old_windbag wrote:I think many of todays confused gender issues are psychological. Yes there will be the genuine cases where their affinity to being one sex or the other stems from chromosomes and hormone levels but I think outside of that very small percentage it's a reflection on modern society. We seem to have, via social media etc, created an environment that fuels "you feel that way, oh you must have this condition". I don't think transgenderism has ever been in the 10's of percent of the population but from my own experience of people I've known who jumped ship, it seems to be rising. Probably because it's more open to come out now. But one person was very mentally troubled even beyond changing "gender", which pointed to deeper seated issues than what they thought they were gender wise. Blackbikes gender article highlights the confused state we are getting to.
Let's hope this in't the effect of oestrogen in the water supply :lol: .
I agree. I wonder (and I mean wonder as I am no expert and open to differing views) if the invitation to question such things and the "getting special attention" from choosing a male or female gender almost encourages some to consider themselves outside the male/female categories (and then get all the extra attention that goes with this). I wonder if this is more so the case when younger school children are repeatedly asked about their gender.
Same as I wonder if some of the high rate of younger school children "suffering stress" is brought about by the suggestion that they are under such pressure and are they sure they are not suffering stress and sure they don't need special counselling, etc. I remember my school days as we were under a lot of pressure, exams after exams, revision for mocks, pressure to do more, do better in these exams that would determine the rest of our lives ... and we just knuckled down and got on with it not understanding there was even such a thing as "suffering from stress" (because nobody told us about it and never suggested we might suffer from it).
I certainly don't mean to belittle those who genuinely feel neither male nor female, and similarly, no intention to dismiss those school children who genuinely are suffering stress. But I do question the increase in such things corresponding to the "socially aware" continual checking if they are questioning their gender or suffering the pressure of exams ...
Ian