My goodness, I've never seen such a smirk! I don't even dare ask to wipe it off.
Ha, ha, ha, it's because I am going to talk about mother tongue today.
Have you ever noticed that nobody has complained about this word? Why not father tongue, or father earth for that matter?
I know. Women don't complain about being called "guys," but men are deeply offended when they are called "girls."
It's not that one is always good and the other bad. It reminds me of our talk on black and white.
"Sissy" is negative, but "macho" isn't always so.
"Effeminate" is negative.
"Unmanful," "unmanlike," "unmanly," "emasculate" ... We can go on forever. The basic meaning, "like a woman" or "unlike a man," itself is not judgmental, except that it assumes qualities unique to each sex.
Isn't that a big offense already, to define people by sex?
I agree. We should not think all women think and act similarly and so do men, but I do think the two groups are distinctively different from one another. The largest difference is in the reproductive capabilities, which cannot be altered. There are also other biological differences, such as the muscle-to-fat ratio.
I think it is only the functions related to reproduction that cannot be changed. Although odds are stacked against them, women can be more muscle laden than the average man and run faster than the average man.
Why do we find it odd when a woman thinks and acts like a man and when a man thinks and acts like a woman?
Be careful! When you say "thinks and acts like a man," you are endorsing the view that all men are alike.
This is tricky. Let me rephrase the question; why do we want people to act according to their sex?
An answer to that question should give an explanation to homophobia.
I'm afraid we have to go back to biology.
Biological programming again?
Yes. The ultimate reason why we live is to pass on our genes.
Sounds bad, but I reckon it's true!
"I guess all the excitement in bed had more to do with excitement about keeping the human race going than anybody ever imagined.'' Remember this one?
"Cat's Cradle"... by Kurt Vonnegut.
Correct. That means the most important contacts we can have as homo sapiens are the heterosexual ones with intercourse in mind.
Sounds worse!
The first step to make such contacts successful is to approach a person of the right sex.
I want to think that it is one of the bad wirings that we are wired to overcome.
We are moving in that direction. Take clothing, for example. There are remarkably more unisex items than, say 50 years ago.
More men are into skin care, too. I can't think of any sport off hand that is still for men only.
I have a dream.
Not a nightmare?
I have a dream that one day sex appeal would be more about attraction as a person.
Ha, ha, ha, it's because I am going to talk about mother tongue today.
Have you ever noticed that nobody has complained about this word? Why not father tongue, or father earth for that matter?
I know. Women don't complain about being called "guys," but men are deeply offended when they are called "girls."
It's not that one is always good and the other bad. It reminds me of our talk on black and white.
"Sissy" is negative, but "macho" isn't always so.
"Effeminate" is negative.
"Unmanful," "unmanlike," "unmanly," "emasculate" ... We can go on forever. The basic meaning, "like a woman" or "unlike a man," itself is not judgmental, except that it assumes qualities unique to each sex.
Isn't that a big offense already, to define people by sex?
I agree. We should not think all women think and act similarly and so do men, but I do think the two groups are distinctively different from one another. The largest difference is in the reproductive capabilities, which cannot be altered. There are also other biological differences, such as the muscle-to-fat ratio.
I think it is only the functions related to reproduction that cannot be changed. Although odds are stacked against them, women can be more muscle laden than the average man and run faster than the average man.
Why do we find it odd when a woman thinks and acts like a man and when a man thinks and acts like a woman?
Be careful! When you say "thinks and acts like a man," you are endorsing the view that all men are alike.
This is tricky. Let me rephrase the question; why do we want people to act according to their sex?
An answer to that question should give an explanation to homophobia.
I'm afraid we have to go back to biology.
Biological programming again?
Yes. The ultimate reason why we live is to pass on our genes.
Sounds bad, but I reckon it's true!
"I guess all the excitement in bed had more to do with excitement about keeping the human race going than anybody ever imagined.'' Remember this one?
"Cat's Cradle"... by Kurt Vonnegut.
Correct. That means the most important contacts we can have as homo sapiens are the heterosexual ones with intercourse in mind.
Sounds worse!
The first step to make such contacts successful is to approach a person of the right sex.
I want to think that it is one of the bad wirings that we are wired to overcome.
We are moving in that direction. Take clothing, for example. There are remarkably more unisex items than, say 50 years ago.
More men are into skin care, too. I can't think of any sport off hand that is still for men only.
I have a dream.
Not a nightmare?
I have a dream that one day sex appeal would be more about attraction as a person.
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