Comments on: XXX Marks the Spot

By: yoshimi

yoshimi — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:39:22 +0000

Aside from saying really sad things about how we construct masculinity, I think this also says a lot about how we view aging. No one, not men or women, is allowed to just, you know, get older. Since when is middle age a medical condition?

By: margaret

margaret — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:16:45 +0000

You are probably right Sarah I hadn’t thought of that, most steroid users who get caught are probably only sorry they got caught! One might think lower testosterone levels in men would be a good thing, less aggression etc, but I doubt if they will ever see it that way (sigh). Its hard know where to draw the line maybe, for drugs to improve the human body in healthy ways and vs. drugs that feed on negative concepts or constructs .. I’m not saying that very well.

By: sarah.of.a.lesser.god

sarah.of.a.lesser.god — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:45:03 +0000

@margaret: To be honest, there are enough people who take substances that have negative connotations or side effects. I am thinking of botulism/Botox and how people inject toxins into their bodies just for wrinkles. I don’t know how much the thought of athletics and steroids will deter men from taking them.

By: margaret

margaret — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:56:08 +0000

I’m not really sure how popular this will be mass marketed to men though, with so many negative masculine athletic connotations associated with the term ‘steroids’ nowadays. Not to belittle anyones hormonal imbalance situations though, a human sense of wellbeing does depend on them. I picture this in the back of magazines with those ‘enlargers’ more than on prime time TV, but who knows, I hear the drug companys are getting desperate, with no new ‘little purple pills’ on the horizon.

By: baraqiel

baraqiel — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:14:11 +0000

Good lord, how much more fucked can our construction of masculinity get? Whatever, I’m just going to take this as yet another thing that guys do that amounts to them wearing a sign that says “Don’t have sex with me, or even treat me like a reasonable and sane human being”. Early warning systems are necessary in the modern world.

By: x. trapnel

x. trapnel — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:28:44 +0000

I think it’s a ‘this is your brain, this is your brain on evolutionary-psychology’ situation. Sigh.

By: sarah.of.a.lesser.god

sarah.of.a.lesser.god — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:25:49 +0000

@misscalculate: My issue is with the author in that particular instance, although I take great exception to a man who’s married being called “in a captivity situation” as Fisher does.

By: Preeti

Preeti — Sat, 23 May 2009 14:56:44 +0000

I read this article a couple days ago and I was aghast. *headdesk* was the only possible reaction.

By: misscalculate

misscalculate — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:02:22 +0000

I actually don’t see what’s wrong with Fisher’s quote (the part that’s actually in quotes and not the part that comes after). She’s just stating a fact drawn from studies on dopamine levels.

The author’s take is much more ridiculous.

By: AmandaS

AmandaS — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:38:34 +0000

*headdesk*