The Town Hall Archives

Disco Dan · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:17 pm Post subject:

Could you elaborate? Razz

Rachael Blackgaard · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:19 pm Post subject:

I'm not a huge girly-girl, but I do like the color purple and nail polish and doing my hair and nagging my brother to take the trash out.

Jonathan · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:23 pm Post subject:

Mandy Straussberg · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:46 am Post subject:

I've grown up loving sports, cars, and guys (not "he's cute," but "he's a great friend"; not "I want to marry him," but "whoever marries him someday will be a lucky lady... etc...). I've always related better to guys than girls. I hate shopping for anything but electronics, books, and/or groceries. I've done my nails occasionally, but mostly because I bite them and the taste of the polish helps to keep me from it. I hate spending more time than it takes to wash my hair on it. Conversations about shopping, hair, clothes, or "boys" (i.e. "he's cute," "I've got a crush on him," etc.) drive me insane.

Mandy

Edit: Yes, and I hate, hate, hate talking on the phone.

Disco Dan · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:48 am Post subject:

My Mom hates shopping, while my Dad is quite the bargian hunter. Smile

That's about the only odd thing. Wink

Coralfish · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:37 am Post subject:

rosie · Inquisitive Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 1197

So, obviously, males and females are physically and psychologically very different. What about spiritually? (nobody ignore me, please. it was just an innocent question.)

Jared · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:05 am Post subject:

As others have noted, it would be a mistake and is entirely unnecessary to presume that the stereotypical likes and dislikes attributed to the genders must hold true, and there is some truth in the claim put forward earlier that the culture in which one is raised does much to influence what one considers normal, reasonable activity.

There are biological differences which many reasonable people have taken to conclude that men and women think somewhat differently and therefore one gender may be, by and large, more suited to different pursuits than the other. This, however, should by no means taken as exclusionary; however, it simply seems likely that certain fields will be more populated by one gender even in a society entirely absent of discrimination.

This most certainly does not imply superiority; first, who is to say which field is more important? We find that women are overrepresented in most scientific posts, but that there are significantly more men than women in fields which rely heavily on higher math. While an absolute conclusion would not be justified, it seems, at least, a reasonable proposition that one gender is more disposed toward one field while another is better suited to another.

Incidentally, in high school, girls do better across the board. In undergraduate studies, men have greater representation at the top of the class -- but also in the rolls of those who drop out. Slightly more women than men attend college these days, and their percentage of the graduating class is larger than that of matriculation.

How much of this is gender difference is nearly impossible to say, but it seems quite logical to presume that there are indeed some differences that provide inclination for or against certain things. At the very least, Larry Summers ought not have been castigated for proffering such an idea. Perhaps he was under the impression that academic freedom was championed by the left?

As for "spiritually," I'm not sure I entirely understand the question. If I am to understand that it questions whether or not there are differences in understanding, faithfulness, etc., then no, absolutely not. If you refer to roles, then I would say that I believe that a pastor or deacon (or, by extension, an elder in such churches whose ruling body is a board of elders) should be a man, but that's an entirely separate issue that does not in any way arise from the spirituality of the genders.

rosie · Inquisitive Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 1197

Jonathan · Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 12:10 pm Post subject:

I've always thought people's souls were also male of female. Of course I don't have anything to back that up.

-Jonathan