Well, I'm glad you agree that you don't read my e-mails very carefully.
You're right, Brooklyn probably isn't a worrier. That's good evidence you offered, that she is confident enough to tell her father where to sit.
Hmmm, maybe you are right. That family that lives next to us IS very smart to keep their children so well protected from fear and insecurity. But, like you said, it's unfortunate that their son will grow up to be gay, as a result of the way his mother treats him. I hadn't thought about that.
Actually, I didn't think you'd take offense at my remark about you not paying attention to what I say in my e-mails. I figured you wouldn't read it, since it was buried at the end of the message.
At any rate, I can see why this Rudy Sautter guy moved away from Crestline so his daughters wouldn't get raped. Didn't you send me a link once that said that Crestline proclaimed itself "The swingingest town in America?" A place where gambling, drinking and prostitution abounded? Sounds like a pretty good place for innocent young girls to get raped if there ever was one. Not to mention guys getting blown apart by shotguns, and the constant threat of fire.
This whole genetics vs. environment thing is the latest variation of a debate that has been going on for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Christians have debated it long and hard. John Calvin, back in the 1500's was a big proponent of the idea of predestination, that god had already willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others, along with all the other lesser details of life. Others argued that there was such a thing as free will. It's also always been a big philosophical debate, determinism vs. free will. Your emphasis on the power of genetics would tend to place you in the determinist camp. Do you believe there is such a thing as free will? If you don't answer that, I'll know you aren't even reading this.
I'm in kind of an odd position in the nature vs. nurture controversy, since I was raised by a man who wasn't biologically my father, and have no idea who my father was. When a doctor says something like "Is there any history of psychosis or epilepsy in your family?" I have to say "I don't know." I guess I could try to construct an image of what my father must have been like by taking all my personal characteristics, subtracting the ones that came from the Dolley family, and then assuming that whatever is left is half of what my father was like. On the other hand, a very strong version of Ed Williams also exists as part of my make-up, and much of what I am today seems to be either because of him, or a reaction to him. What's up with that?
Of course, I'll repeat a brilliant idea I had awhile back.... people will understand the whole genes vs. environment thing a lot better once some rogue scientist clones a human and creates ten people with identical genes. Allow ten different families to adopt those kids, making sure that one is Jewish, and one is addicted/abusive, and one is super nurturing, and one is a tea party patriot, one is a pair of gay men, and one is a billionaire capitalist, and one is a single black mother, and one is manic depressive, and so on. Check back on the kids every ten years or so to see if there are any noticeable differences, or do they all end up pretty much the same?
On the other hand, here's a story that supports the power of genes. I know a Jewish guy and his wife who adopted a baby girl from India. The guy is very affectionate and physical, but the girl -- who is now eighteen -- is shy and has trouble showing or receiving any display of affection. Culturally, that is the way most Indians are, though she was only exposed to Indian culture for four months before she was shipped off to America. Though four months is a long time in the life of a baby, and who knows what or how much they absorb as infants. I feel pretty strongly that infants receive strong messages in the womb all the time, that they are able to pick up a sense of the mother's feelings and reactions to what is going on in the outside world. If the mother is chewing her nails and freaking out, the baby is probably chewing its nails and freaking out, too, and subliminally picking up the message "the world is a scary place." Every emotion creates a chemical reaction in our bodies.... I would assume that the baby, who is part of the mother's body, would be sensing it too.
I see in the news that at a Romney campaign rally, a supporter stood up and said that Obama "should be tried for treason," and he just stood there, like a big cowardly slab of meatloaf. He's horrible. That's one thing I always respected about McCain, that when a supporter called out that she didn't trust Obama because he's "an Arab," McCain replied, “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
--edward
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