js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag) (08/21/85)
I'm glad to see that Sunny reconsidered her decision to leave the net. It would be a less interesting place without her. In an earlier posting of mine, I speculated that her reaction to testosterone may have been atypical. She describes her reaction below: > When I said that testosterone (which is *not* a poison) clouds the > mind, I referred to my own firsthand experience with sexual obsession and > agressive behavior which was not within my ability to consciously control. > I don't call estrogen a problem like I do testosterone, for the following > reason: The behavioral patterns brought about by estrogen influence, which > tend to be beyond conscious control, tend to be passive behavior patterns, > and non-harmful release of emotions (crying). The behavioral patterns > brought about by testosterone influence, which tend to get beyond conscious > control, tend to be active/agressive behavior patterns, often leading to > violence (or other physical agression (e.g. rape)) and harmful release of > emotions (anger). Since I would have a lot of trouble determining which elements of my personality are influenced by testosterone, I can't say just how testosterone *does* affect me, but I can observe that my behavior is (almost) always under my concious control - when I do something, it is because I decide to, not because I can't help it. (I went back and inserted the 'almost' in the last sentence because, upon reflection, I realized that there have been times when I wasn't 'in control'. These reactions include uncontrolled rage, which I finally did learn to control sometime in high school, and uncontrolled crying, which I do not attempt to suppress when in trusted company.) So I guess one of us has an unusual reaction to testosterone, Sunny. (maybe opposite ends of a wide spectrum of reactions?) If I'm the one with the unusual reaction, that would explain why the world is so messed up, I guess. I dislike attributing violent and anti-social behavior in men or women to uncontrollable hormonal responses. Gives more ammunition to the slime who try to excuse themselves from atrocities by saying 'I couldn't help myself.' > > It is no accident, after observing the discussions in net.women > about rape, that so many men can relate to the concept of: > "I raped her because she asked for it by being dressed that way" > or: > "I find the defendant not guilty of rape because of her provocation". Are you sure that you've been reading the same net.women as I have, Sunny? I seem to recall that the jerk or two who implied that they could relate to those concepts got flamed away. > > The reason why so many men believe this way, is because they have > first-hand knowledge of their inability to control their own sexual > impulses and their own violent expression of their need to dominate, to > agress, as a result of testosterone taking over, and overpowering their > ability to think rationally. Wow! If this is the kind of reaction you had to testosterone, it's now wonder you decide to change. (No kidding. You may actually have given me some insight into the previously unanswerable question of *why* anyone would *want* to change their sex. And understanding is 90% of accepting.) I wonder how many men are affected this way. Too many, however many there are. Disclaimer: This is not an attack. I repeat, this is not an attack. If this were an actual attack, the flames would already have melted your CRT. -- Jeff Sonntag ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j "Just them up like regular chicken cuts, do I?" - Yoda