I endorse this entry, but come on, we all know pepperoni is the only true pizza.

I'm hungry now.

I don't like pizza. Am I a non-human?

All well and dandy until opinions that limit the ability of another person come into play. It is just some people's "opinion" that women are inferior to men. I can't and won't empathize with that, because it's destructive and hurts other people. This is a good entry with a legitimate point, but it also needs to realize that there are destructive opinions that should not be tolerated.

Here's a question, though. I recently stated that male and female brains are wired to handle emotional memory differently. As far as I was concerned that was an objective statement. Granted, I used it to support a stereotype that I don't universally adhere to but conditionally adopted since it put me into a healthier emotional state for the situation presented to me, but I thought that the observation was objective. Unfortunately, I was told I was being hateful nevertheless.

Meanwhile, why has there been so much discussion about homosexuality - both direct and indirect - over BZPower for the last couple of days? It seemed to just all come out of nowhere.

I recently stated that male and female brains are wired to handle emotional memory differently. As far as I was concerned that was an objective statement.

Except that it's not, and that's scientifically false.

My sources were the books "The Male Brain" and "The Female Brain" by neuropsychiatrist Louann Brezendine, published in 2006. I didn't come up with the conclusion that the male and female brains were different and then look for evidence to support the claim. These are just things that I've read from sources that I assumed were based in current science, although while doing my research for this post I found out there there were some criticisms against the book. Still, I haven't really come across material that has directly contradicted what I have read thus far, though I admit I have not gone out of my way to research the subject. However, I still know for a fact that the male and female brain are different in subtle ways; I just don't fully understand how.

When I take a psychology class next semester, I hope I learn more about the human brain overall so that I may better be able to speak on the subject. Meanwhile, if anyone can provide me with reliable and current data, complete with sources, to give me a better understanding on these matters sooner rather than later, I'd be happy to do my research if given material to work with.

However, I still know for a fact that the male and female brain are different in subtle ways; I just don't fully understand how.

Well you're not wrong, you're just not right. Neurobiology and psychology are still-burgeoning scientific fields, and what we've learned is being constantly changed and grown. In psychology, we don't talk about male and female brains being different, because they're not, they're just brains. We use the word "tends" a lot. Females "tend" to do this, or "tend" to be like that. Because what we've discovered is that a lot of this stuff is cultural. Roles we traditionally associated with male or female are not innate, but culturally learned. But yes, there are ways in which males "tend" to store memory differently, or females "tend" to be more nurturing in social settings, but when we say "tend" we say it because studies show a 60% or so correlation, so 3 out of 5 women or men might tend that direction, while the rest don't. This stuff is a spectrum, usually.

It's all really really fascinating, and a psychology course on gender and sexuality, if your school offers one, is a must-take.