gender is weird

[Mirby]

That is true. But that only applies to the physical part; mentally, it can still different.

 

[SIN1488]

I just read the title and not the discussion, but I think the origins of gender is kind of strange. If we came from single-celled organisms which are asexual, at what point was it more efficient for there to be 2 different genders needed to reproduce physically?

 

[Throat]

I just read the title and not the discussion, but I think the origins of gender is kind of strange. If we came from single-celled organisms which are asexual, at what point was it more efficient for there to be 2 different genders needed to reproduce physically?

Because there will be genetic variation which means there'll be many different genotypes.

That's the you've been raised, now move on and, should you have kids, raise them as you please, without gender stereotypes.

 

[Legobricks]

often when I go on forums and don't say if I'm boy or girl, people always refer to me as a "He". Hmm.

'He' is the just the default pronoun in English, since 'it' is only used to refer to objects (or, if used in reference to persons, only pejoratively). Males historically being dominant in society is, I presume, why it's not 'she'.

I just read the title and not the discussion, but I think the origins of gender is kind of strange. If we came from single-celled organisms which are asexual, at what point was it more efficient for there to be 2 different genders needed to reproduce physically?

Edit: True I did miss the point, SIN1488.

 

[Magik?!]

I think that the social roles that exist all come from sensible causes, such as the idea (that's being destroyed now) that women should be at home with the children... why did that develop? Because the man would have been out hunting and the babies needed looking after or protecting. Perfectly reasonable at that time, but now it's a belief that is no longer valid, as we have other people to look after our children and we have other jobs that mean we can only work when they're at school for example.

Other views like 'I won't hit a girl' are ones that I still find valid - girls might playfight with brothers or cousins or whatever, but on the whole, if a male hits a girl in a way that hurts her, it will make a big impact to her, physically and mentally. Physically, women are weaker than men and because most of us don't do the whole rough-and-tumble thing as kids, we bruise easier and are generally hurt easier. Mentally, we see the male hitting us as a sign that we did something wrong or that we're inferior, which I would guess is different from how males take it.

Obviously I'm speaking generally about what I've witnessed and stuff, and obviously there are exceptions (female wrestlers etc), and I'm only really talking about the developed world, not about the places where genders are still separated or treated very differently.

I wouldn't say gender roles are taking away our individuality, I actually think we're coming into an age of time where individuality is the most important thing in our society. I think that definitely, certain gender roles no longer serve the purpose they used to and, along with certain gender stereotypes (girls wear pink, boys play with action figures etc), they should be ignored and removed from society. By the same means, I don't think they should all be removed, some of them are there for reasons, and as many people have stated before men and women are different, which inevitably means they should be treated slightly differently and expected to do slightly different things.

I hope our society changes so that instead of people doing what they're expected to do, they do what they want to do, in all areas. I don't think old expectations should restrict people from doing specific jobs or fulfilling specific roles in the family because of their genders.

 

[Mirby]

~stuffz~

I'm not sure how to interpret that. On one hand, it sounds like you think that stereotypes are bad, but on the other you say they're good. I'm confused...

 

[Sewzie]

Well, there are times when I fail to notice gender, probably because most individuals now don't seem to fit into any stereotype (and of course, gender stereotypes), so I tend to forget that they even have a sex (it's a little hard to explain. It's like I see their essence as a human being more... okay, creepy.).

 

[Bloo]

It has been proven, that when a woman has a boy in her womb, it treats the boy as a foreign object, and send antibodies that makes the baby more feminine, causing its gender to be somewhat altered. So there is no 100% boy. But what happens is if the baby has an older brother, then, the body gets used to the foreign object and knows what to do, and the women sends MORE antibodies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooEhBxh0NY

 

[Murmansk]

The whole issue seems sort of strange to me. I guess it's sort of hard to find overarching gender features and roles when you simply want to look at people as individuals.
I'm a guy, yeah. Do I like feminine stuff? I don't know. Do I like masculine stuff? I don't know. It's sort of hard for me to find the blurry lines that divide people eternally when common bonds are so much more delightful.

 

[SIN1488]

It has been proven, that when a woman has a boy in her womb, it treats the boy as a foreign object, and send antibodies that makes the baby more feminine, causing its gender to be somewhat altered. So there is no 100% boy. But what happens is if the baby has an older brother, then, the body gets used to the foreign object and knows what to do, and the women sends MORE antibodies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooEhBxh0NY

That's interesting, never heard of that one. But why would the antibodies try to change it, rather than just killing it like they do with smaller foreign bodies?

Since we're multicellular and very complex even at that, it's impossible for us simply to divide.

You miss the point though, the question was how did we get to the point that we needed to split? Or, how did we go from being asexual organisms to ones having two sexes?

 

[Bloo]

That's interesting, never heard of that one. But why would the antibodies try to change it, rather than just killing it like they do with smaller foreign bodies?

I think it is because We're able to fight it off. Though I have no idea.

 

[Melody]

Perhaps the only part of the fetus that it's attacking are cells which secrete male hormones or cells related to reproduction. Of course since the fetus does possess it's own immune system after a certain point, it may be able to fend the antibodies off long enough to develop them properly. I'm not a doctor so I don't really know what the antibodies and antigens are attacking exactly. Perhaps you could research that?

To be honest I'm the second male child that my mother had, she lost the first about halfway through the pregnancy, but that's training enough for any immune system I'd say. Not to mention that I've always had feelings for guys too, so yeah. I'm bisexual. (Though I try to avoid male relationships when it's possible, but it is sometimes hard to do if the one I like is gay or bi himself.)

 

[SIN1488]

Perhaps the only part of the fetus that it's attacking are cells which secrete male hormones or cells related to reproduction. Of course since the fetus does possess it's own immune system after a certain point, it may be able to fend the antibodies off long enough to develop them properly. I'm not a doctor so I don't really know what the antibodies and antigens are attacking exactly.

All I know is that antibodies in humans attack bodies that it doesn't recognize. For example, if a bacteria got in your system, your immune system would try to fight it off. But some bacteria, like the helpful ones in your stomach, can stay in there without the immune system trying to fight it off. So that's why I find it weird that the body would even try to fight off something that it naturally produces. I mean, without getting into too much detail here, I don't think the body fights off foreign reproductive cells. And since the fetus is produced in a woman's body, why wouldn't the antibodies recognize that? Are they all like: "Yo! You don't belong in this hood, fetus!" :S

Maybe it's a necessary part of development though? This is something I want to look into now, among other things.

 

[Bloo]

Perhaps the only part of the fetus that it's attacking are cells which secrete male hormones or cells related to reproduction. Of course since the fetus does possess it's own immune system after a certain point, it may be able to fend the antibodies off long enough to develop them properly. I'm not a doctor so I don't really know what the antibodies and antigens are attacking exactly. Perhaps you could research that?

To be honest I'm the second male child that my mother had, she lost the first about halfway through the pregnancy, but that's training enough for any immune system I'd say. Not to mention that I've always had feelings for guys too, so yeah. I'm bisexual. (Though I try to avoid male relationships when it's possible, but it is sometimes hard to do if the one I like is gay or bi himself.)

I have the same situation, but My older brother is alive. I'll look more up! I hope this ends up as an influential thread, so I can discover this more.
EDIT: Info!
It could also not be a physical change, because people who have grown up with non-biological older brother, also turn up gay sometimes because of a psycological change in them, I think it imposes on people telling the boys what it good and what is bad for them.

 

[Mirby]

Hell, I was the second son, and now I'm on my way to becoming the first daughter. That may say something.

That, and I am built quite femininely. Maybe it was the extra 3 weeks I was in the womb. ;)

 

[SIN1488]

I haven't really looked into this stuff much, but I did learn one thing about it which may be one reason why the fetus is attacked by antibodies. Have any of you heard how if you put a different type of blood in a persons body (Like A positive, AB negative, etc.) then it rejects it. Well if the fetus has a different blood type than the mother, then the mothers body must try to reject it since the blood stream is connected.

 

[MushroomZOMBIE]

I haven't really looked into this stuff much, but I did learn one thing about it which may be one reason why the fetus is attacked by antibodies. Have any of you heard how if you put a different type of blood in a persons body (Like A positive, AB negative, etc.) then it rejects it. Well if the fetus has a different blood type than the mother, then the mothers body must try to reject it since the blood stream is connected.

That's a completely different thing that has nothing to do with gender.

OT: It also goes with Rh positive and Rh negative. When you're pregnant and your Rh factor is negative and the father is positive [for example], you need an injection to prevent the rejection of the fetus. So even if you're compatible blood-type wise, your Rh factor can determine if your body will say "GTFO foreign object" or not.

 

[GFA]

Screw the rules. Do what you want. Hell, I'd rather stay at home taking care of kids then have some monkey-suit job. I also think leather is sexy and like the colour purple.

Just have fun. You only live once.

That, and I am built quite femininely. Maybe it was the extra 3 weeks I was in the womb. ;)

Nope. You start as a girl, and if you're going to be a boy you turn into one. 3 Weeks late just means they should've cut you out.

 

[Ayselipera]

Gender stereotypes are annoying and frustrating at times when you come across someone who can't see it any other way. I like to go by the saying, "Arguing with a fool proves there are two." So I just carry on and do whatever I feel like.

 

[Bloo]

'He' is the just the default pronoun in English, since 'it' is only used to refer to objects (or, if used in reference to persons, only pejoratively). Males historically being dominant in society is, I presume, why it's not 'she'.


Edit: True I did miss the point, SIN1488.

My cousin always says that when people call her dog "he" that males are trying to dominate the world. Actually, this is the case XD