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Political Drama Queens

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Clarissa

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JD Vance says on Rogan he thought Trump was killed when he saw the vid of him being shot in Butler, PA.

Says he went into “fight or flight mode,” left the mini-golf place where he was with his kids, went home, loaded all his guns, and stood “like a sentry” at his front door.

And AOC thought she was going to get raped and murdered on J6 in spite of not being there.

These massive snowflakes are identical. Dramatic, self-aggrandizing, and weak. I’m so not looking forward to this new generation of politicians.

35 responses to “Political Drama Queens”

  1. mosckerr Avatar
    mosckerr

    Politics compares to cleaning cow shit from a barn, ya got to wear High Rubber boots.

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  2. mosckerr Avatar
    mosckerr

    Here’s my day 6 fast report, I find the results very interesting

    Cultural Zionism: Faith & Healing

    Treating my Type II Diabetes

    Prior to this huge election started a 10 day fast. Did a 10 day fast with my daughter last year to treat her cystic fibrosis. This year i test my theory that type II diabetes primarily concerns the glucose addiction of the brain. Type II eventually can become Type III diabetes, commonly known as Alzheimer’s disease. My great grand mother Dunno, grand father Judge Bill, and father all died from Alzheimer’s.

    Not a big fan of Western pharmaceutical corporate medicine where the latter writes the medical books studied by Med students at the Universities. Obozo Care an utter abomination on the Order of Roe vs. Wade in my book. The notion that America won the Cold War against the USSR only to become a Socialist nation totally repugnant to my way of thinking. States Rights Washington Bites – my motto. But what can I do being a die-hard Confederate who rejects the disgraceful defeat of 1865!

    My wife and I kibbitz with one another. Married a damned Yankee from Chicago! She mocks me and repeats “Save the Dixie cups the South shall rise again!” To which I respond: “I only agreed to marry you because your grandmother who came from the Ukraine to the Golden Medina entered through the mikva of Galveston”! (Mikva a key concept of k’ddushin – the mitzva of Jewish ritual marriage.)

    Have developed and employing the 10 day fast this year to test my diabetes Type II theory. According to Western witchcraft diabetes occurs as a result of insulin resistance. This delves into the mitochondrion organelle sub-cells within the muscles. Western witchcraft reminds me of Church dogmatism! But post Shoah Pius XII, the dogma of the “Infallibility of the Poop” flushed down the toilet.

    My counter theory of type II diabetes learns from my Grand-fathers addiction to alcoholism. Both alcohol and high blood glucose impact the liver. Into Eastern schools of meditation as medicine. Eastern medicine does not assign a meridian to the pancreas! Therefore my theory argues that Type II diabetes represents a sugar like alcoholism addiction between the brain & the liver.

    Consistently, when measuring my waking blood sugar, its the highest of the entire day thereafter. This supports my theory that my liver produces glucose to feed my addicted brain. The brain cannot access glucose from the digestion of fats as can the rest of the body.

    My blood suger in these first 6 days of the fast: 156, 148, 135, & 128, 124, 104. Really feeling the burn of the thirst for water right now. On the night of the 6th day drank a few cups of water. Employing the kidneys to regulate blood sugar a key in treating diabetes.
    Previously the two shabbat to shabbat fasts where I drank no water – exceptionally difficult. Day four I had cotton mouth. The last 10 day fast, lived in denial that I was a sugaholic, did not test my glucose levels daily.

    The thyroid gland assists in regulating metabolism. Have noticed that the last few years my metabolism has slowed down. Two primary thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid gland. T4 & T3. T4 the inactive form, T3 the active form—the one that actually affects your cells and metabolism. Once T4 reaches other tissues (like the liver, kidneys, and peripheral cells), a crucial process kicks in.known as Deiodination. Special enzymes called deiodinases come into play. They “cleave” off an iodine portion from the T4 molecule, transforming it into T3. T3 regulates metabolism, energy production, and overall cellular function. Low T3 levels can lead to hypothyroid symptoms (like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog).

    Liver and Kidneys play a crucial role in T4 to T3 conversion. Certain nutrients (like selenium, zinc, and iron) are essential for deiodinase enzymes to function properly. Managing stress and addressing inflammation is vital for thyroid health.

    Foods and spices excellent for thyroid health: Ashwagandha: Lowers cortisol and aids T4 to T3 conversion, helping those with stress-induced thyroid issues.
    Rhodiola Rosea: Improves energy, supports cognitive function, and reduces stress, indirectly benefiting the thyroid.
    Holy Basil (Tulsi): Manages stress and acts as an antioxidant, protecting thyroid health.
    Ginseng: Boosts energy and reduces stress, indirectly aiding thyroid health.
    Cordyceps Mushrooms: Helps modulate the immune system, beneficial for thyroid balance.

    Turmeric: Contains curcumin, which helps reduce inflammation and supports metabolic health.
    Ginger: Known for its anti-inflammatory effects and can support thyroid function.
    Cinnamon: Helps manage blood sugar and metabolism, indirectly aiding thyroid health.
    Ashwagandha: An adaptogenic herb often used for thyroid support, particularly hypothyroidism.
    Black Pepper: Enhances the absorption of other beneficial compounds like curcumin.

    Iodine-rich Foods: Seaweed, iodized salt, and fish (e.g., cod and tuna) help support thyroid hormone production.
    Selenium Sources: Brazil nuts, eggs, and sunflower seeds are essential for converting thyroid hormones.
    Zinc-rich Foods: Chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and beef aid in thyroid hormone regulation.
    Antioxidant-rich Produce: Berries, spinach, and sweet potatoes help combat inflammation.
    Tyrosine-containing Foods: Chicken, turkey, and dairy products are used by the thyroid to produce hormones.

    The objective of this 2nd 10 day or more fast, thinking about going shabbat to shabbat without water twice over, my intention to train and regulate my brain/liver to function below 90 when at each waking morning glucose blood sugar test. Once I can achieve this recalibration of my brain/liver glucose production I hope to maintain it thereafter by employing my kidneys by drinking copious amounts of water.

    The liver/kidney Yin/Yan battery defines my meditation technique. Employ these to meridians in both Japanese Shiatsu and Jin Shin Jyutsu Is (know myself it is) healing wisdom techniques. Employed the latter on my daughter at age 5 and raised her lung efficiency up to 91%. The quacks at the hospital expressed utter amazement!

    The body employs an intricate mechanism to regulate blood sugar levels. When you drink water, it stimulates the kidneys to produce more urine, which can help remove excess glucose from the bloodstream. This process connected to the kidneys’ ability to filter waste products, includes glucose.

    Ongoing research suggests that fasting and dietary interventions may help manage or even reverse type II diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing liver fat, and breaking the cycle of sugar addiction. Alzheimer’s disease, nicknamed “type III diabetes”, due to its link to insulin resistance in the brain. Emerging research shows that excess glucose can affect brain cells over time, impairing memory and cognitive function, leading to neuro-degeneration Blood Sugar Spikes. This “dawn phenomenon”, explains elevated morning glucose levels. The liver releases glucose in the early morning to prepare the body for waking, but in people with type II diabetes, the liver overcompensates. This supports my idea of an addiction feedback loop between the brain’s addiction, and liver’s dawn phenomenon increased glucose production.

    The gradual decrease in my glucose levels (156 → 124) suggests that my liver is starting to produce less glucose as my body adapts to the fast. Many fasting practitioners report a reduction in fasting blood glucose after a few days. Meditation and Breathwork in Diabetes techniques like Jin Shin Jyutsu, which target meridians, could help reduce stress, which plays a role in insulin resistance and blood sugar dysregulation. Stress management – increasingly recognized as a key factor in diabetes care.

    When I dav’en, my k’vanna differentiates between אדוני as opposed to יהוה. The former a word which the lips of Man can frame and pronounce. The latter a Spirit that only blown from the heart, rather than physically from the lungs. Tefillah a matter of the heart NOT the lungs. The precedent for this interpretation: Rabbi Yechuda’s challenges why the Torah misspelled heart as לבב? In the Mishna of ברכות Rabbi Yechuda projected that two Yatzirot live within the heart.

    The construction of the Mishkan, the Torah states “that I may dwell within you”. Hence Rabbi Yechuda’s Yatzir Ha’Tov the Spirit breath of יהוה from within our hearts. While the Ego I, breaths as the spirit of our self-centered child-like Yatzir Ha’Rah. Tefillah therefore dedicates שם ומלכות. The latter understood as the pronouns of the Horev revelation of the 13 middot spirits.

    This revelation defines the understanding as explained through the kabballah taught by Rabbi Akiva known as פרדס. The 13 middot spirit logic format, revealed at Horev, 40 days after the sin of the Golden Calf where Israel erred & translated יהוה to words like אלהים, Jesus or Allah, these middot pronouns which followed יהוה – likewise spirits from the Spirit Name – they compare to the meditation techniques developed through Eastern medicine which makes a focus upon concentrated breathing as the basis of meditation for healing.

    This interpretation brings out profound themes of havdalah (separation or discernment) between the two modes of expression— words that the mouth and lips can articulate, versus what kavanah (intention) a Torah scholar expresses from within his heart’s breath.

    The ability to pronounce Adonai introduces the element of discernment, known as תחיית המיתים—the Spirit that breaths life unto the Avot – this same life breathes within all bnai brit Israel. This compares to the precedent of Shabbat which fundamentally requires making a havdalah: distinguishing between two realms, such as sacred and profane, light and dark, holy time and mundane time, מלאכה VS. עבודה, at the beginning and termination of the mitzva of shabbat. The latter distinction defines the Mishkan precedent which separates holy from most holy. The verb עבודה: the mesechta of Baba Kama logically infers the definition as: אב עבודות: חמס גזל ערוה ושחד במשפט.

    Man always viewed as מועד as opposed to תם. The classification of מועד: crimes committed with intent to do damage. This makes these tumah transgressions the opposite of tohor time oriented positive commandments. Hence the mitzva of Shabbat dedicates not to do act of מלאכה on the day of Shabbat, so as not to do act of עבודה on the week of shabbat. This הבדלה defines both shabbat as a mitzva and pronouncing the Name יהוה in tefillah. Both separate and distinguish Holy from Most Holy within the Mishkan.

    The דאורייתא תפילה קריא שמע makes a הבדלה between the heart from the soul. The latter understood through the mitzva of קידושין as a man acquires Title to the ”soul” of his wife; meaning of Title – acquisition to the future born children, based upon the precedent of the Brit cut between the pieces wherein childless Avram cut his brit upon the future born seed which currently only lived in the future world to come, as established by the oath sworn by HaShem.

    The phrase דרך ארץ (derech eretz) encompasses a profound principle in Jewish thought, reflecting a foundational value for both Torah and ethical living. It is often translated as “the way of the land,” meaning proper behavior, good manners, or worldly conduct. In essence, derech eretz precedes Torah—it forms the groundwork upon which Torah observance is built. This idea emphasizes the necessity of moral and ethical behavior as a prerequisite to religious practice.

    The Talmudic adage “derech eretz kadmot laTorah” (Vayikra Rabbah 9:3) suggests that proper interpersonal conduct and ethical behavior must precede Torah study and moral obligatory behavior. This prioritizes spirituality above Torah commandments. The latter cannot exist in isolation from decency, respect, and the practice of kindness. It ties into the notion that the Torah was given to shape individuals already living within a framework of moral responsibility.

    The revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai (Matan Torah) stands on the foundation of derech eretz in multiple ways:

    Oath Brit Responsibility: The Torah’s commandments simply understood as a means of sanctifying human interaction and promoting justice—ensuring that obedience to the sworn oath brit, always paired with mishpat (justice)[judicial fair compensation of damages inflicted upon others] and chesed (loving-kindness), core aspects of derech eretz.

    Preparation for Revelation: Before receiving the Torah, the Israelites Moshe instructed to purify themselves (Exodus 19:10-15), indicating that an internal and external refinement—consistent with derech eretz— necessary for divine encounter. Israel only received the first two commandments due to the failure of our people to not approach their wives 3 days prior to the Torah revelation.

    Interpersonal Obligations: The prophetic mussar as expressed through the repetition of the Ten Commandments, in Sh’mot and D’varim, serves as precedents to remember how HaShem judged the Gods of Egypt and Paro; further clarified through the oath sworn at Gilgal, the basis of the Rashi tefillen.

    This remembering the judgment against other Gods directly understood through the comparative precedent rulings of (honor parents, refrain from theft, murder, and falsehood etc). This Torah common law which learns through comparison of Case/Rule to similar Case/Rule defines T’NaCH and Talmudic Common law/משנה תורה. Common law underscores the essential priority that Torah observance NOT purely ritualistic like the halachot found in the Shulkan Aruch, but hinges on ethical prophetic mussar dedications of k’vanna, otherwise known as מלכות.

    The sages elaborate that derech eretz applies to various aspects of life, from business ethics to social interaction. For example, Pirkei Avot (2:2) teaches that Torah study must accompany work, highlighting the balance between spiritual pursuits and practical living. This balance reflects the idea that religious observance detached from reality or from ethical behavior amounts to Av tumah culturally assimilated or intermarried avoda zarah.

    Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch elaborates that derech eretz represents a lifestyle of responsibility, professionalism, and respect that gives meaning to Torah observance. Similarly, the Maharal of Prague emphasizes that derech eretz relates to personal discipline, showing how the individual becomes a vessel capable of receiving Torah.

    In summary, derech eretz frames Torah as a way to elevate and refine human existence, but it starts with how individuals conduct themselves in the mundane world. Thus, the revelation at Sinai did not impose divine commandments on people divorced from ethical behavior; instead, it built upon a foundation already rooted in respect for the dignity of others, justice, and decency—hallmarks of derech eretz.

    Fasting may also lead to ketone production, providing an alternative energy source for the brain. The ability to switch between glucose and ketones efficiently, called metabolic flexibility. When we fast, our body adapts to the absence of incoming nutrients. As glycogen levels drop, our body starts breaking down stored fats (triglycerides) into fatty acids. These fatty acids, then converted into ketone bodies (such as beta-hydroxybutyrate or BHB) in the liver. Ketones serve as an alternative fuel source for our brain, heart, and other tissues.

    Jin Shin Jyutsu/Shiatsu seeks to increase insulin acceptance and blood sugar dysregulation. Normal fasting blood sugar levels range below 100 mg/dL. My theory concerning glucose addiction of the brain, supported by outside research that suggest insulin levels affects the brain’s dopamine systems, likewise linked to drug addictions and many neuropsychiatric conditions. Fatty liver and lack of exercise two main contributing factors of insulin resistance.

    Excess cortisol, known as Cushing’s syndrome, can counteract the effects of insulin and consequent insulin resistance. Hypothyroidism, underactive thyroid another consideration. The thyroid plays a large function in regulating metabolism. Have experienced a much slower metabolism when digesting food. The thyroid influences glucose metabolism. Have started a physical exercise program of running stairs and 100 sit-ups. Some argue that a moderate-intensity exercise can increase glucose uptake by at least 40%.

    The transition from glucose to ketones typically takes around 24 to 36 hours, as mentioned above. However, individual variations exist—some people adapt faster, while others take a bit longer. Ketones may improve insulin sensitivity, perceived as beneficial for managing blood sugar levels. Some people report increased mental clarity and focus during ketosis. Fasting triggers autophagy—a cellular process that cleans up damaged components and promotes longevity. Longer fasts (24 hours or more) can lead to deeper ketosis and more pronounced metabolic adaptations.

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    1. Avi Avatar
      Avi

      @mosckerr

      Very interesting and commendable! Much love and מזל טוב.

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  3. Avi Avatar
    Avi

    Why do so many American men in politics appear to be emasculated?

    Is it due to a particularly aggressive form of feminism rampant in US society? Or is it because of internalised self-hatred after being hit relentlessly for nigh on two generations by the idiotic messaging on “toxic masculinity”? If not, what is it?

    American men in the public arena appear to the rest of the world as particularly effete.

    In Spain, Roberto Vaquero and Manuel Garcia, and in Argentina, Agustin Laje are doing a great job – among other fine things – of deconstructing and dismantling the bullshit vehiculated by Western feminist ideology around masculinity: strongly recommended!

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    1. Lazy anon Avatar
      Lazy anon

      Traditionally, masculinity has been at least partially defined as being better than women. The stereotypes are that men are strong and women are weak, that men silently go through difficulties while women complain, etc. Young boys are told not to cry like a girl.

      When, as a society, you stop stigmatizing typically feminine qualities in men, men will become more stereotypically feminine because they are no longer punished for that.

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      1. Clarissa Avatar
        Clarissa

        What are “typically feminine qualities”?

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        1. Lazy anon Avatar
          Lazy anon

          I know you are not asking this question in good faith as you know perfectly well what those are. Sensitivity, empathy, gentleness, and so on.

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          1. Clarissa Avatar
            Clarissa

            No, I don’t. I’m a woman. And I’m not sensitive, gentle or empathetic. Are you trying to suggest I’m a man?

            Do you actually know many women wiho are like that? Because I honestly don’t.

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            1. methylethyl Avatar
              methylethyl

              We probably weren’t adequately punished for our lack of ‘feminine’ qualities, so we reverted to mean 😉

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              1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
                oldcowboy3

                LOL, no “probably” about it ;-D

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            2. Lazy anon Avatar
              Lazy anon

              Why haven’t you asked Avi what he means when he references American men in politics as emasculated and American men in the public arena as effete? The qualities that he thinks make them appear that way are the qualities I’m calling stereotypically feminine.

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              1. methylethyl Avatar
                methylethyl

                It’s only necessary to ask when it isn’t totally obvious and needs clarification. If you’re deliberately hanging out with a bunch of people who don’t share your views, then yes, you are going to need to do more explaining than everybody else.

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              2. Clarissa Avatar
                Clarissa

                Are you one of those typically sensitive, gentle women? I’d be interested to find at least one. If it’s so typical, they must be easy to encounter. But for some reason, I’m surrounded by veritable sharks in skirts. 🙂

                It’s a good thing. I like sharks in human form.

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              3. Avi Avatar
                Avi

                “Why haven’t you asked Avi what he means when he references American men in politics as emasculated and American men in the public arena as effete?”

                You could have asked Avi yourself, for starters, but still…

                I wanted to reply to Lazy Anon’s rejoinder (When, as a society, you stop stigmatizing typically feminine qualities in men) with, “What do you mean by typically feminine qualities?” but, since I saw that Clarissa had asked exactly the same, I kept my counsel.

                Emasculated I take to mean “lacking the quality of what makes a man a man”, and is not intended with reference to women. This is the problem with the whole issue, far too many people describe masculinity and femininity in relation to each other, whereas they should be conceptualised separately: saying that males are better/worse, stronger/weaker, more stoical/ less stoical than women still doesn’t tell us anything really meaningful about what it means to be a man or a woman.

                Both a man and a woman may be nurturing, empathetic, sensitive, gentle, heroic, determined blah blah blah, but they will be so in different ways, ways that typically have to do with being male or female, though, since they are human, this will be on a spectrum.

                My personal experience as a homosexual male who was raised by a gaggle of women (mother, grandmother, several aunts and a great-aunt) without a significant male presence of any sort, unable to facially recognise my own father until I was ten, has made me particularly sensitive to this matter, to the point that I have had to learn to be a male, and mostly on my own, having been emasculated from early infancy and being effeminate until I was 30.

                The feminisation of society in Western culture has been going on for at least sixty years, is continuing apace and worsening, and it is just as serious a problem as the suppression of women’s autonomy in other cultures.

                It is right that boys should be taught to contain themselves: which means both that they should not cry easily and also that they should not act out on every single urge that comes over them.

                When I was a boy it would have helped me enormously to have had a man in my life who could teach me to model my behaviour according to a functional masculine pattern.

                As I am neither a woman nor a mother or a father, I would not presume to say much about girls, but I know this much, that having a father model functional male behaviour is of enormous importance in a woman’s life when it comes to partner’s choice and the raising of boys.

                Liked by 1 person

  4. oldcowboy3 Avatar
    oldcowboy3

    Clarissa

    “I’d be interested to find at least one.”

    There never were many, and sadly most were infected with the hatred spewed by the second wave feminasties. But those few with sufficient wisdom to see through the lies, those few are truly “…worth far more than rubies” ;-D  

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  5. Lazy anon Avatar
    Lazy anon

    Responding to Avi’s comment:

    ““Why haven’t you asked Avi what he means when he references American men in politics as emasculated and American men in the public arena as effete?”

    You could have asked Avi yourself, for starters, but still…

    I wanted to reply to Lazy Anon’s rejoinder (When, as a society, you stop stigmatizing typically feminine qualities in men) with, “What do you mean by typically feminine qualities?” but, since I saw that Clarissa had asked exactly the same, I kept my counsel.

    Emasculated I take to mean “lacking the quality of what makes a man a man”, and is not intended with reference to women. This is the problem with the whole issue, far too many people describe masculinity and femininity in relation to each other, whereas they should be conceptualised separately: saying that males are better/worse, stronger/weaker, more stoical/ less stoical than women still doesn’t tell us anything really meaningful about what it means to be a man or a woman.

    Both a man and a woman may be nurturing, empathetic, sensitive, gentle, heroic, determined blah blah blah, but they will be so in different ways, ways that typically have to do with being male or female, though, since they are human, this will be on a spectrum.

    My personal experience as a homosexual male who was raised by a gaggle of women (mother, grandmother, several aunts and a great-aunt) without a significant male presence of any sort, unable to facially recognise my own father until I was ten, has made me particularly sensitive to this matter, to the point that I have had to learn to be a male, and mostly on my own, having been emasculated from early infancy and being effeminate until I was 30.

    The feminisation of society in Western culture has been going on for at least sixty years, is continuing apace and worsening, and it is just as serious a problem as the suppression of women’s autonomy in other cultures.

    It is right that boys should be taught to contain themselves: which means both that they should not cry easily and also that they should not act out on every single urge that comes over them.

    When I was a boy it would have helped me enormously to have had a man in my life who could teach me to model my behaviour according to a functional masculine pattern.

    As I am neither a woman nor a mother or a father, I would not presume to say much about girls, but I know this much, that having a father model functional male behaviour is of enormous importance in a woman’s life when it comes to partner’s choice and the raising of boys.”

    In your entire post you haven’t described what makes a man a man. You’ve acknowledged that both women and men have the same qualities on a spectrum. You’ve referenced a “functional masculine pattern” of behavior and the ineffable “different ways, ways that typically have to do with being male or female” in which people of both sexes express those qualities.

    Without any specificity in your original comment or this one, a casual reader will revert to stereotypes to try to understand what you’re talking about.

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    1. methylethyl Avatar
      methylethyl

      Effeminacy is an unwillingness to tolerate discomfort in the pursuit of better things. It is a vice in both men and women.

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    2. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Still waiting for that list of typically gentle, sensitive women. It’s an answer in itself that it’s taking so long to find at least a few. How typical are they if they are so thin on the ground?

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      1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
        oldcowboy3

        Clarissa

        A list, now you expect someone to produce A LIST, as in multiples. Surely you jest, I am in my mid 70’s and have only ever found one. Both Avi and myself have pointed out the problem, but while he thinks it is worsening, I believe that the feral behavior is just far more open today. We emerged as a tournament species and we may well be returning to one ;-D

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          It’s simply entertaining to me that the Left has embraced all the hoariest gender stereotypes. Its missionaries come here to tell me about “typically gentle, sweet women” and then twirl around like dervishes because they don’t know how to reconcile these stereotypes with their leftism.

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      2. Lazy anon Avatar
        Lazy anon

        Responding to Clarissa’s

        “Still waiting for that list of typically gentle, sensitive women. It’s an answer in itself that it’s taking so long to find at least a few. How typical are they if they are so thin on the ground?”

        and

        “No, I don’t. I’m a woman. And I’m not sensitive, gentle or empathetic. Are you trying to suggest I’m a man?”

        and other attempts to draw me into a personal argument.

        See my original comment:

        “Traditionally, masculinity has been at least partially defined as being better than women. The stereotypes are that men are strong and women are weak, that men silently go through difficulties while women complain, etc. Young boys are told not to cry like a girl.

        When, as a society, you stop stigmatizing typically feminine qualities in men, men will become more stereotypically feminine because they are no longer punished for that.”

        I referenced “traditional definitions” of masculinity (my first sentence), referenced “stereotyp(es)/(ical)” twice. I used the word “typical” once and Clarissa seized upon that. My deepest apologies for going for variety and not writing “stereotypical” again. I did not mean my personal definition of what femininity is – or yours – or what you personally are like or the women you know are like.

        If you google “stereotypical feminine qualities”, you will see the adjectives I used. Traditional definitions of ideal masculinity and femininity are based on the fundamental biology of men and women being different and men having much more testosterone than women.

        Do you, Clarissa, interpret Avi’s description of American men in politics being “effeminate” as being more like you? More like a shark?

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Your thoughts are garbled. That’s why it looks to you like I “seized” on something. You simply can’t argue at this level, which is obvious no matter how many times you change your nickname. Your terminology is sloppy, your thinking is disorganized, and you have no clear understanding of what message you are trying to deliver.

          Example. Originally, you were opposed to gender stereotypes. But now you support them, saying that they originate in human biology. It’s all untrue, of course. Gender stereotypes are highly culturally and historically contingent. I, for example, grew up in a culture of “girls don’t cry” where there existed an idea of a great fragility of men. This is historically conditioned just like any system of gender expectations.

          I was trying to engage you in a discussion if precisely this. There is no single “tradition” that is valid for the entire world. Yet there is the same biological sex binary. So what does it tell us regarding your recent embrace of gender stereotypes as rooted in biology?

          I know I’m wasting my time because, as usual, you have no idea what I’m on about.

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          1. Lazy anon Avatar
            Lazy anon

            This stream of emotional personal insults makes me feel like someone who has wounded a child and for that I am sorry. I agree that you shouldn’t waste any more of your time on this discussion. You have clearly won the argument and I have lost.

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  6. Lazy anon Avatar
    Lazy anon

    Avi, I wanted to respond to your comment, specifically this part:

    “This is the problem with the whole issue, far too many people describe masculinity and femininity in relation to each other, whereas they should be conceptualised separately”

    The thing is – no, they aren’t separate. They are defined in relation and, to an extent, in opposition to each other. The word “effeminate” has the same root as “female”. You cannot define “effeminate” without defining “feminine”.

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    1. methylethyl Avatar
      methylethyl

      Have you defined feminine?

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      1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
        oldcowboy3

        methylethyl

        LOL, why don’t you define feminine or masculine? Males, even as kids, tend to measure everything, females, well, not so much ;-D

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        1. methylethyl Avatar
          methylethyl

          –I do recognize boy v. girl *tendencies* of course. My children are all completely enchanted by machinery and vehicles and things that explode. But I am rather interested in those things myself so I am reluctant to cede that ground to the “masculine”. 😉

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      2. methylethyl Avatar
        methylethyl

        oldcowboy: I refrain from defining any such thing, because I am 100% feminine by virtue of *being a straight biological woman*. I present as quite androgynous in person, and, being raised in the “girls can do anything and still be girls” era (I know, that seems so quaint now), I still believe that. Looking back at the women in my family I admire most, the common traits that come to the surface are strength, grit, persistence, loyalty, ingenuity, thrift, honesty, virtue… all traits that are admirable in both men and women, and do not make men less manly or women less womanly.

        I am deeply frustrated by classist attempts to buttonhole femininity as the sort of effete upper-middle-class-50s-American-ideal image of womanhood. I don’t think I ever knew any women who fit that model. Where did it even come from? Are upper middle class white American women even like that, or is it some bizarre relic of Victorian literature?

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        1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
          oldcowboy3

          methylrthyl

          LOL, I suspect that the effete upper class nonsense was a North American attempt to imitate what they imagined how the British upper class lived. Most people were working class with some lucky enough to begin approaching middle class. The major change between then and now was that the sexes actually liked each other, basically enjoying the differences as mere foibles.

          Your “tendencies” were traits, and to some extent many, probably most, have biological origins. One cannot simply extinguish millions of years of adaptive behaviors where decisions made the difference about whether your genes continued. I told you that guys measure everything ;-D

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          1. methylethyl Avatar
            methylethyl

            Well, you know. I am like 300% more interested in *babies* than my husband. That’s just straight-up estrogen talking. I suppose you could call it “feminine” the way that the obsession with military jets, big trucks, and construction equipment is “masculine”.

            But seriously. Who doesn’t like to watch excavators at work?

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              I’m with you on excavators. I have a strange fascination. Also, factories. I love driving past factories. They mesmerize me.

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  7. oldcowboy3 Avatar
    oldcowboy3

    Yeah, my kind and gentle wife loved to run the tractor and loader at my uncle’s farm, and after she tasted wild meat, loved hunting and fishing. While I advised her on makes and models, she chose her rifle and shotgun…possibly influenced by the amount of added polished brass and the grain of the wood ;-D

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I rest my case. 🙂

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      1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
        oldcowboy3

        Nah, she was a kind and gentle soul, and most certainly never felt like shagreen ;-D

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    2. methylethyl Avatar
      methylethyl

      My MIL has a tractor, and sometimes she lets me drive it 😉

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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