From: Robert Owen (rowen@technologist.com)
Date: Fri Dec 03 1999 - 17:55:44 MST
Harvey Newstrom, Author, Consultant, Engineer, Legal Hacker, Researcher,
Scientist, and self-confessed "egotistical bastard", wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: KPJ <kpj@sics.se>
> To: <extropians@extropy.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 03, 1999 4:28 am
> Subject: Re: "natural"
>
> > It appears as if Harvey Newstrom <newstrom@newstaffinc.com> wrote:
> > |
> > |Homosexuality occurs in a certain percentage of rats, dogs, pigs,
> monkeys,
> > |dolphins, goats, sheep, and lots of other species. Some monkeys who have
> > |been taught sign language have engaged in homosexuality, prostitution
> > |(negotiating food for sex), and lying about sexual behavior and eating
> > |behavior.
> >
> > What definition do you use for ``homosexuality''?
>
> The studies usually define any homosexual activity as falling under this
> category.
I wonder what the significance of the omission from this discussion of
women who are homophiliac, of men and women who are "bi-sexual",
"transsexual" or "androgynous" might be.
You see, the "homo-" in "homosexuality" is derived from the Greek word
"hom-" [combined form "homo-"] which simply means "same" (literally
"one and the same"), "similar" or "alike". It is NOT derived from the
latinized "homo" which means "man".
The discussion also, as noted, treats "homosexual" as the logical opposite
of "heterosexual", which makes the conceptual analysis of "bisexuality"
difficult. Now "heteros" in Greek basically means "other". I would, thus,
be more inclined to oppose "heteroeroticism" and "autoeroticism".
Psychoanalytically, of course, this presents a difficulty: namely, the
composition of individual autoerotic fantasies. But overlooking this,
I find the most remarkable distinction to be between those who seek
the company of others to achieve mutual gratification of erotic wishes,
and those who ouroborically must or prefer to avoid interpersonal con-
tact when they attempt to achieve erotic satisfaction. Clinically, this
contrast is useful, because autoerotic individuals tend to suffer from
narcissistic or schizoid personality disorders, or sometimes simply from
"Inadequate Personality".
In other words, the socialization of "polymorphous perversity" results
in "co-itus", the varieties of which are legion. And, as I noted earlier,
all of these are "medically" normal.[1] To see what happens erotically
when a massive ego-decompensation occurs with total regression,
visit any nursing home and observe patients with senile psychosis
or organic brain syndrome. I am very sorry to say that terminal
Alzheimer-type dementia typically produces behavior that is so
humiliating to the family that I am heart-broken, and I fervently look
forward to an effective treatment for this disorder in the near future.
Bob
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[1] It is, conversely, important to emphasize that the consequences
of this or that form of coitus may be medically significant, not only
with respect to sexually-transmitted diseases but to urogenital trauma.
=======================
Robert M. Owen
Director
The Orion Institute
57 W. Morgan Street
Brevard, NC 28712-3659 USA
=======================
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