As we have been discussing, Descartes views the mind and the body as two separate entities, and this Cartesian way of thinking has dramatically shaped the way we view the world. I have personally been thinking about this a lot lately in terms of gender and sexuality, and how differently I am beginning to see things now than I have in the past. Like a lot of people (I am guessing), I grew up assuming that gender is static and straightforward. To put it bluntly, I grew up being taught that one's genitals defines a) whether you are a male or a female and b) whether you are attracted to a male or a female. But the older I got, the more I started to realize that this just wasn't the case. Gender is a lot more complicated then that!
Near the start of the semester, I came across a very fascinating article on Yahoo! about a young girl who was born a boy. If I can find it, I will post the link below. The story started off talking about twin boys, where while one of the twins, Jonas, grew up acting like a "typical" boy, the other, Wyatt, always knew she was a girl, despite having male body parts. Now they are 14 years old, and Wyatt is now Nicole. After reading the article, it was pretty amazing to see that Nicole really was a girl, born in the body of a boy. Their story is interesting, but by no means the only one. There are quite a few stories of transgendered children popping up on the news and the internet.
Viewing this case in a Cartesian point of view (which many people have done) and being raised in a culture where gender is seen in terms of black and white with no gray area, it would be easy to say that there is something "wrong" with Nicole. How could a healthy child with male parts think and be convinced that she is a female? It isn't "reasonable!" Nicole, Jonas, and their family have run up against these judgements in society, to the point where they actually moved cities. They have constantly had to fight for the rights of their daughter and sister to be treated as a normal member of society. Realizing that gender isn't as black and white as once thought is a relatively new phenomenon. But hopefully, we are starting to realize that gender can not/ should not be viewed in these rigid forms and that just because someone does not fit societal stereotypes of gender does not mean they should be discriminated against.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2011/12/11/led_by_the_child_who_simply_knew/?page=1
Stories like Nicole's (which I've got to say always move me) ALWAYS start with the person 'knowing'--indubitable knowledge from the mind as regards the body.
ReplyDeleteCarl Elliot would insist we ask where knowledge comes from. Before knowing we're a man (or woman) is a lot of invisible knowing HOW TO KNOW.