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From: desjardins@h-sc1.UUCP (marie desjardins)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.social
Subject: Re: Money vs. Good looks
Message-ID: <371@h-sc1.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-May-85 18:30:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: h-sc1.371
Posted: Tue May 21 18:30:23 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 24-May-85 07:30:39 EDT
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Organization: Harvard Univ. Science Center
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Xref: linus net.singles:6085 net.social:506

> I've always found this a fascinating issue.  Society applauds when men
> and women go after one another for good looks.  But being attracted to
> wealth, fame, power or position is considered sinful.  In a society
> that tries so hard (on the surface) to get people treated according to
> what they are and what their abilities are, instead of their genetic
> heritage, isn't this a contradiction?

I don't think this is true.  I will agree that people are probably more
likely to think that it's OK to choose a partner on the basis of looks
than on the basis of power, etc.  But I don't think that (in theory at
least) society really "applauds" this.  In reality, lots of people DO
choose partners on the basis of all of these factors, but I think that
most people believe that you should judge people based on their 
personalities, attitudes, values, and so forth.

> Now I know good looks can be a combination of natural looks and hard work,
> but the genetics certainly play a part.  Not so with other attributes as
> long as they are self made.

I'm not convinced of this totally.  For example, a question that bothers
me (I have no answer to it, unfortunately) is "why do we judge people on
the basis of their intelligence?  why do intelligent people often have it
so much better than unintelligent people?"  Why should intelligence, which
is not really a self-determined trait (I don't know what a psychologist
would say, but it seems to me it has more to do with genetics and early
environment, e.g. parental influence, than any kind of desire or will to
be intelligent), be used to judge a person?  I think the answers to this
question are not as simple as one might think.  (You may disagree, that's
fine.)  

What point am I trying to make here?  No point, just something to think
about and see if anyone has anything (intelligent, of course! :-) ) to
contribute.

	marie desjardins