By Pamela S. Meek
Recently the UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it "offended" the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.
This is a frightening omen of the fear that is gripping the world. Almost every country is caving into it. We ignore what is right and true to pacify those who make the most noise and threaten our way of life.
It is now more than sixty years since the Second World War in Europe ended. Six million Jews, twenty million Russians, ten million Christians and one thousand, nine hundred Catholic priests were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated while the world looked the other way. The Nazis also deliberately murdered five million non-Jews for racial, political or social reasons. Among those killed were Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, political opponents of the Nazis, the handicapped, homosexuals, artists and writers, blacks, Slavic peoples, dissenting clergy and resistance fighters. Now more than ever, with Muslim countries claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
I find all of this frightening that so many actually go along with this ignorance. If we were asking them to believe in something that had no factual proof, I could understand the disbelief, but the fact is, it did happen. We can not close our eyes and say it didn't. My Grandfather was friends for many years with a Jewish man and his wife. I saw the numbers tattooed on their arms, and I heard the anguish in their voices as they talked about their loved ones who died or were killed. Germany still bears the scares on its countryside. One can still smell the acrid smell of burning bodies in the air around many of the death chambers and furnaces that were used to kill people. How can The Holocaust be denied?
The Muslims refuse to believe it because they themselves hate the Jews. That is a fact. We can not avoid dealing with it! Our children MUST be taught the truth.
By refusing to teach what really happened and admit that it is true we do a great disservice to those who died and to those who died to save them. If Grandpa were alive today, he would be writing letters, making phone calls and going personally to knock a few heads together.
This politically correct crap has gone too far. We need to educate people that the Holocaust did indeed happen and it can happen again. In fact we are tip toeing around it because no one wants to admit that it is happening again right now. America and the UK have become the home of cowards.
I believe it is time we all wake up and see what is actually happening in the world, or one day very soon we will be finding it knocking on our very own front door. We act as if 9/11 wasn’t enough of a wake up call; just wait until we are fighting the Muslims here on our own land.
There are many who do not believe that it can happen again. Maybe gas chambers and furnaces won’t be used this time, but Bombs are already exploding all over the world. What more will we endure before we change our cowardly ways?
Today I stand and salute the flag of the United States Of America. And I offer up a prayer for the People who lived, fought and died in WWII. Let us not forget. Let us not deny the truth.
May God Help us all!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Secrets of a Higher I.Q.
By Kyoko Kuroda
Are the firstborns really the smartest? The study published in the journal Science and Intelligence in June 2007 with a quarter-million participants says “Yes” to this long-discussed question. Norwegian epidemiologists, Petter Kristensen and Tor Bjerkedal analyzed a database of 241,310 men born from 1967 to 1976 on the relationship between birth order and I.Q. scores using military records. The study found that on average, firstborns had I.Q. of 2.3 points higher than that of their second-born brothers, who appeared to have I.Q. of 1.1 points higher than that of their third-born brothers.
Considering the fact that each family’s situation is different, Kristensen’s team studied brothers raised in the same families. Additionally, several researchers have argued that I.Q. differences originate in prenatal or gestational factors, more specifically an effect of an increased maternal antibody attack by higher birth orders on the fetal brain. To combat this assumption, they studied families whose first-born or first- and second-born children had died before the age of one year. As a result, their scores on average turned out to be the same as those of biological firstborns.
Scores are adjusted for parental education level, mother’s age at birth, sibship size, birth weight and year of conscription. The study was conducted with male participants, but the scientists are quite certain that the results would apply to women as well. In addition, with a sample size of nearly a quarter-million participants, the finding is considered to be compelling scientific evidence.
Although this effect is usually not found among children under the age 12, older siblings seems to find a way to recapture their higher I.Q. during the course of life. Researchers theorize that this precociousness is a sign that the arrival of a younger child disrupts I.Q. level of the older siblings. Younger siblings profit from the readiness, experience and maturation of both the parents and the older siblings, which may be enough to reverse the ascendancy the older sibling had achieved temporarily.
When a younger sibling is born, older siblings take a much expected role as tutors to their younger siblings, according to Robert Zajonc, a social psychologist. This role benefits the older siblings more in developing higher I.Q. than it does to their younger siblings, as they learn to combine their knowledge and skills to teach their younger siblings, enriching their vocabulary and reasoning abilities.
Some studies have indicated that both the older and younger siblings are inclined to depict the firstborn as more disciplined, responsible and successful. The oldest child realizes that his or her best bet to get parental attention is by imitating the parents and/or following their value systems.
On the other hand, younger siblings know that the best tactic for them to steal parental love and attention away from the firstborns is not to compete in the same field. They often differentiate themselves by developing other diverse interests and skills that I.Q. tests do not measure, like social charm, participation in more dangerous sports or interests in studying abroad.
Dr. Sulloway theorizes that children who grew up in the same family tend to become more different from one another than we would expect from genetics alone. Using the evolutionary psychology point of view, which we went over the last month along with Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory, siblings are seeking out for the fittest way to ensure the maximum parental love and attention out of their given circumstances.
New York Times article by Benedict Carey pointed out that the firstborns have won more Nobel Prizes in science than younger siblings, but often by advancing foreknown understandings instead of revolutionizing them. On the contrary, those who are famous for greatly revolutionizing the preexisted understandings are Charles Darwin (the fifth of six siblings), Nicolaus Copernicus (the fourth of four) and Rene Descartes (third of three).
“It’s the difference between every-year or every-decade creativity and every-century creativity,” Dr. Frank Sulloway from Institute of Personality and Social Research said, “between innovation and radical innovation.”
Some may argue that the difference of 2.3 points in I.Q. is modest enough to be overlooked, but let’s not be too quick to judge. According to Sulloway’s statistical analyses, having 2.3 points higher I.Q. than the other would mean having 1.3 points higher probability of winning a spot when applying fort a prestigious university.
In today’s competitive world, where parents put their infants in various classes such as music, movement, baby gym etc, hoping to give them any possible kinds of head start, this I.Q. difference found could be very likely to be taken up as a major difference. Joe Rodgers, a professor and a psychologist from the University of Oklahoma who was not involved in the research claimed that “an awful lot of parents would pay money if their kids could increase I.Q. by two real I.Q. points”.
Back in history, Adler Alfred (1870 -1937), an Austrian psychiatrist and the founder of Individual Psychology pioneered interests in this area of family constellation. Adler theorized birth order as one of the major childhood social influences from which the individual shapes a style of life. Other psychoanalysts used to focus on parent-child, especially mother- child interactions; Adler’s new emphasis on family constellation (the number, age and gender of siblings) was avant-garde. Adler was cautious to mention that birth order does not dictate the personality development; rather it works as a building brick that influences individual’s freely chosen life styles.
Today, it is a popular area of study as Rogers says "birth order has been studied in relation to everything you can think of”.
Current theory on birth order explains that the firstborn child goes through life from experiencing full attention of parents to experiencing the loss of parental attention when the younger sibling arrives. Adler described the oldest sibling as “dethroned” as he experiences the loss of the parental attention. To deal with this consequence, the oldest one may take on a somewhat parental protective role in relationship to the younger siblings. They tend to overvalue authority and have conservative value systems.
The second-born child, seeing the head start of the older sibling, may feel envious, often making him or her rebellious/revolutionary.
Adler described the youngest child tends to be a problem child. The youngest child, as the baby of the family, is at risk of being pampered and spoiled, possibly lacking the motivation to be independent. With too many peacemakers aside, the youngest child may have to compete in many areas, leading to a diffuseness and sense of being overwhelmed. Success may be more attainable when an area of interests not already professed by other siblings can be established.
The only child never competes with siblings for parental attention. Adler suggested that getting undivided attention and never sharing parental love and attention could cause later interpersonal difficulties if he did not get the same kind of love from others. If many years pass between the birth of various children, they will have some characteristics of an only child.
There is not much specific research conducted on the birth order regarding twins, but studies show that twins tend to have one dominate twin who acts as the first born or they may often exchange dominance throughout their lives.
Kristensen’s study unrevealed the underlying mechanism of the long-discussed theory of the firstborns being smarter than their younger siblings. Nurture, not nature was behind this theory and the effect is dependent on the social rank in the family and not the birth order.
Considering this, paying enough attention to each child, spreading the family resources evenly to each child and having your children help others in a way they have to combine and utilize their skills and knowledge may benefit developing higher I.Q. of the children.
Are the firstborns really the smartest? The study published in the journal Science and Intelligence in June 2007 with a quarter-million participants says “Yes” to this long-discussed question. Norwegian epidemiologists, Petter Kristensen and Tor Bjerkedal analyzed a database of 241,310 men born from 1967 to 1976 on the relationship between birth order and I.Q. scores using military records. The study found that on average, firstborns had I.Q. of 2.3 points higher than that of their second-born brothers, who appeared to have I.Q. of 1.1 points higher than that of their third-born brothers.
Considering the fact that each family’s situation is different, Kristensen’s team studied brothers raised in the same families. Additionally, several researchers have argued that I.Q. differences originate in prenatal or gestational factors, more specifically an effect of an increased maternal antibody attack by higher birth orders on the fetal brain. To combat this assumption, they studied families whose first-born or first- and second-born children had died before the age of one year. As a result, their scores on average turned out to be the same as those of biological firstborns.
Scores are adjusted for parental education level, mother’s age at birth, sibship size, birth weight and year of conscription. The study was conducted with male participants, but the scientists are quite certain that the results would apply to women as well. In addition, with a sample size of nearly a quarter-million participants, the finding is considered to be compelling scientific evidence.
Although this effect is usually not found among children under the age 12, older siblings seems to find a way to recapture their higher I.Q. during the course of life. Researchers theorize that this precociousness is a sign that the arrival of a younger child disrupts I.Q. level of the older siblings. Younger siblings profit from the readiness, experience and maturation of both the parents and the older siblings, which may be enough to reverse the ascendancy the older sibling had achieved temporarily.
When a younger sibling is born, older siblings take a much expected role as tutors to their younger siblings, according to Robert Zajonc, a social psychologist. This role benefits the older siblings more in developing higher I.Q. than it does to their younger siblings, as they learn to combine their knowledge and skills to teach their younger siblings, enriching their vocabulary and reasoning abilities.
Some studies have indicated that both the older and younger siblings are inclined to depict the firstborn as more disciplined, responsible and successful. The oldest child realizes that his or her best bet to get parental attention is by imitating the parents and/or following their value systems.
On the other hand, younger siblings know that the best tactic for them to steal parental love and attention away from the firstborns is not to compete in the same field. They often differentiate themselves by developing other diverse interests and skills that I.Q. tests do not measure, like social charm, participation in more dangerous sports or interests in studying abroad.
Dr. Sulloway theorizes that children who grew up in the same family tend to become more different from one another than we would expect from genetics alone. Using the evolutionary psychology point of view, which we went over the last month along with Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory, siblings are seeking out for the fittest way to ensure the maximum parental love and attention out of their given circumstances.
New York Times article by Benedict Carey pointed out that the firstborns have won more Nobel Prizes in science than younger siblings, but often by advancing foreknown understandings instead of revolutionizing them. On the contrary, those who are famous for greatly revolutionizing the preexisted understandings are Charles Darwin (the fifth of six siblings), Nicolaus Copernicus (the fourth of four) and Rene Descartes (third of three).
“It’s the difference between every-year or every-decade creativity and every-century creativity,” Dr. Frank Sulloway from Institute of Personality and Social Research said, “between innovation and radical innovation.”
Some may argue that the difference of 2.3 points in I.Q. is modest enough to be overlooked, but let’s not be too quick to judge. According to Sulloway’s statistical analyses, having 2.3 points higher I.Q. than the other would mean having 1.3 points higher probability of winning a spot when applying fort a prestigious university.
In today’s competitive world, where parents put their infants in various classes such as music, movement, baby gym etc, hoping to give them any possible kinds of head start, this I.Q. difference found could be very likely to be taken up as a major difference. Joe Rodgers, a professor and a psychologist from the University of Oklahoma who was not involved in the research claimed that “an awful lot of parents would pay money if their kids could increase I.Q. by two real I.Q. points”.
Back in history, Adler Alfred (1870 -1937), an Austrian psychiatrist and the founder of Individual Psychology pioneered interests in this area of family constellation. Adler theorized birth order as one of the major childhood social influences from which the individual shapes a style of life. Other psychoanalysts used to focus on parent-child, especially mother- child interactions; Adler’s new emphasis on family constellation (the number, age and gender of siblings) was avant-garde. Adler was cautious to mention that birth order does not dictate the personality development; rather it works as a building brick that influences individual’s freely chosen life styles.
Today, it is a popular area of study as Rogers says "birth order has been studied in relation to everything you can think of”.
Current theory on birth order explains that the firstborn child goes through life from experiencing full attention of parents to experiencing the loss of parental attention when the younger sibling arrives. Adler described the oldest sibling as “dethroned” as he experiences the loss of the parental attention. To deal with this consequence, the oldest one may take on a somewhat parental protective role in relationship to the younger siblings. They tend to overvalue authority and have conservative value systems.
The second-born child, seeing the head start of the older sibling, may feel envious, often making him or her rebellious/revolutionary.
Adler described the youngest child tends to be a problem child. The youngest child, as the baby of the family, is at risk of being pampered and spoiled, possibly lacking the motivation to be independent. With too many peacemakers aside, the youngest child may have to compete in many areas, leading to a diffuseness and sense of being overwhelmed. Success may be more attainable when an area of interests not already professed by other siblings can be established.
The only child never competes with siblings for parental attention. Adler suggested that getting undivided attention and never sharing parental love and attention could cause later interpersonal difficulties if he did not get the same kind of love from others. If many years pass between the birth of various children, they will have some characteristics of an only child.
There is not much specific research conducted on the birth order regarding twins, but studies show that twins tend to have one dominate twin who acts as the first born or they may often exchange dominance throughout their lives.
Kristensen’s study unrevealed the underlying mechanism of the long-discussed theory of the firstborns being smarter than their younger siblings. Nurture, not nature was behind this theory and the effect is dependent on the social rank in the family and not the birth order.
Considering this, paying enough attention to each child, spreading the family resources evenly to each child and having your children help others in a way they have to combine and utilize their skills and knowledge may benefit developing higher I.Q. of the children.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Mom Gets Jewelry; Dad Gets Collect Calls
By Kyoko Kuroda
Father’s Day and Mother’s Day seem like they have a lot in common, but the way we celebrate these twin-like holidays is actually a lot different from each other. Nicole Gilbert, a graduate from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, interviewed 53 couples in 1999 to learn how gender plays out on these holidays and how fathers and mothers perceive these days.
Gilbert’s study found that families celebrated Father’s Day on average of 3.5 hours or about two hours less than Mother's Day. Fathers’ chances of receiving gifts was much less than that of mothers’ – eight of the 53 fathers got no gifts, compared with just one of the 53 mothers – and those gifts tended to remind him of his work or related to his self-serving hobbies, such as “neckties, card cases”, and “golf and fishing related kits” respectively.
This means the gifts on Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are much more inclined to be stereotypically and traditionally masculine or feminine than the gifts given on their birthdays because these holidays celebrate a man’s role as a father and a woman’s role as a mother, not a man and a woman as an individual. On these two holidays, fathers are more likely to be seen as providers and mothers as nurturers than any other days, even in families with both working parents that support an equal division of domestic labor.
The same thing can be said to the activities. We often take mom out to dinner, help her or release her from household chores for the day, and visit other family members. There tends to be less “eat-out” dinners planned on Fathers Day and less plan to visit family.
Consider the additional comparisons. First, Mother’s Day came first. Second, people exchange 95 million greeting cards on Father’s Day compared with 150 million on Mother’s Day. Third, Father’s Day generates 122 million long-distance calls, compared with 145 million on Mother’s Day.
These numbers may be affected by the fact that there are more moms (82.5 million) than dads (66.3 million). But why is this? It takes two to be a parent. Where did 16.2 million dads go? Did they pass away earlier? Did they walk away from being a father? The latter is a more likely, but that topic is beyond the scope of this article.
Finally fathers often have to pay for the special treatment. More collect calls are placed on Father’s Day than any other days of the year.
Yet, the amazing finding is that dads were more satisfied with their special day than moms. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the most satisfied, dads rated their days a 4.6, while moms gave their days a 4.27.
According to Gilbert’s study, mothers’ disappointment was rooted in family-centered issues, such as an inappropriate gift, a fight, a grouchy child and their expectations not being met.
Apparently, the same study suggested a few reasons that might answer these questions and also might explain why dads feel happier:
• For many fathers, spending time with their families is often a change of routine.
• “Being a father” is not usually a man’s first self-identity that has to be celebrated, while many women feel their identity as mothers is the most important one to their lives.
• Fathers/males tend to have fewer expectations and to be lower maintenance.
Gilbert’s study was conducted in 1999, and a lot has changed since then. The number of participants was relatively small and almost no similar studies were conducted to test its reliability. The ideology of gifts, activities and the role as a father and a mother in this study might not apply for today’s ideology anymore.
Today, fathers spend more time with their families than they used to, they receive flowers as gifts, some receive cooking books, and aprons. More fathers value their identity as fathers and are taking paternity leaves. Things are certainly changing. However, the third reason is likely to be true beyond the generation gap. Women tend to be more high maintenance and to expect more than men whenever the age we live in. They plan intensely for their wedding day, they want their anniversaries to be perfect and they even tend to go the extra mile to make their little children’s birthday parties flawless.
Last month we looked at human behavior from a psychoanalytic perspective, specifically about the point that our behavior is controlled by unconscious. This month, I am introducing an evolutionary psychology perspective on what affects human behavior.
The psychoanalytic perspective (Freudian psychology) basically studies humans within one individual’s lifetime while evolutionary psychology, reflecting Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest”, studies humans over the long evolutionary history with the general consequence of reproductive success.
Evolutionary psychology (sociobiological psychology) sees humans as survival machines whose mind and behavior are controlled by one cardinal purpose of our life, which is to pass on our genes successfully to the next generation.
Best tactic for men to procreate is to spread his genes as much as possible by mating with as many women as possible. Best tactic for women is to carefully choose the one most worthy to accept his genes for procreation.
Each intercourse may cost her nine months of pregnancy, painful delivery, breastfeeding and great physiological and hormonal affect on woman’s body and more.
Man stays prolific almost all his life after puberty with millions of sperms per one ejaculation. Woman only releases one egg per month, which only survives approximately 12 to 24 hours, and its quality starts going down progressively after around the age of 35.
While men can mate with any female and maximize his chances of survival, women are demanding for the best one with the strongest health, intelligence, ability to provide resources and sexual attractiveness (so that her child will have better chances to leave his or her genes).
To achieve our ultimate goal in life successfully, women are genetically pre-programmed to be finicky, high maintenance and to expect more than men. This innate replication model on our genetic level is reflected in the way our minds work and in our behavior as evolutionary psychology states that what has shaped human beings over the long evolutionary history shapes our minds and behavior.
Over the generations, women with finicky preferences experienced greater reproductive success. Women innately know that they have to be hard-to-please and demand the best to survive successfully. This universal and ageless logic/skill goes back to support the third reason suggested by Gilbert’s study on why fathers/males tend to have fewer expectations and to be lower maintenance.
Today, Moms leave home and head for work more than it used to be. More dads are staying home and looking after the children. The familiar gender roles have loosened and it seems likely that the gap will keep shrinking.
One idea may be to combine these holidays into “Parenthood Day.” It may help fathers and mothers feel more united as parents and celebrate each other. Further, single parent, gay and lesbian households could possibly fit in easier. Companies aiming for profits such as card companies and phone companies are likely to detest the idea. There are many ways to look at it.
Lastly, I want to say to my dad, “Dad, I love you.” Every single little thing you have done for me, I remember. You have always made infinite and incredible sacrifices for me and you have always acted as if it was nothing. No matter how difficult they were to make, you have always given me your smile that said “Do not worry.” When I was absolutely heartbroken, you have always put the crown back to my head. You were the first to trust me enough to let me come to New York to study abroad at such a young age. I will not let you down. Thank you for being my dad and I love you with all my heart.
Father’s Day and Mother’s Day seem like they have a lot in common, but the way we celebrate these twin-like holidays is actually a lot different from each other. Nicole Gilbert, a graduate from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, interviewed 53 couples in 1999 to learn how gender plays out on these holidays and how fathers and mothers perceive these days.
Gilbert’s study found that families celebrated Father’s Day on average of 3.5 hours or about two hours less than Mother's Day. Fathers’ chances of receiving gifts was much less than that of mothers’ – eight of the 53 fathers got no gifts, compared with just one of the 53 mothers – and those gifts tended to remind him of his work or related to his self-serving hobbies, such as “neckties, card cases”, and “golf and fishing related kits” respectively.
This means the gifts on Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are much more inclined to be stereotypically and traditionally masculine or feminine than the gifts given on their birthdays because these holidays celebrate a man’s role as a father and a woman’s role as a mother, not a man and a woman as an individual. On these two holidays, fathers are more likely to be seen as providers and mothers as nurturers than any other days, even in families with both working parents that support an equal division of domestic labor.
The same thing can be said to the activities. We often take mom out to dinner, help her or release her from household chores for the day, and visit other family members. There tends to be less “eat-out” dinners planned on Fathers Day and less plan to visit family.
Consider the additional comparisons. First, Mother’s Day came first. Second, people exchange 95 million greeting cards on Father’s Day compared with 150 million on Mother’s Day. Third, Father’s Day generates 122 million long-distance calls, compared with 145 million on Mother’s Day.
These numbers may be affected by the fact that there are more moms (82.5 million) than dads (66.3 million). But why is this? It takes two to be a parent. Where did 16.2 million dads go? Did they pass away earlier? Did they walk away from being a father? The latter is a more likely, but that topic is beyond the scope of this article.
Finally fathers often have to pay for the special treatment. More collect calls are placed on Father’s Day than any other days of the year.
Yet, the amazing finding is that dads were more satisfied with their special day than moms. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the most satisfied, dads rated their days a 4.6, while moms gave their days a 4.27.
According to Gilbert’s study, mothers’ disappointment was rooted in family-centered issues, such as an inappropriate gift, a fight, a grouchy child and their expectations not being met.
Apparently, the same study suggested a few reasons that might answer these questions and also might explain why dads feel happier:
• For many fathers, spending time with their families is often a change of routine.
• “Being a father” is not usually a man’s first self-identity that has to be celebrated, while many women feel their identity as mothers is the most important one to their lives.
• Fathers/males tend to have fewer expectations and to be lower maintenance.
Gilbert’s study was conducted in 1999, and a lot has changed since then. The number of participants was relatively small and almost no similar studies were conducted to test its reliability. The ideology of gifts, activities and the role as a father and a mother in this study might not apply for today’s ideology anymore.
Today, fathers spend more time with their families than they used to, they receive flowers as gifts, some receive cooking books, and aprons. More fathers value their identity as fathers and are taking paternity leaves. Things are certainly changing. However, the third reason is likely to be true beyond the generation gap. Women tend to be more high maintenance and to expect more than men whenever the age we live in. They plan intensely for their wedding day, they want their anniversaries to be perfect and they even tend to go the extra mile to make their little children’s birthday parties flawless.
Last month we looked at human behavior from a psychoanalytic perspective, specifically about the point that our behavior is controlled by unconscious. This month, I am introducing an evolutionary psychology perspective on what affects human behavior.
The psychoanalytic perspective (Freudian psychology) basically studies humans within one individual’s lifetime while evolutionary psychology, reflecting Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest”, studies humans over the long evolutionary history with the general consequence of reproductive success.
Evolutionary psychology (sociobiological psychology) sees humans as survival machines whose mind and behavior are controlled by one cardinal purpose of our life, which is to pass on our genes successfully to the next generation.
Best tactic for men to procreate is to spread his genes as much as possible by mating with as many women as possible. Best tactic for women is to carefully choose the one most worthy to accept his genes for procreation.
Each intercourse may cost her nine months of pregnancy, painful delivery, breastfeeding and great physiological and hormonal affect on woman’s body and more.
Man stays prolific almost all his life after puberty with millions of sperms per one ejaculation. Woman only releases one egg per month, which only survives approximately 12 to 24 hours, and its quality starts going down progressively after around the age of 35.
While men can mate with any female and maximize his chances of survival, women are demanding for the best one with the strongest health, intelligence, ability to provide resources and sexual attractiveness (so that her child will have better chances to leave his or her genes).
To achieve our ultimate goal in life successfully, women are genetically pre-programmed to be finicky, high maintenance and to expect more than men. This innate replication model on our genetic level is reflected in the way our minds work and in our behavior as evolutionary psychology states that what has shaped human beings over the long evolutionary history shapes our minds and behavior.
Over the generations, women with finicky preferences experienced greater reproductive success. Women innately know that they have to be hard-to-please and demand the best to survive successfully. This universal and ageless logic/skill goes back to support the third reason suggested by Gilbert’s study on why fathers/males tend to have fewer expectations and to be lower maintenance.
Today, Moms leave home and head for work more than it used to be. More dads are staying home and looking after the children. The familiar gender roles have loosened and it seems likely that the gap will keep shrinking.
One idea may be to combine these holidays into “Parenthood Day.” It may help fathers and mothers feel more united as parents and celebrate each other. Further, single parent, gay and lesbian households could possibly fit in easier. Companies aiming for profits such as card companies and phone companies are likely to detest the idea. There are many ways to look at it.
Lastly, I want to say to my dad, “Dad, I love you.” Every single little thing you have done for me, I remember. You have always made infinite and incredible sacrifices for me and you have always acted as if it was nothing. No matter how difficult they were to make, you have always given me your smile that said “Do not worry.” When I was absolutely heartbroken, you have always put the crown back to my head. You were the first to trust me enough to let me come to New York to study abroad at such a young age. I will not let you down. Thank you for being my dad and I love you with all my heart.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Freudian Slip
By Kyoko Kuroda
Love can make us feel warm, happy and high. On the other hand, nothing in this world is more capable of making us feel depressed and miserable. The love/sex impulse can drive absolutely anyone crazy and insane no matter how smart and educated they are, but knowing how to deal with it may help us stay collected.
Lisa Nowak, 43, is a former astronaut for shuttle Discovery was smart, educated and extremely driven. She was capable of managing multiple difficult roles such as mother, wife, astronaut and, of course, a woman, until her affair with her coworker, Oelefein, 42, who left her for another female, Shipman, 30, caused the deadly episode she found herself embroiled in.
On February 5th 2007, she drove a thousand miles with multiple deadly weapons, wearing an astronaut’s diaper to discard bathroom stops, to confront Shipman at Orlando International Airport, in Florida. She followed Shipman in disguise (with a wig and a trench coat) and attacked her with pepper spray. She was caught and charged with attempted kidnapping, battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery and destruction of evidence (the attempted murder charge was later dropped). Her trial is coming up in September.
We would like to believe we can choose how we act by using logic. But sometimes we are driven by our uncontrollable impulses. Nowak’s crazy behavior was a result caused by her love/sex impulse, which is an extremely strong force.
So, was Nowak mentally insane? No, probably not. But certainly the main ingredients for stable mental health were missing from her life. Different theorists believe in different ingredients. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, believed in two pillars of mental health, the ability to love and the ability to work.
For Nowak, exploring space was not just a job, it was her life. However, after the anticipated mission in July ’06, it was all over. She had no more goals in life. She felt as if her work (thus the meaning in her life) was over.
She separated from her husband and lost her lover, Oelefein, around the same time. She felt her love life was doomed. She lost both pillars of mental health all together, expediting the process of her mental breakdown.
Let’s go little deeper and try to use Freudian terms to examine her life. It’s likely that many people have heard the terms “id,” “ego,” and superego,” but what are they? The Id is what you want to do, after ignoring all the consequences of the behaviors. The superego is the super rigid and upright part of us and the ego is a mediator, trying to settle disputes between id and superego by taking a middle path. Thus, mental health requires a strong ego.
In Nowak’s case, her id screamed “I want to be and will be with Oefelein!” Her superego howled back “No, no, don’t be silly. I have to be perfect at work, love and being a mother!” In an ideal situation, her ego should have said “I want to be with Oefelein, but it is not happening, and I am happy with what I have now, and I can go on.” But her mental health was not in a good shape. Her ego failed to defend against the attacks from id and superego.
Hillary Clinton is another very successful woman who had her life all together. But suddenly, she was put into a center of public humiliation by her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton must have had very strong urges and a wish to get rid of Lewinsky. But she did not go after Lewinsky to get rid of her. She managed not to assault Lewinsky or not to do anything unreasonable, she did not act out on her id, and her ego managed her impulses, which saved her from further public humiliations. She earned the public’s support instead, putting the incident behind her and stepped forward to make her life even better with “eros,” which will be discussed later. This example illustrates once again why mental health requires a strong ego.
So, is there a name for the conflict among id, ego and superego? Yes, it is called “intrapsychic conflict”, and “defense mechanism” another famous piece of Freudian lingo, promptly comes in to rescue us. So what exactly is defense mechanism? It is the ego’s way to resolve intrapsychic conflict. There are many forms, and Nowak could have used repression, denial, projection, regression, fantasy, rationalization, (sublimation). Definition of these defense mechanisms can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanism.
Here is how some of these defense mechanisms are applied to her case.
Projection- She wanted to steal Oefelein back from Shipman. But the thought was undesirable, she projected that feelings onto Shipman, thinking Shipman wanted to steal Oelefein from her, so she wanted to stop her.
Rationalization- Astronauts wear adult diapers in space, so she rationalized the idea of wearing a diaper for another occasion when she can’t use bathroom. After love/sexual impulse got involved, she had lost her ability to test the reality because she was in a fixed delusional state.
Regression- Dependency on diaper, loss of anal and bladder control. “I hate Shipman! I will and can get rid of her”, which is a very infantile impulse.
Sublimation- She created very passionate love letters, which could be a form of art. If she could have used this energy for something more productive, art, poem, music etc, it would have been the best.
Displacement- One fortunate aspect of this incident is that she did “not” use displacement. She did not take her anger on her children, (less powerful objects) as she has been reported to be a very good mother.
These are not really difficult, right? After all, we all use defense mechanisms unconsciously in our daily lives. Ok, let me introduce one more set of Freudian concepts, “eros” and “thanatos.” Eros is a positive self-preserving energy, enabling the individual to share and achieve unity. Thanatos is a death instinct that compels humans to engage in risky and destructive behaviors that could lead to death (personal death), the ultimate release from the tension of life.
Nowak had many hobbies. But after the heavenly high in the space, they became too dull to enjoy. She was driven by the dark side of her success by thanatos in order to get away from the tension from both her life after the mission and the love triangle, instead of making use of her success with eros. In the end, her thanatos defeated eros completely, causing the deadly episode.
One time exceptional success associated with the ultimate high feelings could make one’s continued life difficult. It makes us feel trapped in our past success, difficult to focus on the future. But there is a way to help eros beat thanatos. Kate Winslet once said that nothing she would do could top a success of Titanic, but she was happy because she knew she continued acting because she simply loved it. Winslet’s eros stayed strong, beating thanatos, helping her to go on with her continued life with a positive attitude by keep doing what she loves, without being trapped by destructive thanatos.
Understanding what affects our lives and how, (id, ego, superego, conscious, preconscious, unconscious, eros, thanatos and their interactions) could help us understand why we behave in a way we do and why we are driven to act out sometimes. Extreme stress and anxieties may weaken our ego strength, but with proper understandings of ourselves, we have power to realize the consequences of our behavior and work around the reality. When mental balance is shaken, examine your ability to love and work, resist the controlling id and remind yourself that you do not need to feel pressured by the superego. With ability to love and work, strong ego and eros, our chances of beating uncontrollable impulses and staying collected are optimized, and we can go on having sunnier lives!
Love can make us feel warm, happy and high. On the other hand, nothing in this world is more capable of making us feel depressed and miserable. The love/sex impulse can drive absolutely anyone crazy and insane no matter how smart and educated they are, but knowing how to deal with it may help us stay collected.
Lisa Nowak, 43, is a former astronaut for shuttle Discovery was smart, educated and extremely driven. She was capable of managing multiple difficult roles such as mother, wife, astronaut and, of course, a woman, until her affair with her coworker, Oelefein, 42, who left her for another female, Shipman, 30, caused the deadly episode she found herself embroiled in.
On February 5th 2007, she drove a thousand miles with multiple deadly weapons, wearing an astronaut’s diaper to discard bathroom stops, to confront Shipman at Orlando International Airport, in Florida. She followed Shipman in disguise (with a wig and a trench coat) and attacked her with pepper spray. She was caught and charged with attempted kidnapping, battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery and destruction of evidence (the attempted murder charge was later dropped). Her trial is coming up in September.
We would like to believe we can choose how we act by using logic. But sometimes we are driven by our uncontrollable impulses. Nowak’s crazy behavior was a result caused by her love/sex impulse, which is an extremely strong force.
So, was Nowak mentally insane? No, probably not. But certainly the main ingredients for stable mental health were missing from her life. Different theorists believe in different ingredients. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, believed in two pillars of mental health, the ability to love and the ability to work.
For Nowak, exploring space was not just a job, it was her life. However, after the anticipated mission in July ’06, it was all over. She had no more goals in life. She felt as if her work (thus the meaning in her life) was over.
She separated from her husband and lost her lover, Oelefein, around the same time. She felt her love life was doomed. She lost both pillars of mental health all together, expediting the process of her mental breakdown.
Let’s go little deeper and try to use Freudian terms to examine her life. It’s likely that many people have heard the terms “id,” “ego,” and superego,” but what are they? The Id is what you want to do, after ignoring all the consequences of the behaviors. The superego is the super rigid and upright part of us and the ego is a mediator, trying to settle disputes between id and superego by taking a middle path. Thus, mental health requires a strong ego.
In Nowak’s case, her id screamed “I want to be and will be with Oefelein!” Her superego howled back “No, no, don’t be silly. I have to be perfect at work, love and being a mother!” In an ideal situation, her ego should have said “I want to be with Oefelein, but it is not happening, and I am happy with what I have now, and I can go on.” But her mental health was not in a good shape. Her ego failed to defend against the attacks from id and superego.
Hillary Clinton is another very successful woman who had her life all together. But suddenly, she was put into a center of public humiliation by her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton must have had very strong urges and a wish to get rid of Lewinsky. But she did not go after Lewinsky to get rid of her. She managed not to assault Lewinsky or not to do anything unreasonable, she did not act out on her id, and her ego managed her impulses, which saved her from further public humiliations. She earned the public’s support instead, putting the incident behind her and stepped forward to make her life even better with “eros,” which will be discussed later. This example illustrates once again why mental health requires a strong ego.
So, is there a name for the conflict among id, ego and superego? Yes, it is called “intrapsychic conflict”, and “defense mechanism” another famous piece of Freudian lingo, promptly comes in to rescue us. So what exactly is defense mechanism? It is the ego’s way to resolve intrapsychic conflict. There are many forms, and Nowak could have used repression, denial, projection, regression, fantasy, rationalization, (sublimation). Definition of these defense mechanisms can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanism.
Here is how some of these defense mechanisms are applied to her case.
Projection- She wanted to steal Oefelein back from Shipman. But the thought was undesirable, she projected that feelings onto Shipman, thinking Shipman wanted to steal Oelefein from her, so she wanted to stop her.
Rationalization- Astronauts wear adult diapers in space, so she rationalized the idea of wearing a diaper for another occasion when she can’t use bathroom. After love/sexual impulse got involved, she had lost her ability to test the reality because she was in a fixed delusional state.
Regression- Dependency on diaper, loss of anal and bladder control. “I hate Shipman! I will and can get rid of her”, which is a very infantile impulse.
Sublimation- She created very passionate love letters, which could be a form of art. If she could have used this energy for something more productive, art, poem, music etc, it would have been the best.
Displacement- One fortunate aspect of this incident is that she did “not” use displacement. She did not take her anger on her children, (less powerful objects) as she has been reported to be a very good mother.
These are not really difficult, right? After all, we all use defense mechanisms unconsciously in our daily lives. Ok, let me introduce one more set of Freudian concepts, “eros” and “thanatos.” Eros is a positive self-preserving energy, enabling the individual to share and achieve unity. Thanatos is a death instinct that compels humans to engage in risky and destructive behaviors that could lead to death (personal death), the ultimate release from the tension of life.
Nowak had many hobbies. But after the heavenly high in the space, they became too dull to enjoy. She was driven by the dark side of her success by thanatos in order to get away from the tension from both her life after the mission and the love triangle, instead of making use of her success with eros. In the end, her thanatos defeated eros completely, causing the deadly episode.
One time exceptional success associated with the ultimate high feelings could make one’s continued life difficult. It makes us feel trapped in our past success, difficult to focus on the future. But there is a way to help eros beat thanatos. Kate Winslet once said that nothing she would do could top a success of Titanic, but she was happy because she knew she continued acting because she simply loved it. Winslet’s eros stayed strong, beating thanatos, helping her to go on with her continued life with a positive attitude by keep doing what she loves, without being trapped by destructive thanatos.
Understanding what affects our lives and how, (id, ego, superego, conscious, preconscious, unconscious, eros, thanatos and their interactions) could help us understand why we behave in a way we do and why we are driven to act out sometimes. Extreme stress and anxieties may weaken our ego strength, but with proper understandings of ourselves, we have power to realize the consequences of our behavior and work around the reality. When mental balance is shaken, examine your ability to love and work, resist the controlling id and remind yourself that you do not need to feel pressured by the superego. With ability to love and work, strong ego and eros, our chances of beating uncontrollable impulses and staying collected are optimized, and we can go on having sunnier lives!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Remember How They Lived
By Sharon Moran
If only I had the right words to express my fears and sadness following the recent events at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, I don't. In times such as these, no words can truly express the complexity of human emotion that occurs in response to such a tragedy.
I cancelled my cable many months ago, so I no longer get the wildly addictive channels like CNN that I would usually watch when such a tragedy unfolds. I had to rely on the Internet and the AOL stories I get when I login to learn about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As I get older, I pride myself on not crying, so I thought for sure I’d be able to escape a crying episode when I logged onto AOL and started clicking through the pictures of the victims. I was fine, or so I thought, until I reached the picture of a poised and elegant Emily Hilscher sitting atop a beautiful, brown horse. I’m an animal lover, thoroughbred owner, and on-again, off-again vegan, so this picture sent me over the edge. Seeing the relationship between humans and the animals they love is as powerful and moving as the relationships between fellow humans. I managed to look through the remaining pictures with tear-filled eyes, incredibly grateful that I would be spared repetitive images of the same events as network television often handles such tragedies.
Time is eventually accompanied by healing, but along the way, time can create more pain. When a loved one passes away, in the days immediately following that person’s death, it is possible to be comforted by having just seen that person yesterday or two days ago. One week after a death is certainly a milestone, and when one month passes, a feeling of disbelief sets in as you reflect on the fact that you lived a whole month without seeing or hearing your departed loved one. One year is another milestone of disbelief, but fortunately by that time most of night terrors and difficult breathing episodes that sometimes accompany them have stopped. Still, though, time passing creates a fear, a fear that the memories will fade, and you’ll begin to forget.
I’ll spare readers the cliché of referring to Seung-Hui Cho as a “monster” or “deranged.” He was a troubled soul whose behavior was behaved in an extreme and horrific manner. It’s sad he ever felt it necessary to take his own life. No matter how desperate life might be, it’s all we have, and death is an unavoidable reality, so deliberately hastening death through suicide is difficult to comprehend. Cho’s suicide creates an unfinished type of closure for the victims’ families because even before they’ve had a chance to grieve, there is really no one left to blame.
I’ve heard one bit of advice numerous times, usually following such tragedies of monumental significance. Don’t dwell on the final desperate moments of the victims’ lives but remember them by how they live. Emily Hilscher was living the life I one day hope to achieve. She had the dream job I often fantasize about; she was an exercise rider for thoroughbred Trainer Moody Aylor. I don’t have clearly defined religious beliefs, but I’m somewhat spiritual, and I’d like to think when Emily Hilscher entered eternity she was greeted by a vibrant and galloping Barbaro.
For more from this talented writer, click here.
If only I had the right words to express my fears and sadness following the recent events at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, I don't. In times such as these, no words can truly express the complexity of human emotion that occurs in response to such a tragedy.
I cancelled my cable many months ago, so I no longer get the wildly addictive channels like CNN that I would usually watch when such a tragedy unfolds. I had to rely on the Internet and the AOL stories I get when I login to learn about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As I get older, I pride myself on not crying, so I thought for sure I’d be able to escape a crying episode when I logged onto AOL and started clicking through the pictures of the victims. I was fine, or so I thought, until I reached the picture of a poised and elegant Emily Hilscher sitting atop a beautiful, brown horse. I’m an animal lover, thoroughbred owner, and on-again, off-again vegan, so this picture sent me over the edge. Seeing the relationship between humans and the animals they love is as powerful and moving as the relationships between fellow humans. I managed to look through the remaining pictures with tear-filled eyes, incredibly grateful that I would be spared repetitive images of the same events as network television often handles such tragedies.
Time is eventually accompanied by healing, but along the way, time can create more pain. When a loved one passes away, in the days immediately following that person’s death, it is possible to be comforted by having just seen that person yesterday or two days ago. One week after a death is certainly a milestone, and when one month passes, a feeling of disbelief sets in as you reflect on the fact that you lived a whole month without seeing or hearing your departed loved one. One year is another milestone of disbelief, but fortunately by that time most of night terrors and difficult breathing episodes that sometimes accompany them have stopped. Still, though, time passing creates a fear, a fear that the memories will fade, and you’ll begin to forget.
I’ll spare readers the cliché of referring to Seung-Hui Cho as a “monster” or “deranged.” He was a troubled soul whose behavior was behaved in an extreme and horrific manner. It’s sad he ever felt it necessary to take his own life. No matter how desperate life might be, it’s all we have, and death is an unavoidable reality, so deliberately hastening death through suicide is difficult to comprehend. Cho’s suicide creates an unfinished type of closure for the victims’ families because even before they’ve had a chance to grieve, there is really no one left to blame.
I’ve heard one bit of advice numerous times, usually following such tragedies of monumental significance. Don’t dwell on the final desperate moments of the victims’ lives but remember them by how they live. Emily Hilscher was living the life I one day hope to achieve. She had the dream job I often fantasize about; she was an exercise rider for thoroughbred Trainer Moody Aylor. I don’t have clearly defined religious beliefs, but I’m somewhat spiritual, and I’d like to think when Emily Hilscher entered eternity she was greeted by a vibrant and galloping Barbaro.
For more from this talented writer, click here.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Virginia Tech
If only I had the right words to express my fears and sadness following the recent events at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, I don't. In this time of confusion and pain, our thoughts and prayers here at Hot Psychology are with the Virginia Tech community, the grieving friends and families affected, and the nation that mourns with them. May you eventually find comfort and peace and be strengthened by the horrific experiences that are unfortunately intermingled with the otherwise beautiful and promising experience of life.
Sharon Moran
Editor for My News, My Views
Sharon Moran
Editor for My News, My Views
Thursday, April 5, 2007
It’s My Body, Isn’t It?
By Sharon Moran
Many of the opposing headlines regarding the newly approved cervical cancer vaccine emphasize the fact that parental control will be taken away if the recently approved Gardasil vaccine becomes mandatory. It seems pretty clear at this point that the vaccine will be mandatory in many states given the huge conflicts of interest that exist between lawmakers and the pharmaceutical companies. Texas Governor Rick Perry is a clear example of this conflict of interest. Anything that promotes the pharmaceutical industry and can generate billions in income is considered a good thing. It’s a sad reality that profit is given greater importance than the health of Americans. What I haven’t seen discussed so far in any recent news articles are the rights of the preteen female getting the vaccination.
Opponents of the Gardasil vaccine claim that mandatory vaccination for an STD will encourage sexual activity in adolescents. While I ultimately don’t support forcing medical treatment on any human regardless of age, I also don’t support routine HPV vaccination, and it has little to do with the fears many conservatives have.
Admittedly, I’m anti-vax. I’m simply not inclined to believe the government regarding the Gardasil vaccine given their track record. They’ve introduced new vaccines just when certain diseases such as smallpox were all but eradicated. Then, they take credit for it and convince millions of Americans of the dire need for vaccinations. Outbreaks have occurred in 100% vaccinated populations as well, which clearly undermines the propaganda the government has been feeding Americans for decades. Also, the medical community over diagnosed polio in the years prior to introducing the polio vaccine by not using virology as a basis for confirming the presence of polio. Any child presenting with certain flu-like symptoms was hastily given a polio diagnosis. Manipulating diagnostic criteria and protocol for reporting resulted in more documented polio which provided the illusion of a sharper decline in polio following mass vaccinations.
Liberals criticize conservatives for being naïve. They claim that teens will have sex regardless of the abstinence-only messages their parents try to instill upon them. If we “allow” our children the freedom of deciding at what age to become sexually active, aren’t they as equally capable of making a decision regarding when, and if, they get vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease?
If a female doesn’t become sexually active until she is eighteen, there is little practicality in receiving an unnecessary vaccination six or seven years prior to that time. Why should an individual be forced to expose her growing body to an unneeded vaccine for six unnecessary years?
If a fourteen-year-old teen can walk into any abortion clinic without her parent’s consent, shouldn’t she also be allowed to make decisions about what toxins she injects into her body? While ultimately pro-choice, the entire pro-choice movement’s deceptive emphasis on women’s reproductive health irritates me. Females contract HPV from “someone.” That someone, in many cases, is probably male. Why aren’t we lining up our 11-year-old boys for mandatory HPV vaccinations to reduce the prevalence of the HPV virus circulating from one warm body to the next? Why use our teen girls as guinea pigs? The most amusing aspect of any discussion involving vaccines is that Europe uses the U.S. as a basis for policies regarding vaccinations. After years of observing the effects of vaccines in the U.S. population, they make decisions regarding what toxins (oh, I mean vaccines) to make universal. And they have a much more narrow range of “required” vaccines.
Almost all medical experts recommend that both individuals in a relationship get STD-testing prior to initiating sexual activity. (I’m not sure of the protocol for orgies, but let’s focus on sexual relationships involving just two adults.) You read that right, BEFORE you lie horizontally (or vertically, if you have bad sex education and think you can’t get pregnant standing up) you and your partner should get screened for STDs for the health and well being of each other. Hardly anyone follows this advice because it would mean delaying sexual gratification for a period of time. It would eliminate the enjoyment of one-night stands, orgies, and clandestine affairs with your boss.
The upper-age recommendation for the vaccine is 26. What about the female who remains a virgin until she gets married and doesn’t get married until she’s 28? She would have been needlessly exposed to a vaccine for 17 years because the government told her what to do with HER body when she was a minor and wouldn’t admit her to public school unless she consented to be part of the new social and medical experiment called Gardasil.
According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of a woman developing cervical cancer in her lifetime is 1 in 117 or 0.8%. So the misguided logic of conventional medicine prefers that we vaccinate ourselves against a disease we only have a miniscule chance of developing. And we aren’t even guaranteed 100% vaccination. We’re only vaccinating against two strains that fail to account for 30% of the cases of cervical cancer, which I guess is ultimately insignificant given the fact that a female’s risk of developing cervical cancer is so remote anyway. If the cervical cancer vaccine were 100% risk-free, then it would be reasonable to vaccinate against this disease even though the risk of a woman developing cervical cancer is only 0.8%. However, the cervical cancer vaccine, like all vaccines, is not completely risk-free.
We can inject our bodies with toxins in the form of vaccines, which will lower our immune response. Decreased immune response results in an increased risk of cancer and other autoimmune disorders. But, remember, we have a 0.8% chance of getting cervical cancer, so let’s protect ourselves by increasing our risk of other forms of cancer through unneeded vaccinations. According to all the sources I’ve consulted Gardasil contains aluminum, a known toxin.
Let’s not forget that cancer is a complex disease, and a properly functioning immune system is the best defense against cancer. Diet and exercise are important components to maintaining a healthy immune system, so let’s use government logic and force everyone to eat food that is only organic and vegan in order to reduce the risk of cancer. Vaccinate if you wish, but ask yourself just how many “cancer vaccines” you’d be willing to introduce into your body if multiple vaccines were available? There is an upper limit to the number of vaccines the human body can tolerate, and mandating vaccination against a cancer that is pretty rare anyway is pretty insane, yet profitable which is why the recommendation exists.
Ultimately, any new mandates that are legislated will have little effect on me. I personally will decline Gardasil as I am above the current recommended age range for the vaccine, and I also don’t fit into any of the established risk categories. I reviewed the risk factors for getting HPV at the American Cancer Society website, and none apply to me. I didn’t have sex at an early age, and I have had one sexual partner whose only partner has been me. My risk is pretty much nonexistent, and even if I were HPV-positive, I’d still only have a 0.8% chance of developing cervical cancer in my lifetime. I see no reason to weaken my immune system further with an unneeded vaccine. I already have psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder likely caused by an overload on my immune system, which in part is caused by vaccines. I’ve been (pharmaceutical) drug-free with the exception of limited caffeine consumption for the last five years. I won’t be further exacerbating my immune response by a needless vaccination whose main purpose is to ensure that the pharmaceutical industry continues to remain a multi billion dollar industry.
For more from this talented writer, click here.
Many of the opposing headlines regarding the newly approved cervical cancer vaccine emphasize the fact that parental control will be taken away if the recently approved Gardasil vaccine becomes mandatory. It seems pretty clear at this point that the vaccine will be mandatory in many states given the huge conflicts of interest that exist between lawmakers and the pharmaceutical companies. Texas Governor Rick Perry is a clear example of this conflict of interest. Anything that promotes the pharmaceutical industry and can generate billions in income is considered a good thing. It’s a sad reality that profit is given greater importance than the health of Americans. What I haven’t seen discussed so far in any recent news articles are the rights of the preteen female getting the vaccination.
Opponents of the Gardasil vaccine claim that mandatory vaccination for an STD will encourage sexual activity in adolescents. While I ultimately don’t support forcing medical treatment on any human regardless of age, I also don’t support routine HPV vaccination, and it has little to do with the fears many conservatives have.
Admittedly, I’m anti-vax. I’m simply not inclined to believe the government regarding the Gardasil vaccine given their track record. They’ve introduced new vaccines just when certain diseases such as smallpox were all but eradicated. Then, they take credit for it and convince millions of Americans of the dire need for vaccinations. Outbreaks have occurred in 100% vaccinated populations as well, which clearly undermines the propaganda the government has been feeding Americans for decades. Also, the medical community over diagnosed polio in the years prior to introducing the polio vaccine by not using virology as a basis for confirming the presence of polio. Any child presenting with certain flu-like symptoms was hastily given a polio diagnosis. Manipulating diagnostic criteria and protocol for reporting resulted in more documented polio which provided the illusion of a sharper decline in polio following mass vaccinations.
Liberals criticize conservatives for being naïve. They claim that teens will have sex regardless of the abstinence-only messages their parents try to instill upon them. If we “allow” our children the freedom of deciding at what age to become sexually active, aren’t they as equally capable of making a decision regarding when, and if, they get vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease?
If a female doesn’t become sexually active until she is eighteen, there is little practicality in receiving an unnecessary vaccination six or seven years prior to that time. Why should an individual be forced to expose her growing body to an unneeded vaccine for six unnecessary years?
If a fourteen-year-old teen can walk into any abortion clinic without her parent’s consent, shouldn’t she also be allowed to make decisions about what toxins she injects into her body? While ultimately pro-choice, the entire pro-choice movement’s deceptive emphasis on women’s reproductive health irritates me. Females contract HPV from “someone.” That someone, in many cases, is probably male. Why aren’t we lining up our 11-year-old boys for mandatory HPV vaccinations to reduce the prevalence of the HPV virus circulating from one warm body to the next? Why use our teen girls as guinea pigs? The most amusing aspect of any discussion involving vaccines is that Europe uses the U.S. as a basis for policies regarding vaccinations. After years of observing the effects of vaccines in the U.S. population, they make decisions regarding what toxins (oh, I mean vaccines) to make universal. And they have a much more narrow range of “required” vaccines.
Almost all medical experts recommend that both individuals in a relationship get STD-testing prior to initiating sexual activity. (I’m not sure of the protocol for orgies, but let’s focus on sexual relationships involving just two adults.) You read that right, BEFORE you lie horizontally (or vertically, if you have bad sex education and think you can’t get pregnant standing up) you and your partner should get screened for STDs for the health and well being of each other. Hardly anyone follows this advice because it would mean delaying sexual gratification for a period of time. It would eliminate the enjoyment of one-night stands, orgies, and clandestine affairs with your boss.
The upper-age recommendation for the vaccine is 26. What about the female who remains a virgin until she gets married and doesn’t get married until she’s 28? She would have been needlessly exposed to a vaccine for 17 years because the government told her what to do with HER body when she was a minor and wouldn’t admit her to public school unless she consented to be part of the new social and medical experiment called Gardasil.
According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of a woman developing cervical cancer in her lifetime is 1 in 117 or 0.8%. So the misguided logic of conventional medicine prefers that we vaccinate ourselves against a disease we only have a miniscule chance of developing. And we aren’t even guaranteed 100% vaccination. We’re only vaccinating against two strains that fail to account for 30% of the cases of cervical cancer, which I guess is ultimately insignificant given the fact that a female’s risk of developing cervical cancer is so remote anyway. If the cervical cancer vaccine were 100% risk-free, then it would be reasonable to vaccinate against this disease even though the risk of a woman developing cervical cancer is only 0.8%. However, the cervical cancer vaccine, like all vaccines, is not completely risk-free.
We can inject our bodies with toxins in the form of vaccines, which will lower our immune response. Decreased immune response results in an increased risk of cancer and other autoimmune disorders. But, remember, we have a 0.8% chance of getting cervical cancer, so let’s protect ourselves by increasing our risk of other forms of cancer through unneeded vaccinations. According to all the sources I’ve consulted Gardasil contains aluminum, a known toxin.
Let’s not forget that cancer is a complex disease, and a properly functioning immune system is the best defense against cancer. Diet and exercise are important components to maintaining a healthy immune system, so let’s use government logic and force everyone to eat food that is only organic and vegan in order to reduce the risk of cancer. Vaccinate if you wish, but ask yourself just how many “cancer vaccines” you’d be willing to introduce into your body if multiple vaccines were available? There is an upper limit to the number of vaccines the human body can tolerate, and mandating vaccination against a cancer that is pretty rare anyway is pretty insane, yet profitable which is why the recommendation exists.
Ultimately, any new mandates that are legislated will have little effect on me. I personally will decline Gardasil as I am above the current recommended age range for the vaccine, and I also don’t fit into any of the established risk categories. I reviewed the risk factors for getting HPV at the American Cancer Society website, and none apply to me. I didn’t have sex at an early age, and I have had one sexual partner whose only partner has been me. My risk is pretty much nonexistent, and even if I were HPV-positive, I’d still only have a 0.8% chance of developing cervical cancer in my lifetime. I see no reason to weaken my immune system further with an unneeded vaccine. I already have psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder likely caused by an overload on my immune system, which in part is caused by vaccines. I’ve been (pharmaceutical) drug-free with the exception of limited caffeine consumption for the last five years. I won’t be further exacerbating my immune response by a needless vaccination whose main purpose is to ensure that the pharmaceutical industry continues to remain a multi billion dollar industry.
For more from this talented writer, click here.
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