not-so-gratutious icon post

[melayneseahawk]

The loyalty userpics are an amusing concept. I did another icon rehaul - because I'm a terrible person and can't face schoolwork right now - and have added a bunch of amusing ones. The best, though, is the one I made inspired by the nudity argument from a while back. It's one of a few incarnations, so they might rotate through.

Politically-minded, an essay about sexuality in children, and the article that spawned it. To summarise, the article talks about childhood behaviours being indicative of sexuality later in life, among other psuedo-science ideas about sexuality. The essay refutes many of the points, including pointing out the fundamental difference between sexual and gender identities (i.e. the little boy who says he wishes he were a girl would grow up to be a transexual, not a gay man). I agree with the essay in its entirety. Sexuality and gender identity, like much else in the human psyche, are much more complicated than the article attempts to make out; a little girl who plays sports isn't a default lesbian any more than a little boy who plays house is a default gay man. Sexuality is a spectrum, not a multiple choice test, as is gender identity, and there's an inherent flexibility to both. Saying that a little boy who is allowed to play with dolls is absolutely going to grow up gay is a close-minded, simplistic, detrimental view of things.

*breathes* /rant

Totally unrelated, Purim was a few days ago. Back at school, I used to go through the story for the various Jewish holidays in my usual irreverent fashion. Does anyone want a retelling again this year?

(wow, this post wound up a lot more meaningful than it started...)

Comments

[kashmir-ki-kali.livejournal.com]

Heh, I told the story for Purim in my Holocaust Lit class, because I was the only one who raised my hand when the professor asked if anyone knew it. And yes, there are Jewish kids in the class.

Anthropological note for the masses: Gender refers to the roles that each culture places on males and females. Sex refers to whether you are biologically male/female. So "acting like a girl/boy" differs from culture to culture. Take that, article author.

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

Good little HinJew, you. *huggles*

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

So I started reading the CBS article, and my two main thoughts:

1) When I saw that array of nail polish, I totally thought at first glance they were Warhammer paints. I was disappointed when they weren't. Actually, I'm glad, because that would have meant that a nine-year-old would have had a slew and a half more paints than I do.

2) I started looking at the favorite video games, and one kid likes Battlefield 2, while the other likes some Neopets game.

...WHY ARE THEY LETTING A NINE-YEAR-OLD PLAY BATTLEFIELD 2?!?

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

Also, 60 Minutes is composed of a bunch of hacks.

I'm still pissed off about the "horrors of D&D" piece they did in the late 70s/early 80s.

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

Ah, lovely. I would have thought they'd gotten better since then.

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

*shrugs et al* Both kids are warped, really. :)

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Totally unrelated, Purim was a few days ago. Back at school, I used to go through the story for the various Jewish holidays in my usual irreverent fashion. Does anyone want a retelling again this year?
I could use enlightening. Do tell?

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

Will make post about it later then. Keep an eye out.

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Yay! Sanku~! =^^=