LogFAQs > #973903911

apolloooo posted...

There is the concept of something other than male and female since ancient times. It's not like our modern understanding of the spectrum, but since like even old judaism has concept like adam cadmon which is a hermaphrodite perfect being, he shattered and some of the pieces became humans separated into men and women, the fusion between 2 opposites, or something that are beyond genders has been concept since like forever. In various mythology there are creatures who can shapeshift, or have both parts.

It's just the western world has been so saturated in Christianity's dogma that it feels like the only beliefs out there. Plus it's not like the existence of people outside the regular boxes aren't acknowledged. I think people know, just the dogma makes them wrong or bad.

I mean, yeah, if your guy friend introduces you to your future wife does that mean he has both parts, in a way? The man gave way to a woman in this case. How mythical.

I guess a more simple way to say what I was talking about is this: gender is often seen as belonging to other things like labour, sex, commodities, etc. You can study the gender experience for pretty much anything in a scientific way.

So you can say gender exists, in a sense. But it doesn't really exist in a substantial way- the only way you ever see it is insofar as it relates to something else. It does not exist 'for itself'. Imagine if you could only think when something happened to you. In the same way gender is only really 'there' when there is something to make it appear.

If gender was something that existed outside of the things that cause it to be perceived, then it would be something that mediated other things- e.g it would mean everything can be said to fall under gender, it would also mean everything is particular about gender such that there would be commensurate gender structure between all these things as well.