Posted: May 28, 2012 9:51 am
Mr.Samsa wrote:I suppose that's sort of what you're saying, right? That investigating the existence of this ability isn't a problem, but the problem is with how this "gaydar" is applied in real life and the importance that's attached to it?
Pretty much, yeah. I have no problem with them conducting the research. Depending on how the results are interpreted it could be viewed as a study into what kinds of things lead viewers to assume someone is gay, as much as a study of what kinds of characteristics are gay. It's all a perfectly valid area of enquiry.
I just feel wierd when I am involved in or overhear long winded conversations about "whether so-and-so is gay or not". It's a bit like I was saying on the thread about gender a while back that I think you contributed to: I have trouble with the idea that one aspect of a person's psycho-sexual makeup (in this case, whether they are most likely to want to have sex with men or women) necessarily brings with it a whole load of other stuff that puts them in a larger "category". And I have particular trouble with the idea that it's important to know what that category (which was largely made up in the first place) is, as part of getting to know the person.
Just to be clear I'm not having a go at the OP or anyone else. It's just a personal statement of something that mystifies me about people. But then there are a lot of things about people that mystify me.
