Comments | red_eft: interrogating the text from the wrong perspective

red_eft

interrogating the text from the wrong perspective

Sep 17, 2008 09:05

Ignoring, for the moment, the content of the following paragraph*, is it just me or is there something... off about it?

"It must be [a mix of genetics and cultural influence], but the interesting question is how much of each. If social pressure is everything, then the images and lessons we give to youth of both sexes, through films, books, ( Read more... )

books, gender

Comments 8

browngirl September 17 2008, 17:04:26 UTC

His topic sentence talks about the mix, but the rest of the paragraph seems to discount that mix, declaring either one or the other must be paramount.

red_eft September 17 2008, 23:03:48 UTC

Okay, good, so not just me! The whole book tends to do that, where he'll say "Clearly, culture and genetics both play an important role" and make some good points about that, and then completely discount culture in the next chapter. It's making my brain hurt a little.

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browngirl September 18 2008, 13:00:31 UTC

*grin* Thanks. :)

arionhunter September 17 2008, 19:45:05 UTC

I am genuinely curious: what text is this?

(Also, loving the way transmen don't exist!)

red_eft September 17 2008, 22:59:04 UTC

It's called "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" by Matt Ridley. It's... weird. I'm not altogether sure what to think of it.

And nope, no transfolk or any sort of genderqueerness beyond an offhand mention of 'effeminate' men and women who are 'tomboys'. Well, he says that gay men's brains resemble straight women's in some ways, but that's as close as it comes. No mention of bisexuals, either.

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red_eft September 18 2008, 07:02:36 UTC

"The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" by Matt Ridley.

saitenyo September 18 2008, 03:31:56 UTC

I don't know what book this is...but is the author at all familiar with the concept of sexual selection? Someone needs to get this man a Dawkins book, stat!

red_eft September 18 2008, 07:02:11 UTC

Well, the thing is, sexual selection is what the whole book is *about*- this quote doesn't show it, but he seems to have a decent grasp of the concept. He just- he'll talk about sexual selection theories for a few pages and it makes sense, but the conclusions he comes to don't always seem to follow what he's said in the chapter before. or in the sentence before.