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gender differences
Joan Lorrine McCollom (joanie@leland.Stanford.EDU)
26 Apr 1995 19:31:54 -0700
I think it would be a problematic thing to use observations of other animals
(e.g. apes) to shed some light on the way humans are gendered. The most
apparent thing that comes to mind is the way, when we humans observe
animals, we explain what they do by constructing a narrative that we
understand. So, they're behavior is given meaning by us, so for us to
turn around to use them to uncover some kind of truth or reality about
us seems unreliable.
As a matter of fact, whenever I watch animal documentaries on public
television, I constantly see this going on. I've actually heard a duck
referred to as a "single mother."
Joanie
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