Gender Identity, Sexuality, and +5 to Sexterity

Look at this picture--what do you see?

I see a kid and his mother having some fun.  Dr. Keith Ablow sees something much, much more sinister."This is a dramatic example," he wrote, "of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity--homogenizing males and females when the outcome of such 'psychological sterilization' ([his] word choice) is not known."  Dr. Keith Ablow argues in his Fox News Opinion Article:

Well, how about the fact that encouraging the choosing of gender identity, rather than suggesting our children become comfortable with the ones that they got at birth, can throw our species into real psychological turmoil—not to mention crowding operating rooms with procedures to grotesquely amputate body parts? Why not make race the next frontier? What would be so wrong with people deciding to tattoo themselves dark brown and claim African-American heritage? Why not bleach the skin of others so they can playact as Caucasians?

The "fallout" of such breaches of traditional gender identity, according to Dr. Ablow, is "already being seen."  Ablow points to girls showing "none of the reticence they once did to engage in early sexual relationships with boys [..., which] could be a bad thing since there is no longer the same typically 'feminine' brake on such behavior."  He then points to "girls beating up other girls on YouTube"  and the observation that "[y]oungmen primp and preen until their abdomens are washboards and their hair is perfect."   Sorry to be blunt: this guy is so full of crap that it makes me nauseous.

Dr. Ablow's arguments are full of logical fallacies, such as slippery slopes,  post hocs, and (ultimately) begs the question as to "feminine identity" and what it means to be a "boy" or a "girl."  However, his arguments illustrate an important concern.   How we respond to gender and sexual identity--regardless of the type--seems to have become more divisive today: an increasingly extreme split between the demand for sexual and gender identity (regardless of what it is) to the increasing disregard for any sort of sexual or gender identity.  

Those who argue for the ambiguous have grown more overt in their blatant ambiguity.  The recently published article, "Parents Keep Child's Gender Under Wraps" (Zachary Roth, The Lookout, 24 May 2011), is about a Toronto couple that has chosen not to reveal the gender identity of their baby, Storm, to anyone.  The father, David Stocker, justifies this choice: "If you really want to get to know someone, you don't ask what's between their legs." 

Those who clearly desire blatant bluntness might be best  illustrated by the below cut from a Blizzcon 2009 question-and-answer session.

ALTERNATE LINK

The questioner was referring to the below video, I think, if not the entire online web-series, The Guild, which parodies a lot of societal gaffs and goofs, particularly of the online gaming community.

 Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

ALTERNATE LINK

So far,  The Guild has failed to do little more than recognize the broad spectrum of gender and sexual identities. While it is true that some of the "bad guys," members of the Axis of Anarchy, clearly have LGBT characteristics, but these characters are minor, underdeveloped.  In 2003, Justine Cassell wrote, "If the example of video games for girls has taught us anything, it is that there is no such thing as 'gender-free' software.  Because this is the case, we can only integrate the dynamic nature of gender construction--of self-construction--into the software itself."1   Janne Bromseth and Jenny Sudén observe:

A culture of profiling is one of point-and-click menus and ready-made identity options, of a coming together of mediated identities across scales, scores, and ratings.  It distinguishes itself from previous perhaps more subtle modes of self-making by spelling it all out in high-resolution graphics and sound.  In this shift from text-based interfaces to those based on images, it is possible to, anew, trace a desire for the authentic and the sincere.  If the inhabitants of MUDs and MOOs of the 1990s asked for a simple logic which linked specific gendered performances to sexually specific bodies ("Are you male or female?"), in certain cultures of profiling, there is a similar and possibly even more distinct demand for realism and authenticity now.  (274)2  

Clearly, the choices for sexual and gender identity are extremely limited in most video games, including the seemingly freeing MMORPGs.  However, games such as Rift, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, and Dungeons and Dragons Online offer the gamer avatar choices that range widely in body shape, color, and size, the gamer the choices are still limited to male or female, even though androgynous-looking avatars exist within those two categories. These games, ironically, also rewrite medieval myths and legends into more contemporary fantasies, offering a great deal of potential in knowingly, purposefully (if not humorously) rewriting the medieval European Christian, Judaic, and Muslim doctrines of gender identity and sexuality--a form of neomedievalism.


I wonder, therefore, what Dr. Ablow would say then, to a "male" avatar in full armor wearing pink armor?  While Dr. Keith Ablow had an MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in psychiatry; his specialty is forensic psychiatry.  However, his article suggests a clear (unscientific) agenda in that he seems to be drawing more from his Morman faith than from the doctrines of clinical medicine.  So, actually, nevermind: I don't really care what he thinks.  He's just a blow-hard. 




1 Cassell, Justin.  "Genderizing Human-Computer Interaction."  Julie A. Jacko and Andrew Sears, eds. The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook; Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications.  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2003: 401-412.

2 Bromseth, Janne and Jenny Sudén. "Queering Internet Studies: Intersections of Gender and Sexuality." The Handbook of Internet Studies. Mia Consalvo, Robert Burnett, and Charles Ess, eds. Handbooks in Communication and Media Series.  Malden, MA and Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd., 2010.

A Tofu Dish

NOTE: I'm open to suggestions for what to call this one.

1 14oz. package of extra-firm tofu

1/2 cup of dry white wine

2 Tbsp. extra light olive oil

2 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. basil

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. extra light olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups thinly sliced red potatoes 

1 cup water

fresh baby spinach

fresh chopped tomato

Chop the tofu into pea-sized bits.  
Mix the tofu with the wine, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, paprika, basil and garlic powder.  
Let this mixture marinate for at least an hour.
Put 1 Tbsp. olive oil into a large skillet and heat at medium heat.
Add the onion and potatoes and cook until tender, stirring constantly.
Add the tofu.
Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the water; bring to a boil.
Reduce to low heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Note: you should stir occasionally, and you might have to add more water to prevent burning.
Arrange the fresh spinach in bowls.
Pour the tofu mixture on top of the spinach.
Add the cut tomatoes to the top.
Add some parmesan cheese on top of that (optional).

To Be or Not to Be; To Go to College or Not to Go to College

Father Guido Sarducci's "Five Minute University"

(Alternative Link)

What is the purpose of higher education?  As economics professors Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson observe, "Sometimes, in some subjects, the mastery of specific subject matter is precisely what is at stake" ("Guido Sarducci and the Purpose of Higher Education." Chronicle of Higher Education. 14 Mar 2011).  However, most of the time, this has not been the intention of higher education.  To acquire a particular set of skills in order to master a certain trade has been more the goal of what have become known as "for profit" schools, such as DeVry or ITT, and the intention of true higher education has been, as Baum and McPherson correctly write, "to induce people to think hard about complex problems, to learn to sustain attention to challenging material, to learn how a disciplined body of thought can come to make sense, and so on."  However, the costs of living (to be) and the costs of higher education pose a powerful question for many would-be students today: what good will it do to raise so much debt if the resulting career raises comparatively so little income?

Here's some data to consider:  the cost of raising a single child in the United States today is roughly 22% higher than it was in the 1960s.  The cost was roughly $12,500.00 in the 1960s; the cost now is over $200,000.00.  (You can

"The Cost of Raising Children: 2009 vs. 1960" (The Problem Solver, Chicago Tribune)

calculate the costs of raising a family with theUSDA Calculater.)  Costs of tuition for higher education (both public and private colleges and universities) is an additional burden that most families cannot afford, even though the demand for post-secondary level degrees is higher than ever.  

"College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S." (Tamar Lewin)

But before you jump to the conclusion that the tuition increases are going directly to the so-called "fat cats" running universities and college, understand this: costs for running higher education institutions--particularly public institutions--have also risen dramatically.  According to the 2008 biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, most tuition hikes for public universities have been a direct result of declining support from state funds.   Public education at any level costs more because of already dramatic budget cuts made prior to those being made this year.  As Stanley Fish observes of both the U.K. and the U.S.:

Higher education is no longer conceived of as a public good — as a good the effects of which permeate society — but is rather a private benefit, and as such it should be supported by those who enjoy the benefit. “It is reasonable to ask those who gain private benefits from higher education to help fund it rather than rely . . . on public funds collected through taxation from people who have not participated in higher education themselves.” No one who has not been to a university has any stake in the health or survival of the system.   ("The Value of Higher Education Made Literal" New York Times, 13 Dec 2010)

This observation is further supported by a Princeton University study, funded by the Mellen Foundation which "shows that expensive college degrees are not necessarily worth the lofty price tags in the long run when you take into account one's natural ability" ("Forget Harvard and a 4-Year Degree, You Can Make More as a Plumber in the Run, Says Prof. Kotlikoff").  Boston University economics professor, Laurence Kotlikoff, argues that the cost of higher education is not necessarily a guarantee to a rise in income: doctors, for example, may have larger salaries but they also have larger debt (due to the cost of education) that can take years to eliminate, reducing the livelihood of a (fiscally responsible) doctor to that of a plumber.  (Visit Kotlikoff's Economic Security Planning, Inc. website to try his software that helps with financial decisions ranging from purchasing a house to making a career change.)

Gary Larson

When I was in graduate school, back in the '80s, I had a thing for buttons--lots and lots of buttons on my jean jacket: "Pay no attention to the invisible midget" read one; another read "Lobotomies for Republicans; It's the law!"  Another button I had was from the 1930s, from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaign to fight polio.   One button was one of many parodies of the "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner":

               Data, data, everywhere,
          And not a thought to think.

This is is akin to the cry I often receive from my students, particularly those in my College Writing II classes, in which they must work to develop argumentative skills--claims of fact, judgement or policy that are supported by logic and research.  They often seem bewildered by all the available data to sort: which is truthful; which is not; how do I know if the writer is an authority?   But, most of all, they seem overwhelmed by the fact that there is so much data available to them.  I sometimes pity them (shhh, don't tell them)!  When I was an undergraduate, my studies were extremely limited by the physical boundaries of what was contained within the walls of my campus library.  I would have been in a kind of utopia if the internet had been available for me back then.  This causes me to wonder if the cart has been put too far in front of the horse: learning to use the internet before learning to appreciate what qualities of information might be provide. 

The explosion of information that has occurred since the early '90s, since the World Wide Web has gone public, often makes me think of that button.  So much data, so much meaning that it becomes meaningless?   College is not for everyone--no question there.  Indeed, not all "smart" people complete or even go to college, either.   I usually tell my students that I am trying to teach them to teach themselves (and to do so well), a level of thinking for one's self that allows for a continued process, hopefully for the rest of one's life.

It's the big picture--the picture of life, not just of one's career in life--that matters.

Happy Mother's Day--Things to do with Spinach Fettuccine

A Meat-lover's Meal

• Put 1 pound of 95% lean beef into a 12 quart pot
• Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally
• Drain off any excess fat (if possible)
• Add: 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil, 2 large sweet onions (chopped) 2 medium zucchini (chopped)
• Cook until tender
• Add: 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
• Cook for about 10 minutes on med-low heat
• Add: 5 medium Roma tomatoes (chopped) and approximately 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• Add 1 6oz. can tomato paste and 1 large can of tomato sauce
• Bring to low boil, stirring occasionally
• Lower heat to simmer
• Simmer for about 20 minutes
• While this is simmering, cook the fettuccine
• Serve with a smile

A Vegetarian Meal

(This is quick and easy to make!)

• Cook the spinach fettuccine as directed on the package
• Into a large frying pan, put 2 tablespoons extra-light olive oil and 3 tablespoons minced garlic 
• Cook on med-low heat for about five minutes
• Add: 2 cups chopped mushrooms and 4 cups baby spinach
• Cook for about 5 minutes, until all is tender and hot
• Serve with a grin

A Flying Fettuccine Monster 

(Cousin to the Flying Spaghetti Monster)

(NOT TO BE EATEN!) 

Delicious Iconography: The Flying Spaghetti Monster

• Cook a bag of spinach fettuccine 
• Let cool
• Dip noodles, one at a time, into a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 white (Elmer's) glue
• On wax paper, shape the dipped noodles into the shape of your monster.
• Let dry completely
• Make another batch of 1/2 glue 1/2 water and paint the entire monster
• Let dry
• Flip monster over and paint the back
• Let dry
• Flip monster over and paint the front again
• Let dry
• Flip monster over and paint the back again
• Let dry
• Flip monster over and paint the front for the third and final time
• Let dry
• Flip monster over and paint the back for the third and final time
• Let dry and harden completely (as much as it will--it will be rather rubbery)
• With 100% glue, add other items (such as plastic eyes, pipe cleaners,...) to add characteristics to your monster.

Mysteries, Miracles, Myths, Mania

World of Warcraft Character

People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances without own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.  
— Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth)

"Those who don’t believe in God are widely considered to be immoral, wicked and angry," wrote Gregory Paul and Phil Zuckerman in an opinion column for The Washington Post: ("Why Do Americans Still Dislike Atheists?").  Anecdote only goes so far, but I can tell you that my own personal experiences agree with this observation.  I'll never forget, about twenty years ago, someone said to me, "Gee, you're just too nice to be an atheist!"  Was that intended as a compliment?  I decided to take it that way, until that person further added that he felt that I must "believe in the spirit," that I simply didn't know it.  I don't know what I believe?  He knows better what I believe than I do?  What a farce!  That was twenty years ago.   Write Paul and Zuckerman, "More than 2,000 years ago, whoever wrote Psalm 14 claimed that atheists were foolish and corrupt, incapable of doing any good. These put-downs have had sticking power. Negative stereotypes of atheists are alive and well. Yet like all stereotypes, they aren’t true — and perhaps they tell us more about those who harbor them than those who are maligned by them. " About a year ago, I came out of the closet as an atheist to another individual--a very nice, intelligent person who was also a church-going Christian--and, stunned, she started crying!  How am I supposed to respond to something like that?  I was baffled.  I think she meant well, that she was crying over the loss of my soul (from her point of view, not mine), but couldn't she see that, from my point of view, her crying was like my crying because she is no longer a virgin or because she is fat or because she is anorexic or because she is black or because she is white or because she is straight or because she is gay or because of anything that is decidedly who and what she is?  No, I'm not immoral, no I'm not wicked, but--hell yeah--I'm angry!

"A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be," report Paul and Zuckerman. I'd like to believe that I am a part of the "good guys" on this planet, especially when I know of so many "bad guys" who are deeply religious (Chrisitan, Muslim, Jewish--whatever).  I have absolutely no qualm about someone being a religious person.  Religion has its place--many people need it.  Many people need structured lives, and certain religious institutions provide that in constructive, positive ways.  Why, oh why, cannot someone accept me as not requiring religion in my life?  (For the record, I also don't require many other things--such as alcohol, entertainment drugs, back surgery, breast implants,....) 


This doesn't mean that I don't revel in the mysteries of life.   I LOVE this video--it speaks volumes for me (and I've posted it before, so I apologize for re-posting it):




We do not have an adequate word in the English language for the acceptance of incomprehension.  Mysteries, in our world, must be solved--and if they can't be solved, they are call miracles, until they are solved, and then those miracles are re-labeled as myths.  Why can't we be comfortable with saying to ourselves, "I don't know. I don't have an answer, but I'll keep working at finding the answer, enjoying it as I would a fantasy video game, a game that I may never conclude."  Life as a never-ending fantasy game: now there's a thought.  But it is just a thought, not a conclusion.  Rather than focusing upon getting to the end, we should focus upon the journey (the "getting to").  Otherwise, it's shear mania.