Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 SMI; site sun.uucp Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!think!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!decwrl!sun!sunny From: sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: PMS and incompetence Message-ID: <2517@sun.uucp> Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 18:26:04 EDT Article-I.D.: sun.2517 Posted: Mon Jul 29 18:26:04 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 1-Aug-85 00:26:43 EDT References: <993@ubc-vision.CDN> <202@ihlpl.UUCP> Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Lines: 88 I feel myself to be unusually qualified to answer this issue: Speaking from experience, I find that being under the influence of male hormones tends to result in some percentage loss of ability to focus on the work at hand, 100 percent of the time. Being under the influence of female hormones tends to result in some less percentage loss of ability to focus on the work at hand, some percentage of the time. Men tend to be always operating with sexual interest as a high-priority background function which keeps intruding on their work. Women tend to have a few really emotional days, and a few days of physical pain associated with menstrual cramps, and the monthly fluctuations in their hormones. I don't suffer from cramps in my internal plumbing, but I do experience swings in emotionality associated with my monthly hormone cycle. On the whole, from my observations of myself, and of other people, I'd have to say that on the average, women are less bothered by their sex than men are. Back in the old days, I all to often watched previously intelligent conversations between men grind to a total halt, or to blithering idiocy, as some nice looking woman walked by, and when she'd disappeared from sight, would turn to discussion of her "fuckability" rather than back to work. (was that blunt enough? no, not really). This behavior pattern is most observable in a group of only men. The presence of women reduces it's effects. Much of it is a very animalistic jousting between the men to prove to each other who is the horniest. Why am I qualified to say these things? Because I am a male-to-female transsexual who has experienced first hand the effects of both types of hormones. To be perfectly honest, there is a lot of truth in the concept of "testosterone poisoning". It totally clouds the mind. So please, enough of this debate about women's incompetence related to PMS symptoms. It's all a tempest in a teapot. Men are in no way less affected by their sex. The big difference between the sexes is in pregnancy. Men are seldom affected by one for longer than an hour after the causative intercourse, while the woman *is* affected for about 9 months (considering the initial couple months have little affect, but nursing after birth makes up for that). NOTE: I am speaking of stereotypes... the average male, the average female. I am *NOT* referring to one Ross M. Greenber as an individual. In the future, I *shouldn't* have to point out that when I say "men" or "women" I am referring to a stereotype or an average which encompasses roughly half the population, and therefore *has* to have many exceptions which are totally in opposition to the stereotype, yet which are outnumbered in the stereotypical average. I personally seldom refer to individuals in net.* forums, responding rather to the concepts presented, not who presented them. Thus, Ross, you will find in your mailbox a personal response to your net.women flames at me, while I'll continue to deal here with less personal issues. Is this clear enough? If my attitudes in this forum appear sexist, remember they're *not* a personal attack, and that it *is* my belief that *most* net.citizens have risen above the stereotypical sexist problems (e.g. rape) being discussed here. Please remember, that when I say "men" I'm referring to an average which includes all males from the honorable Ronald Regan all the way down to your local wino who sleeps in the gutter. Likewise, "women" refers to a stereotype which includes people all the way from the power behind the president (Nancy Regan) down to your local streetwalker. I *do* believe that most of the "men" and "women" in this forum are very much above average, and that as one male pointed out in the past, trying to deal with social issues in net.* forums is much like preaching to the converted. > In article <5392@fortune.UUCP> polard@fortune.UUCP (Henry polard) writes: > >Men, of course, never have their emotions doing weird things > >during important decision processes. They never make misteaks, > >either. > > > > Henry, if we assume that men and women both have the same emotional > baggage and weirdness, then are we saying that this is without > considering potential PMS problems (in which case women would have > *more* emotional strangness), or are we saying that things are > equal *with* PMS. > > If things are equal with PMS, then just consider what great leaders > women would make *after* menopause. If things are equal without > taking PMS into consideration, think what lousy leaders women would make > *before* menopause. > > Which is it? > > Or should PMS not be an issue and, if this is the case, why? > > BTW, I'm still waiting for anyone to come up with any credible (sp?) > evidence regarding these supposed male cycles we keep hearing about. > Or is that a non-issue? > > Honest questions, waiting for honest answers....... > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York > --------->{vax135 | ihnp4}!timeinc!greenber<--------- -- {ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny (Ms. Sunny Kirsten)