This was someones answer when someone else was wanting to find meaning and a point for living:
"It's less of a matter of there not being a point, and more of where that point comes from. The reason people can't find the meaning to life is because they are looking for something other than themselves to give them meaning.
But "meaning" is not an inherent property of the natural world. Meaning is a subjective aspect of intelligence.
If I ask you what "table" means you could give me definitions of what table means, because you have studied the English language. But "table" has no inherent meaning. It has an agreed upon social meaning. When I say "table" you know what it means, because you have agreed beforehand as to what it means.
Life is the same way. It has no inherent meaning. It means whatever you think it does."
Following is from a topic of gendqueer vs Andogyn:
Some people seem to use these two interchangeably, while to me genderqueer seems like more of a willful bending of
gender roles-more of a political act-to be publically genderbent.
And androgyne seemed more innate, like "This isn't a choice, this is who I am..."
That's why I don't like the term genderqueer for myself these days.
It used to be quasipolitical; or so I thought...but now it's about being at home in my own skin.
It's about being who I really am-about taking joy in myself.
-hylie random
they are both umbrella terms for non binary gendered people
and as such are to broad to use as an identity most gender
diverse people I've met IRL haven't heard the term androgyne
-Kinkly
I think in the end, whatever we call ourselves we should be
happy to explain what it means to us, because it's inevitable
that the meaning's going to be different from person to person.
-yoxi
I always figured that Androgyne meant something more like
"neither or in-between" genders, whereas genderqueer
implied a fluidity in gender identity.
-Yakshini
I've only heard genderqueer as an umbrella insult, while
genderfu*k implies intentionally raising eyebrows by
changing your appearance. Androgynuity is more
complicated but it's not normally done for the intention of...
trying to think of a better term... "trolling" the world.
-My Name Is Ellie
I always thought that Androgyne was someone who's
appearence was neither male nor female, but that they still
had a gender. As I've heard the terms Agender and Neutrois
for people who do not have any gender at all. Genderqueer
was more that you had a gender but it didn't fit within the
traditional male or female and Genderfunk was just a more
in your face version of Genderqueer.
-f1r3wire
Not real sure, about the queer part. Is it to mean gay or odd
or unconventional, or eccentric or conterfeit ?
-espo
Gender has no meaning or value if it is counterfeit.
Counterfeit gender is just a game, a trick, an amusement, an
act, a fraud, a deception, an imitation, artificial, bogus.
Be yourself, not a gender.
Being yourself is effortless and genuine.
Being yourself is REAL, not counterfeit.
In being yourself, in behaving in a manner which is natural to you,
whatever gender you are becomes self-evident.
-Emerald
I think of genderqueer as not fitting under the male or
female label. In my mind, androgyne would fall under this
heading. I'd describe the willful bending of genders as
gender->-bleeped-<-. It's interesting how we all seem to have
different definitions for these.
-Lee
Genderqueer covers a pretty wide range, and some
androgyne individuals may feel comfortable within that
range or overlapping with it.
-SydneyTinker
I used to see genderqueer as a performance and androgyne as an identity.
-Pica Pica
Hummmm.....that's interesting.
-espo
to me androgyne means something specific: the blending or
diffusion of binary genders, so you're not entirely one or the other.
whereas genderqueer means nothing specific: just that your
gender is "queer" somehow, and you're not saying exactly
how, but you're not saying it in a positive in-your-face kind of way.
-jenalex
I find that these terms mean different things for different people. It's all about what feels right.
-Jaimey
Re: Shedding some light
« Reply #47
Quote
Having read the whole thread today (for the first time), I have a short answer, and a long answer.
Short version: Androgyne is an umbrella term to describe anyone who does not identify as a male or a female.
Long version: There is an infinite variety of the way people perceive their gender. Most people, if you ask them, will say "I'm a male (boy, man, guy, dude, etc.)," others "I'm a female (girl, woman, princess, goddess, etc.)". These people are known as binary gendered people...they are one or the other. There are some people, however, who do not feel they fit so neatly in those two categories. They may be a mix of male and female (to varying degrees), both at the same time, neither, or their gender identities may float around all over the place. The people who aren't male or female are androgynes. There are as many sub-divisional categories of androgynes as there are people.
We all have a story to tell about how we came to understand that we weren't male or female. Most are very interesting and, amazingly enough, have a lot of points in common regardless of how we identify themselves.
A certain amount of irreverence seems to be another common trait. When one has spent a great deal of energy fighting against the societal pressure to conform to a male/female binary, a disregard of the gender rules inevitably follows. This also tends to spill over into many other areas of our lives. I tend to follow most of the rules of society that will keep me employed and out of jail, but generally consider the rest of them to be open to twisting, bending or breaking if the mood strikes me.
With the struggles to understand ourselves AND trying to explain why we aren't boys or girls, humor is a major coping mechanism. Given the choice to be in a constant state of rage over the injustice of being forced into a gender role that simply doesn't fit, or laughing at oneself and the incredible lengths people go to try to enforce "proper gender behavior", I'll take the laughter.
That doesn't mean there isn't still anger and frustration. Of course there is. But one gets so tired of fighting everyone. It's not that they are bad people, they simply don't understand. They can't comprehend the fact that we are happy outside the bounds of gender rules...and, truth be told, maybe just a little jealous.
Having finally cast off the roles and expectations of being a male, why in the world would I want to be subservient to the rules of being female? We are the Gender Outlaws. We are the free people who refuse to bow to the rigidity of historical gender rules. We are full of sh*t, and proud of it.
And yes, one does eventually reach the point of saying "F it". My "F it" response is usually followed by "This is who I am. If you don't like it, tough. You can be my friend, and accept me as I am, or you can go away and never bother me again. I'm not changing"
.....L
Just remember that androgynous is nothing more than a fashion statement.
You can look androgynous and not be Androgyn
You can be Androgyn and not look androgynous
If You are Androgyn and look androgynous, you don't.
You then look androgyn. Which can have a look of androgynous, but it isn't.
Most genius is acceptable because it can be stated in such a way that it can be understood to whatever degree of intelligence it is being used at.
Freak'n genius always run the risk of sounding like just so much bull->-bleeped-<- because Freak'n is a level that is hard for some others to work with.
This is just an Androgyn's view of the future that could be, but we all know it won't.
It is not an attempt to denigrate anyone. It is simply a view point.
All paths in life start in the Androgyn Forest.
The origin of collective thoughts are started by a single Androgyn idea.
The farther away you get from the Androgyn Core, the worse life will get.
Someday (soon) all Political Parties will want to be called Androgyn, as will countries.
The world will be almost entirely, totally Androgyn, and everyone will declare them selves one.
Simply being androgynous will not do, they will find that they are and always have been...Androgyn.
Binary Transgengers will come to the realization that they are at the fringes, the edges of being Transgender and that the bulk of Transgenders are actually Non-Binary Androgyn's. (This is from a Androgyn point of view, I fully realize that binaries view points run even to the point of we don't exist.)
Binary Transgenders will also realize that all the labels and boxes don't mean a thing if you're not having fun with them. They will realize labels are nothing but the name of the path they are on.
Gay and Lesbian, even Bi-sexual will of course still be cool for those who so wish, But, Transgenders is where the coolest people will be. GLB will exist, but, Trans will be were it's at.
12/21/2012 will really just turn out to be a reason to party
and we will, Androgyn Style! (just don't burn the forest down).
Go back to what ever it was you were doing.
When I identified as genderqueer, it was a fairly fluid place to me. I saw the gender binary, but picked and chose between the traits there to better fit who I was. I wasn't putting on a performance or trying to be political. I was just using binary gendered language to describe different aspects of myself.
When I stopped doing that, I became much more comfortable identifying as androgyne. At that point, I stopped viewing different aspects of my personality or behavior as "masculine" or "feminine." They just are. I'm not some mystical blend of arbitrary gender concepts. I'm me. I have whatever gender exists outside of culture and societal prescription.
Since the terms are fairly fluid and may be applied in multiple ways, though, I don't much worry about what they might mean to other people. They're just words. Words can't encompass the reality of a human.
-Lepidoptera
In any case, relax. It's not the end of the world...it's the beginning.
As you open yourself to possibilities,regardless of whether any of them happen,
you are free to actively chose your direction in life,not just be carried along with the current.
Laurry
There are so many things that have been just a type of freak'n genius that I have read in this section
If any of this seems unimportant or no big deal, there is a reason, there is a place I live in real life, Aspergers Spectrum
I am aware now of several people here, I'm sure there are more. I also got a nice note about someone who has a few
friends that are Aspergians (we get to say aspie's if we want, you shouldn't).
I hope you got even a little something after reading all of that. I read and reread them on occasions, they help me stay on track.
i, also known as ativan and other.
