Re: memes and sexuality/ Gender Bias for Memes

From: Kenneth Van Oost (Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be)
Date: Fri Apr 20 2001 - 21:36:18 BST

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    From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be>
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    Subject: Re: memes and sexuality/ Gender Bias for Memes
    Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 22:36:18 +0200
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      ----- Original Message -----
      From: LJayson@aol.com
      To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
      Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 7:33 PM
      Subject: Re: memes and sexuality/ Gender Bias for Memes

      Hi Len, you wrote,

      I believe that gender and sexuality are one and the same thing. No person
      is a blank slate. Males and females enter the world with gender brains
      that are *receptive* to certain memes, *remake* memes in their own sexual
      image, and *reject* others.

       << I don 't think gender and sexuality are one and the same thing, though !
      Your sexual identity is not always your gender.
      See for example the disorder ' genderdysfori ', you can have been born as
      a man but you can have all the feelings and characteristics of a female.
      In cases like that the male enters the world with a gender brain of the
      opposite sexe. Instead of playing with guns the guy likes more playing with
      dolls or likes to wear dresses. To be receptive to certain memes would in
      those cases be problematic I think. Being a man but having the psyche
      of a female, living in an environment which don 't have a clue what you are
      going true and don 't forget, it is trying to make a man out of you !!
      The remake would only start at a later stage in life. At this point you have
      two possibilites, 1) you change sexe due to operations or 2) you stay
      " man " but you live your life as a female ( you wear dresses, put make- up
      up,... in other words, you become a transvestite.)
      And what about a hermaphrodite !?
      These are extreme cases, but someone said on this list, you need all
      the extremes of data...

      Each human has a determining core or center based on male or female
      sexuality. There develops a powerful degree of memetic selection based on
      on gender along with each person's unique birth characteristics. For each
      one of us, beginning at birth, memeplexes build but always on a substrate of
      the powerful sexuality genes, hormonal influences, and other determiants.
      For Homo sapiens, there is a range of genetic sexual influences with
      permutations, and degrees of cross-over in each gender.

      << yes, here you are right though.
      But I think you and I have to be aware of the fact which TJ Olney mentioned,
      that people can be split into two kinds_ the XX and the XY.
      Memetic selection would be based on the gender characteristics XX and XY
      and not on male and female sexuality. Being feminine or masculine is IMO
      even important than being a man or female in the first place.
      In a way the distiction between of what sexe you are and what kind of
      gender related memes you use make up your " sexual identity " and in
      the end that is part of your personality.

      Ken wrote:
      But there is no doubt that certain memes are typically
      feminine/ masculine.
      Len:
      IMHO a meme is asexual; what gives it a feminine/masculine
      identity is the persons individual sexual orientation who incorporates it
      into his/her consciousness.

      << Ok, but suppose that a meme is not asexual. Suppose that a meme,
      any kind of meme, influences the persons individual sexual orientation,
      what than !? Couldn 't that be a " cause " for homosexuality !?
      They found a ' gene ' for it, why not a ' meme ' !?
      ( I have no hidden agenda here !!) just a question.

      Len:
    >It would be interesting if through research we could tease out the purely
    >gender-related reasons for male-female differences in their understanding
    >and usage of language.
      Ken:
    >How would you tease this !?

      << Do you know by any chance 500 female adults !?
      No kidding, would 5 give any result !? Just to see that it works !?
      What are in your opinion, " suspected male/ female differences " in words !?

      Best,

      Kenneth

      ( I am, because we are) not that different

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