Quote from: Lisbeth on July 26, 2011, 12:57:26 PM
Curses and blessings are often the same things. The only difference in the amount of experience we have had with them and how we look at them.

I disagree entirely.  Curses and blessings are two completely different things.  Blessings are always blessings, while curses are only considered blessings long after the fact and after a greater understanding of how much one has gained from the experience has been reached.

Curses and blessings only seem similar because blessings are very rare and almost always unnoticed by the person experiencing them.  Humans have a tendency to remember the bad things that happen to them and forget the good things.

I'm directly of Native American blood and North American Indians are notorious for having bad luck and being complete drunkards; my entire line of ancestors grew up on plantations in complete poverty.

It's really, in my opinion, all about very fine tuned evolutional mindsets. With Native Americans for example, most Native tribes welcomed and required "Trans" identity clan members; it was a unique identity in Native times and often, these individuals became story tellers, child caregivers, and healers.

Over time, a certain population (especially a very close-knit, small population) can become almost genetically dependent on certain chemical structures and activities that stimulate the brain; with Native Americans, this required mentality happened to be "living off the land, living in free-minded tribes, and generally living by no rules other than respect for the fellow human and animal". This is pretty much what literally fueled the entire race of Natives; this particular lifestyle is what caused their brains to be receptive toward certain reward chemicals.

So naturally, with my own brain, my brain is actually hardwired to be prone to the chemical receptors that activate when I partake in activities that represent freedom, identity, exploration, success, love, and art. Some people just aren't designed to be as receptive to those activities. And quite naturally, from the age of 4, I always knew that I was a writer, a caregiver, a story teller, someone with a sense of adventure, and most of all, I knew that I was trans, and even at the age of 4, I was naturally proud of it more than any discriminatory person could convince me that it was wrong. It just felt natural to me.

For instance, Caucasian people are proven by fMRI's to be more receptive to religious ideals, the supernatural, if you will. Same goes for Blacks. This information starts to divide among Natives and Asians, two races who for thousands of years have never been religious and, at most, used supernatural thoughts as something of entertainment. This is why I feel Native Americans tend to have bad luck in the real world; you have an entire race of people who give less farts about modern Christianity or it's many ideals, and truly, anyone who's naturally Atheist is going to have a heck of a tough time growing up in America.

Quote from: RhinoP on July 26, 2011, 09:39:58 PM
For instance, Caucasian people are proven by fMRI's to be more receptive to religious ideals, the supernatural, if you will. Same goes for Blacks. This information starts to divide among Natives and Asians, two races who for thousands of years have never been religious and, at most, used supernatural thoughts as something of entertainment. This is why I feel Native Americans tend to have bad luck in the real world; you have an entire race of people who give less farts about modern Christianity or it's many ideals, and truly, anyone who's naturally Atheist is going to have a heck of a tough time growing up in America.

Any links to these studies?  I also have to wonder what tribe you descend from and what cultural ties you have.  I know Native people who are non-religious and I know Native people (both non-Christian and Christian) who take their religion very seriously.  I will also say that most everyone's brains are responsive to reward chemicals...Native people don't have a monopoly on alcoholics, drug users, over-eaters, etc.

Quote from: VeryGnawty on July 26, 2011, 06:43:58 AM
I remember reading some occult crap about the magical powers of menstruation.  It was ludicrous.

You are right.  This is exactly the same.  It is trying to take simple realities and imbue them with some sort of spiritual importance.  Transsexualism gives one no more power or importance than does an uncontrolled hemorrhage between the legs.

I fail to see how worshiping unwanted biological conditions is in any way productive.

Amen, how can one value what one wouldn't wish on their worse enemy? Compared to most women my transition was a breeze, but I know damn well that I would have been FAR better off being born with the correct equipment.