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From: rcf@pnet01.cts.com (Bob Forsythe)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Message-ID: <5980@crash.cts.com>
Date: 30 Nov 90 07:16:19 GMT
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gazit@duke.cs.duke.edu (Hillel Gazit) writes:
>In article <1990Nov29.180827.10813@watserv1.waterloo.edu> alternat@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Ann Hodgins) writes:
>
>>My own beliefs about humans and monogamy are the result of coming of age in
>>the 60s.  Many people then truly believed that they could simply shed their
>>'hangups' and by following their hearts could have many happy and free sexual
>>relationships with a variety of men and women.
>>The consequences of this were tragicomic.  People tried not to feel emotions
>>like jealousy but did anyway.  Eventually, the 'laid back' hippies
>>would lose their self-control and erupt into screaming and fisticuffs. 
>
>And what does it prove?
>
>That some hippies followed the Politically Correct standards of their
>time without really accepting them.  When they realized that they didn't
>like what happened they "solved" the problem with violence, and not
>by some kind of soul searching and/or agreement.
>
>Not very surprising if we remember the hippies' 
>refusal to think one step ahead...
>

     Well, that's one way to deal with the argument, Hillel; just indict an
entire group of people.  God forbid you should have to deal with the question
at hand.

>>After watching these scenarios unfold for a while and after much soul
>>searching I decided that the so called 'hang ups' were a basic part of
>>human nature and something we have to face and accommodate.
>
>It maybe a basic part of your nature, or even most people's nature,
>and yet not be basic part of human nature.
>

     You're picking nits, here, Hillel.  People deal with things in different
ways.  We don't *always* have to be open to *all* ideas.  We don't always have
to be willing to try every new idea that comes down the pike.  It's quite all
right to decide something based upon a generalization and act on it in order
to feel comfortable with ourselves.  I realize that's not politically correct
by *your* standards, but, gee, we can't all be as perfect as you.

>E.g. Most people are straights; does that prove that being straight
>is a basic part of human nature?
>(Don't bother to answer, it is a rhetoric question...)
>

     Rhetorical questions *do* seem to be what you're best at.

>>ann hodgins
>
>Hillel                                              gazit@cs.duke.edu
>


Bob c/o The OTH Gang
rcf@pnet01.cts.com


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