PILOT SPIN
Spin Zone => Spin Zone => Topic started by: Johnh on January 23, 2016, 10:52:47 AM
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I think genetics plays a much greater role in our lives than most people imagine.
Genetics "predisposes" someone to be a certain way. It doesn't dictate actions or guarantee anything.
Genetics can predispose someone to being fat or thin, but through their own will they can overcome that trait.
I think that whether someone is "gay" or "straight" is genetic. I have not idea how much you can change that though. I can't imagine ever being gay. I imagine that gay people can't imagine NOT being gay.
And I think that genetic pre-dispositions can change over time.
Skinny kids grow up to be fat.
Rebellious kids turn out to be traditionalists.
straight kids turn out to be gay.
Or the reverse of all the above.
I think there are other traits that are influenced by genetics:
Alcoholic vs non alcoholic
mean vs nice
smart vs dumb
violent vs passive.
religious vs atheist
I also think political persuasion is partly genetic. I heard somewhere in the past that a researcher could determine if someone is a liberal or a conservative by analyzing a hair follicle (through DNA analysis I presume).
So I think that helps explain why some smart people are liberals. They can't help it. That is also why they get so defensive when challenged. Logic conflicts with their genetically predisposed thoughts. And that's why its hard to have a conversation with a smart, violent liberal (ie, my Father in Law).
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So it's not Obama's fault! He was just born that way! Good to know. I think in Trump's case though, it's some pact with the Devil. ;)
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So it's not Obama's fault! He was just born that way! Good to know. I think in Trump's case though, it's some pact with the Devil. ;)
No, no deals made (yet) ;)
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So it's not Obama's fault! He was just born that way! Good to know. I think in Trump's case though, it's some pact with the Devil. ;)
No, no deals made (yet) ;)
But there's no doubt who will end up with the sjhit end of the stick.
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So it's not Obama's fault! He was just born that way! Good to know. I think in Trump's case though, it's some pact with the Devil. ;)
No, no deals made (yet) ;)
So, I presume you're confirming that negotiations are ongoing?
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I think genetics plays a much greater role in our lives than most people imagine.
Genetics "predisposes" someone to be a certain way. It doesn't dictate actions or guarantee anything.
Genetics can predispose someone to being fat or thin, but through their own will they can overcome that trait.
Absolutely correct.
I think that whether someone is "gay" or "straight" is genetic. I have not idea how much you can change that though. I can't imagine ever being gay. I imagine that gay people can't imagine NOT being gay.
Dean Hamer claimed to have found a "gay gene" sometime back, but the results were never really embraced by the scientific community. The most widely accepted reasoning right now for male homosexuality is that multiple male births masculinize the uterine environment, leading to homosexual wiring of the brain in those male embryos subjected to it. There are clear anatomical differences between the brains of homosexual vs. heterosexual men. It works evolutionarily too, if the sexual balance gets too far out of whack (too may boys) you shut off the reproductive potential of the extras. there actually is some good evidence for this, though it certainly doesn't explain every case. Moreover, I've never heard any sort of theory to explain the genesis of female homosexuality.
And I think that genetic pre-dispositions can change over time.
Skinny kids grow up to be fat.
Rebellious kids turn out to be traditionalists.
straight kids turn out to be gay.
Or the reverse of all the above.
I think there are other traits that are influenced by genetics:
Alcoholic vs non alcoholic
Addictive tendencies are indeed genetic
mean vs nice
A matter of viewpoint. Someone you think of as mean could be thought of by someone else as very nice. Lots of folks thought Hitler had the right idea, for instance.
smart vs dumb
A matter of cultural reference. For example, many here consider academics, who most think of as being fairly intelligent, as being quite dim.
violent vs passive.
certainly in mice, probably in humans though I could scarcely point out any relevant genes.
religious vs atheist
While the personality aspect of spirituality is clearly genetic, it is also distinct from religious behavior, which clearly is not.
I also think political persuasion is partly genetic. I heard somewhere in the past that a researcher could determine if someone is a liberal or a conservative by analyzing a hair follicle (through DNA analysis I presume).
While I have read that political alignment runs in families far more than anything else, I remain skeptical.
So I think that helps explain why some smart people are liberals. They can't help it. That is also why they get so defensive when challenged. Logic conflicts with their genetically predisposed thoughts. And that's why its hard to have a conversation with a smart, violent liberal (ie, my Father in Law).
I am afraid the same exact argument could be used by liberals to describe Conservatives. The sword cuts both ways, sorry.
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Conservatives just want the rule of law to apply, like the Constitution, and have limited government and reasonable, common sense taxation levels. Liberal/Progressives want to screw with society (social engineering) to fulfill their utopian (aka unrealistic) ideals using other peoples money. Big difference.
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Conservatives just want the rule of law to apply, like the Constitution, and have limited government and reasonable, common sense taxation levels. Liberal/Progressives want to screw with society (social engineering) to fulfill their utopian (aka unrealistic) ideals using other peoples money. Big difference.
The problem today is we see no inclination by either side to try and live within our means.
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I think the real problem is the reluctance of the republican side of the aisle to stand up and refuse to give in to the idiocy of the far left.
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I think the real problem is the reluctance of the republican side of the aisle to stand up and refuse to give in to the idiocy of the far left.
They have to walk a fine line, stand too tough and they drive more voters to the D team. If you can't get elected......
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Conservatives just want the rule of law to apply, like the Constitution, and have limited government and reasonable, common sense taxation levels. Liberal/Progressives want to screw with society (social engineering) to fulfill their utopian (aka unrealistic) ideals using other peoples money. Big difference.
To conservatives, the Constitution is the guidebook for Liberty and limited government.
To liberals, the Constitution is an impediment to achieving their utopia. Or as Obama put it in 2001, the Constitution is a "charter of negative liberties."
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Utopia is not possible. Even if it were, the human condition does not want utopia. The human condition wants to overcome obstacles, and feel that they have persevered. Without some struggle, the human condition does not appreciate success. Take all that away, and we have inner city mayhem.
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Conservatives just want the rule of law to apply, like the Constitution, and have limited government and reasonable, common sense taxation levels. Liberal/Progressives want to screw with society (social engineering) to fulfill their utopian (aka unrealistic) ideals using other peoples money. Big difference.
Once again, I will defer to Constitutional scholars to define what the document means. Were the government acting against its strictures I could be remedied. Not quickly, but permanently.