As inspired by a Daniel C. Dennett lecture There is a parasite called lancet fluke which has the unique procreative strategy of entering an ant’s brain and making it climb a blade of grass so as to increase the chances of it being consumed by herbivores, within which it reproduces. This creature is especially interesting in that its procreative strategy resembles that of memetic propagation. We can say that a meme is but an evolutionary leap from the gene and like all creations it turns on the creator to usurp and overcome him. The proclamation that “God is dead” saves Him from being murdered by His own creations. Having overcome His necessity, the child turns on the parent and surpasses His necessity. It’s a coming of age story, repeated through the ages. In a similar manner a meme turns on the gene that produced it, and feeds on it or makes it obsolete, with its superior procreative and adaptive potential. In this surpassing memetic propagation often replicates vertically rather than horizontally. In other words a meme often becomes parasitical while being, at the same time genetically unfit, on its own. An example is the meme which infects Shakers. Here the meme forces a celibate lifestyle and propagates itself by infecting minds outside its genetic pool. To put it another way the Shaker ideal, if followed to the letter, is a genetic dead-end, and can only hope to replicate itself by infecting minds outside its power – like a virus. Here we see a resemblance to homosexuality (A popular topic on this Forum of late, just like all topics focused on sexuality). Homosexuality is a genetic mutation that is unfit, in that it cannot genetically propagate itself directly but depends on symbiosis to survive. Here the genetic mutation of homosexuality is reliant on heterosexual procreation to come to be and then survive using parasitical strategies. In some ways homosexuality can be compared to a virus that infects the heterosexual procreative method, relying on it for its own existence and unable to replicate itself directly. Comments.
If homosexuality is genetic, there's a chance that it is a recessive gene, or perhaps a "switch" gene. Thus, it may have a 1/4 or 1/8 chance of being expressed in a child whose parents carry the gene. If so, then the gene will survive, despite the fact that homosexuals themselves may not reproduce. And even that is not guaranteed.
People with attractions to the same gender or both genders very often enter into marriage with a member of the opposite sex. And they have children. Or once in awhile, through artificial insemination. Therefore they can procreate. Whether they can pass on that trait directly is questionable. All the evidence thus far indicates that genetics only partially explains same-sex attraction. Identical twins have a less than 50% chance (more between 30 and 40) of both being gay, and lesbians have a smaller chance than that. This proves that homosexuality cannot be determined by genes alone.
This often happens simply to make the person acceptable, so they can fit in. Social acceptance is also like a virus. Though how this makes a person better or more "viable" is not apparent to me.
By "switch" do you mean it has variations in expression or may not be expressed at all, due to various factors?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_silencing Is that what James R means? I'm not sure. But anyway, we must be very careful not to attract either buddha1 or duendy to this thread. They will just troll and spam it, on the basis of the "patriarchal brainwashing" thing that they do. The whole "OMG NO WAYY THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS CAUSED BY GENSE". On another note, could this Fluke be similar, or used as a basis, to a zombie-causing parasite?
I'm not a biologist; I'm a physicist. But as I understand it, there are some genes which are not only recessive, but also can be "switched" on or off, depending on the presence or absence of other genes and probably other factors too. The expression of a trait coded for by such a gene happens roughly 1/2 as often as one would otherwise expect. But I could be wrong.
It would appear that homosexuality is a genetic mutation which results in same-sex attraction, or a social practice enabling social cohesion, stress-relief, through dominance displays, and is attempting to overcome its genetic unfitness through memetic procreative strategies. We must differentiate between these tow types of homosexual behavior. We cannot say just because in prison social constructs homosexuality is practiced that all prison inmates are homosexuals. We can say that, they exhibit homosexual behavior due to the artificial and constraining circumstances of their environment and because of the obvious symbolic significance of anal penetration. The Shakers, as infected with a meme that is unable, on its own to multiply – if it is adhered to religiously – and so must rely in infecting minds that are produced by memes with no such limitations. In a similar manner homosexuality - the phenomenon of being exclusively attracted to the same-sex and not its multiple appearances in unnatural, constricting environments, such as prisons where it serves symbolic power purposes – is a genetic mutation with no ability – if it is adhered to religiously – to replicate itself. It, therefore, relies on heterosexual procreation to enable its mutation and desires to achieve acceptability in an environment that tolerates all sorts of diversity. It also - as can be witnessed on this site - attempts to reinterpret sexuality so as to eliminate the deterministic obstacles and wants to make itself a viable alternative lifestyle, thusly becoming independent of heterosexual mutations and becoming memetic in its replication. The lancet fluke is a fascinating little parasite. It takes over another creature’s brain, it clouds its nature, it diverts its energies, for its own self-replicating strategies. In essence it usurps the ant’s genetic programming. The ant, when infected, begins acting unnaturally - that is against its genetic programming – and, confused, climbs the highest blade of grass, sacrificing itself for the ‘virus’ that has infected it. A virus, similarly, usurps t a creatures cellular functions and uses them to replicate itself, concluding in the death of the creature it infects. Homosexuality, in the same way, infects the social body, incapable of replicating itself, it usurps the human natural procreative strategies, diverts them, redefines them and threatens the social body’s survival and genetic health. It, not only attempts to reinterpret sexuality but invents new purposes for sex, that fit into its memetic interests. Homosexuality is genetically unfit, yet it replicates through chance, and becomes reproducible through social alterations. That both boys and girls can be made to play with the same toys – toys which are nothing more than social symbols – is irrelevant since children have yet to establish identity, let alone gender identity. Yet, still we see behavioral differences between boys and girls that grow more pronounced as they get older. It is during adolescence that gender identification becomes established and who one is attracted to is guided by natural selection, driven by the genetic program to procreate. Now, human intervention (memes) can divert and warp natural tendencies by imposing artificial (man-made) programs (morals, ideals) into the mind. As we all know, man’s memetic programming, sometimes threatens nature. Man becomes a virus that warps natural rules and methods and motives. Christianity and all religions rely on this tactic to limit natural human tendencies and placing rules against them, when they go against communal interests. So, it is, theoretically, possible to create homosexual practices through memetic force – such as in ancient Greek elite circles, where it flourished due to ideological influences. Does homosexuality occur in nature? Yes, but it is limited to social creatures, where we can say the group dynamics functions like a memetic force, forcing certain males to take on more feminine roles, because the group can only tolerate one dominate male. In our modern world, where institutions take over the position of dominate male, all males are forced into subordinate, effeminate positions, thusly making them more feminine in their social strategies and behaviors and thusly making homosexuality acceptable behavior.
