• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Gaydar

Manny Calavera

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2006
Messages
2,630
Reaction score
5
Originally Posted by JetBlast
Seconded. Screw this, I'm going to go look at overpriced shoes at Lord & Taylor.

JB


I was looking for tips on how to hone my gaydar. I'm terrible.
 

EL72

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
6,760
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by globetrotter
I'm not a genetisist, but I don't think it works like that. I think that a gene doesn't just control one thing, it controls several. so there may be a gene that, along with several other things, makes every tenth man that has that gene by gay. if that were the case, and the assumption was that gay men make good uncles, then that gene would self perpetuate well, if the advantage of having a gay uncle raised ones ability to preproduce.

The first part of your statement is true but not the conclusion. Genes cannot self-perpetuate; they need to be passed on to your offspring for the traits they activate to remain in the population. In other words, if every tenth gay uncle never has any kids, irrespective of the adaptive value of having gay uncles, they have no one to pass their genes to and will become extinct.

An interesting corollary of this discussion is that if gay people today are increasingly open with their homosexuality and stop reproducing (i.e. they don't marry and have kids for show and remain closet homos as they used to) and there seems to be evidence of this, then they will remove themselves from the gene pool within a few generations - assuming of course that there is indeed a gay gene.
 

Manny Calavera

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2006
Messages
2,630
Reaction score
5
Originally Posted by EL72
The first part of your statement is true but not the conclusion. Genes cannot self-perpetuate; they need to be passed on to your offspring for the traits they activate to remain in the population. In other words, if every tenth gay uncle never has any kids, irrespective of the adaptive value of having gay uncles, they have no one to pass their genes to and will become extinct.

An interesting corollary of this discussion is that if gay people today are increasingly open with their homosexuality and stop reproducing (i.e. they don't marry and have kids for show and remain closet homos as they used to) and there seems to be evidence of this, then they will remove themselves from the gene pool within a few generations - assuming of course that there is indeed a gay gene.


...but there isn't.
 

EL72

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
6,760
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by jonglover
...but there isn't.

I have no idea. I'm not aware of the latest research in this area. I was just making an argument based on the assumption that there is.
 

EL72

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
6,760
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by Bandwagonesque
Thin, neat and single.

I would add Youtube performances of Proud Mary to that list.
 

lawyerdad

Lying Dog-faced Pony Soldier
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
27,006
Reaction score
17,139
Originally Posted by EL72
The first part of your statement is true but not the conclusion. Genes cannot self-perpetuate; they need to be passed on to your offspring for the traits they activate to remain in the population. In other words, if every tenth gay uncle never has any kids, irrespective of the adaptive value of having gay uncles, they have no one to pass their genes to and will become extinct.

An interesting corollary of this discussion is that if gay people today are increasingly open with their homosexuality and stop reproducing (i.e. they don't marry and have kids for show and remain closet homos as they used to) and there seems to be evidence of this, then they will remove themselves from the gene pool within a few generations - assuming of course that there is indeed a gay gene.


Assuming for the sake of discussion that there were such a thing as a "gay gene", I'm not sure your conclusion would follow. With the reduction of societal prejudices against gay people, and with the increase in medical sophistication, gay couples are now much more able to start families with babies who carry their genes -- through the use of surrogates, in vitro fertilization, whatever.
But there's a more fundmental problem that runs through this discussion. Concepts like "fitness" and genetic "advantages" can sometimes be deduced retrospectively, although even that is a complicated endeavor. Given the variety of factors (only some of them understood) at play and the time scales involved in evolution and Darwinian "selection", trying to make such judgments or predictions prospectively is, for a variety of reasons, generally a fool's errand.
 

Connemara

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
38,384
Reaction score
1,827
Originally Posted by EL72
I would add Youtube performances of Proud Mary to that list.

Oh come on, not even a raging 'mo would put something like that on YouTube.
 

Manny Calavera

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2006
Messages
2,630
Reaction score
5
Originally Posted by Connemara
Oh come on, not even a raging 'mo would put something like that on YouTube.

3_1_ambiguously_gay_guys_in_speedos.jpg
 

globetrotter

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
20,341
Reaction score
422
Originally Posted by EL72
The first part of your statement is true but not the conclusion. Genes cannot self-perpetuate; they need to be passed on to your offspring for the traits they activate to remain in the population. In other words, if every tenth gay uncle never has any kids, irrespective of the adaptive value of having gay uncles, they have no one to pass their genes to and will become extinct.

An interesting corollary of this discussion is that if gay people today are increasingly open with their homosexuality and stop reproducing (i.e. they don't marry and have kids for show and remain closet homos as they used to) and there seems to be evidence of this, then they will remove themselves from the gene pool within a few generations - assuming of course that there is indeed a gay gene.


again, I am not a genetisist, and I may have understood this incorrectly, but you don't need to have direct descendants to carry on your genes - look at animals like ants and bees, for instance, that work to allow their siblings to reproduce, on the assumption that that will carry on their genes. a gene could carry a trait that helped others that carry that gene reproduce successfully, not nessasarily every individual that carries that gene.
 

globetrotter

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
20,341
Reaction score
422
Originally Posted by jonglover
...but there isn't.

I don't know that there is, but we don't know that there isn't. there may be.
 

EL72

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
6,760
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by lawyerdad
Assuming for the sake of discussion that there were such a thing as a "gay gene", I'm not sure your conclusion would follow. With the reduction of societal prejudices against gay people, and with the increase in medical sophistication, gay couples are now much more able to start families with babies who carry their genes -- through the use of surrogates, in vitro fertilization, whatever.

That's true.

Originally Posted by lawyerdad
But there's a more fundmental problem that runs through this discussion. Concepts like "fitness" and genetic "advantages" can sometimes be deduced retrospectively, although even that is a complicated endeavor. Given the variety of factors (only some of them understood) at play and the time scales involved in evolution and Darwinian "selection", trying to make such judgments or predictions prospectively is, for a variety of reasons, generally a fool's errand.

I agree with this too. I wouldn't bet my Tramezzas on predicting the outcome of any evolutionary processe but it's still interesting to consider.
 

lawyerdad

Lying Dog-faced Pony Soldier
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
27,006
Reaction score
17,139
Originally Posted by EL72
That's true.



I agree with this too. I wouldn't bet my Tramezzas on predicting the outcome of any evolutionary processe but it's still interesting to consider.


Agreed. Since I think we wear different shoe sizes, there's no incentive for me to try to sucker you into that bet. Of course, by the time we knew the outcome neither of our descendants might even have feet.
 

EL72

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
6,760
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by lawyerdad
Agreed. Since I think we wear different shoe sizes, there's no incentive for me to try to sucker you into that bet. Of course, by the time we knew the outcome neither of our descendants might even have feet.

laugh.gif
I think humans will evolve webbed feet given the distinct evolutionary advantage they will confer in the coming global warming era.
 

lawyerdad

Lying Dog-faced Pony Soldier
Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
27,006
Reaction score
17,139
Originally Posted by EL72
laugh.gif
I think humans will evolve webbed feet given the distinct evolutionary advantage they will confer in the coming global warming era.


So I guess Kenneth Cole is really positioning the brand for the future.
tounge.gif

kecotvgllesh-1.jpg
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.3%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 15 10.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.3%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,125
Messages
10,578,695
Members
223,882
Latest member
Thomasaevers
Top