Bruce Jenner
Bruce Jenner revealed the deep secret he'd been harboring for years last night "I'm a republican" he said!" And then followed with "I believe in the constitution." Diane Sawyer looked startled for a moment and asked incredulously "Your a republican?" Clearly, a man becoming a woman was something to celebrate. But, a man who believes in the constitution and therefore sees republicanism as the most reasonable expression of that belief, is probably a sick bastard. Not for his gender confusion, that's good, but, because of his political leanings. Only a sick mind could conceive of such things! But she pushed forward anyway, carefully hiding her contempt beneath layers of make-up and a judicious use of the camera's soft focus lens.
I remember Bruce Jenner winning the Olympic Gold like it was a mere 40 years ago. Not really! In truth, it seems like a much shorter period of time. When Jenner first emerged in the public eye, he was boyish, handsome and considered by many to be the best athlete in the world. He also had an affable personality that made him perfect for television. After an initial burst of fame, he appeared to fade into anonymity, at least that's how it seemed to me.
Fast forward a few decades, and suddenly, there he was again, older, but still looking relatively youthful for his age, with one exception, his nose. It was smaller, almost pinched. It looked, basically, like Michael Jackson's nose. Meaning, too small for his face and almost feminine. I remember thinking "His new nose makes him look like an older woman." Little did I know.
At the time Jenner stated in an interview that he had always hated his nose. This seemed odd to me, since his nose fit his face nicely. It was neither too big nor too small. "Why the preoccupation with the nose" I thought. Michael Jackson appeared to have a similar issue. Although, Jackson seemed to be interested in transitioning into a Caucasian version of Diana Ross. Perhaps, that was his gender confusion, with the addition of race complicating things.
Inevitably, the behavior of both men appeared abnormal. The problem with calling something abnormal, though, is it implies for many, a sickness, a mental illness. You could say that a blind or deaf person was disabled, but, not mentally ill.
Generally, we conclude that people who suffer with a disability are brave for living with a such a disadvantage. And, I believe that to be right. I also believe that's essentially how we should look at trans-gender folk. Since, at its core it appears to be primarily, but not exclusively, biological. The old Freudian model of mental illness, rooted deeply in our experience, represents a vital, if limited view of what we call for better or worse"Mental health."
The old body vs. mind paradigm probably needs to be rethought, too. As does, the even older paradigm of sin. Primarily as it's articulated through a European translation of biblical norms. I'm not espousing getting rid of the word sin. Nor am I suggesting that we should redefine its meaning for political correctness sake. Only that, we should return to its ancient Hebrew roots if we want to understand its real meaning. And, we should leave Bruce Jenner and others like him out
of the equation while we do it. For the sake of all who suffer, including trans gender people.
Mark Magula
Fast forward a few decades, and suddenly, there he was again, older, but still looking relatively youthful for his age, with one exception, his nose. It was smaller, almost pinched. It looked, basically, like Michael Jackson's nose. Meaning, too small for his face and almost feminine. I remember thinking "His new nose makes him look like an older woman." Little did I know.
At the time Jenner stated in an interview that he had always hated his nose. This seemed odd to me, since his nose fit his face nicely. It was neither too big nor too small. "Why the preoccupation with the nose" I thought. Michael Jackson appeared to have a similar issue. Although, Jackson seemed to be interested in transitioning into a Caucasian version of Diana Ross. Perhaps, that was his gender confusion, with the addition of race complicating things.
Inevitably, the behavior of both men appeared abnormal. The problem with calling something abnormal, though, is it implies for many, a sickness, a mental illness. You could say that a blind or deaf person was disabled, but, not mentally ill.
Generally, we conclude that people who suffer with a disability are brave for living with a such a disadvantage. And, I believe that to be right. I also believe that's essentially how we should look at trans-gender folk. Since, at its core it appears to be primarily, but not exclusively, biological. The old Freudian model of mental illness, rooted deeply in our experience, represents a vital, if limited view of what we call for better or worse"Mental health."
The old body vs. mind paradigm probably needs to be rethought, too. As does, the even older paradigm of sin. Primarily as it's articulated through a European translation of biblical norms. I'm not espousing getting rid of the word sin. Nor am I suggesting that we should redefine its meaning for political correctness sake. Only that, we should return to its ancient Hebrew roots if we want to understand its real meaning. And, we should leave Bruce Jenner and others like him out
of the equation while we do it. For the sake of all who suffer, including trans gender people.
Mark Magula