Elon Musk is a twat

[SerendipityJane]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/07/elon-musk-women-testosterone

Your posts often make me laugh marie, bet you are good fun irl

@hamstersarse Oooh, it is interesting! I definately noticed a difference in the way I think after children versus before. I think it made my situational awareness shoot up for example, but also made me much more upset at the thought of things being hurt (obviously I never liked it, Im not a psychopath). It would be really interesting to see that studied properly - maybe if women took cognitive reasoning and EQ tests before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after pregnancy for example. Then I would know whether the differences were real or just in my head.

I do think hormones (all hormones) influence our behaviour and emotions. Its just that that gets reduced, in an incredibly unscientific way, to "testosterone = rationality; oestrogen=emotion" and repeated as a meme by people with no curiosity about the actual truth. Its the exact opposite of how good science works.

Anyway back to hormones. In my idealistic brain it's all "different not better" and there are pros and cons.

Men do take more risks and as a result they are more likely to die in accidents or in violence. Because they don't always think through the consequences effectively.

Women do put others first and act more nurturingly and as a result are convinced giving birth is a great idea even though its highly risky with life altering consequences (no judgement, I have children).

Human society is so successful because it takes all sorts and all approaches have pros and cons. The blend is powerful. Musk in his supremacist, overly simplified world view appears to forget that.

Also of course, while the argument is that testosterone makes people more impulsive, (or more decisive potato, patahto) and less reflective, most philosophers and thinkers tend to be very self reflective, and spend a lot of time thinking things through or examining their own thoughts. Often to the point of neurosis. "Acting on instinct" is the opposite to critical thinking (although useful in certain situations, if 2 people see a tiger in the bush the person that runs away survives. The person contemplating whether it is an actual tiger, or merely a shadowy version of the platonic ideal of a tiger gets to be lunch).

Obviously what I'm suggesting is a generalisation but there is definitely something to it, whether we like that or not.

I think testosterone removes a lot of 'noise', so things are a bit more black and white without the more subtle things that women are considering.

There's very little research on the effect of hormones on women, even the endogenous ones and even less so with menopausal women.

There seems to be some indication that testosterone has a neuroprotective effect for menopausal women against dementia for example.

Anyone who's experienced PMT will know that hormones definitely affect how you think.

It's interesting because the stereotype is women are "overthinkers". When a woman does it, its neurotic. When a man does it, its philosophy 😂

Its all underpinned by sexism in my opinion.

"When a woman does it, its neurotic. When a man does it, its philosophy"

I am so using that in real life

All drugs have unpleasant side effects.

Fuck drugs, have you seen what a really strong curry can do ?

🤣🤣 I actually think curry spices are a bit drug like. I definitely feel great after a hot curry. When I'm getting a cold I crave curry and usually feel loads better after.

Thank you! and it's funny you said 'good fun irl' because I was just thinking that my urge to post something funny regardless [well, not quite regardless, I do have a glimmer of self-awareness!] is typical of where I'm from irl - IRL.

Humour is used in the oddest of settings in Irish life - I've had really funny interactions with friends even at my parents' funerals, and I knew that their humour was a sign of affection and support, not disrespect. And that my parents would have laughed too.
Having lived abroad, including the UK, for years, I'm aware that not everyone shares the broadness of our definition of appropriate humour, so I'd hate to come across as trivialising a serious subject with a funny post.

And yes of course I'm a laugh a minute irl, never a dull moment..😏

I actually have PMDD so very aware that hormones affect me/other women.

The part I don't agree with is the value judgement. I'd argue mens hormones affect them just as much. Look at the number of men who lose their careers, relationships and status because their penis takes over their capacity for rational thought.

Interesting. It's probably why women get to a certain age and stop giving fucks about stuff too.

They need to be mined, and they need a lot of them. Mining them is no more environmentally positive than other forms of mining, it devastates the landscape - there are proposals now in Canada for mines for EV minerals that are tarsand scale, in sensitive ecological areas.

And these are heavy cars - sometimes twice as heavy - that use a lot of tires and do a lot of damage to roads and infrastructure.

Reducing environmental questions to carbon emissions is incredibly reductive.

Someone wrote about their theory and he said it was interesting.

Is that what you're referring to?

Because you made it sound like his theory and I wondered if you were unused to how quoting works on social media.

To be fair the guardian presented it as his theory too, but ... well it's the guardian. It's not been reliable for some time now.

I noticed some years ago that I had some pretty significant differences in my work when I was at the higher testosterone phase of my cycle. I don't know if I was less risk adverse, but I was absolutely more energetic, or maybe decisive - action-oriented is how I'd describe it.

I'm right now in terrible hormonal fluctuations with menopause but I am kind of hoping the productivity increase might be at the other end of it.

I also used to find some of the hormone action around caring-mothering quite overwhelming. My youngest was born when that had abated somewhat and interestingly I think it made for better parenting. It reminded me a lot of what you see with livestock. A young first time mother cow or sheep can often be quite anxious, whereas an old mother is pretty chill, but in the end often a much better mother.

A someone who has done both philosophy, and been an over-thinker, I would say these are really quite different processes. Whether it's men or women doing them.

They don't even feel like they are the same part of the brain.

I wondered if you were unused to how quoting works on social media.

To be fair that is a good point. I may have learned it wrong when I started posting on USENET in 1984. I shall have to check my notes.

He said it was an interesting observation, not interesting theory. He's either not very clever and struggles to articulate his thoughts, or he thinks the theory in question is observable fact.

I love it when people say Elon Musk isn’t very bright

it’s birdseye potato rofls

I'm shocked by his tweet to TS. It's the type of comment you'd expect from a teenager in the 80s.

Funny. I am neither shocked, nor surprised. It's bang-on brand.

They are different processes. But done by the same sorts of people!

Musk's rockets are just willy waggling

Bump

Women are as high IQ or more IQ than him. Reality is mothers give the IQ to their progeny, it isn't the male who does that the sperm doesn't carry the iq. So any man gifted with a high IQ needs to be grateful to their mothers. So if a man says woman can't have such an IQ they are only demonstrating their brains aren't computing despite of the gift of IQ from their mothers.
👌totally true