first place?” The only possible answer to that is “Zero.”

Any attempt by the left to obfuscate this issue by playing a nonsensical numbers game should – nay, must be called out immediately. Asking these questions is one way to do that. And answers must be demanded, because to all of these things, the only possible answer is “Zero,” and any attempt to slide away from that reveals the obfuscation. The left must not be allowed to play this numbers game any longer; some things are a matter of principle, and the only acceptable answer is a binary one; something is either acceptable in and of itself, or it is not. None of the things described here are acceptable. That is the only possible answer to these debates.

The only acceptable answer is “Zero.”