>> -----Original Message----- >> From: S. Isaac Dealey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 12:14 PM >> To: CF-Community >> Subject: RE: Being Gay: Nature or Nurture? >> >> > In short I really wouldn't surprised if, at the genetic >> > level, there's a very fine (and pretty damn malleable) >> > line between "straight" and "gay". >> >> There can't be... because some of us aren't straight or >> gay. :)
> Well... anything can be done half-assed. Even the utterly > simple process of gender preference. Besides... we all > know you bi-sexuals are just plain greedy. ;^) See, there you go with the stereotypes. :P >> I suspect more often than not a persons sexual preference >> / identity >> is not dominated by a genetic drive but rather the result >> of having an >> "in-between" genetic predilection which is then >> aculturated to become >> whatever that person's experiences lead them to become. >> Which would >> leave the number of people who simply never think about >> or get aroused >> by one gender or the other as being the minority of >> common but aberant > Maybe... but I'm not so sure. There have been studies > attempting to "laterally" show such a subconscious > apathy but I've not heard of any that worked. Yep, me neither. The ones I've heard or read about have always been flawed in some significant way that makes the findings worthless. > For example during a "phony" study on some other topic > (cognitive function, > response time, etc) people would be exposed to hotties > (for example the > person might be told to respond with the color of the > pictured object and > the picture might be a red beach ball with bikini babes > unobtrusively in the > background). > The idea, of course, is to measure subconscious arousal to > stimuli without > social filters kicking in. Yeah, except subconscious arousal is likely to be influenced by social filters. Of course, it's just as likely that it's not influenced by them, but I'm not happy simply deciding that one half of a 50/50 proposition is the correct one. > There is a definite challenge to be made that perhaps > social filters > themselves are subconscious and can't be "stopped" but > that's not been the > case in other studies (for example food studies). I doubt that food studdies could be used to prove that point one way or the other. Primarily because nobody's told me (yet) that I'm a sick, evil fuck and I'm going to burn in hell because I eat sushi. Although there is social influence in dietary choices, I just don't think those influences are strong enough to impact us subconsciously. Now, if someone told me as a child that I was going to burn in hell for eating chocolate, I'll bet I'd have struggled with it. > I'm not saying that it's wrong (I don't know) but I'd be > interested in > studies or even ideas for studies that could show it. I'm skeptical that those will come about. Not opposed to the idea, just not holding my breath. > At the same (as I've said in this thread) people are > wonderfully complex > animals with brains perhaps too large for their own good. > I'm confident > that the human mind can subsume, whether by choice or > subconsciously, pretty > much any biological drive. >> I've read several articles from bisexual men in >> particular talking >> about how they can't express their interest in women >> without being >> ridiculed by their peers. I know the women in the "pink >> mafia" tend to >> be very similar. One lesbian couple in Florida stopped >> talking to Tiff >> after expressing an interest in developing a relationship >> with her >> because she _suggested_ that they _meet_ (not fuck) me >> for 5 minutes >> at a coffee shop since I'm her transportation. They told >> her she >> obviously didn't understand women's issues and >> subsequently stopped >> answering any of her emails. > Jeeze... you hand out with some fucked up people. ;^) Or apparently not, since we obviously don't understand women's issues. :P > My experience has been the opposite. I've not met the > militant homosexuals as you've described. Maybe it's > different in NY. ;^) Granted that every environment is different. Point of order, however, that you are a heterosexual man, living in a monogamous relationship with a heterosexual woman. You are not likely to have much exposure to heterophobic or militantly gay behavior. I have had other experiences, they haven't all been bullies. I checked out the local gay club here in Charlottesville and admitted openly to being bisexual and was accepted without what I would perceive to be two-facedness. I then discovered that the guy I was playing pool with openly admitted to having a "friends with benefits" relationship with a girl by the pool table. So I'm apt to believe that this local group is very open and accepting of bisexual people in general, in spite of my experiences with mainstream gay culture in large urban areas like Dallas and Miami. I suspect actually that the size of the community has a significant impact on whether or not it fosters much heterophobia. I suspect it's easier to foster that kind of environment in an area where there are a lot more people (and as a result a lot more gay people) -- the individuals who are uncomfortable around bisexuals then don't have to worry so much about offending people because they can just go find a different group to hang out with if they find themselves getting sideways glances from their peers. This in turn results in "gay communities" (my understanding is that just about every major metropolitan area has one) -- places where it's difficult to find a landlord who'll rent to you if you happen to be of the opposite gender, or where a person won't do their laundry without knowing that the owner of the laundromat is gay. These are things that have bugged me in general about mainstream gay culture for a while actually. > But there you go - that's the quality of anecdotal > evidence. Yep. s. isaac dealey 434.293.6201 new epoch : isn't it time for a change? add features without fixtures with the onTap open source framework http://www.fusiontap.com http://coldfusion.sys-con.com/author/4806Dealey.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:200135 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
