What Makes Straight People Straight?

[David Zephyr]

Seriously.

Why do older men and women, who can not procreate, still have desires for each other...long after biology has faded away?

An earlier thread here at the DU suggests that this parallel question be addressed?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2199001

[benburch]

1. A lack of imagination...

speaking as an out bisexual, of course...

[Vickers]

18. Hahahaha! Great answer!

:toast:

[Guy_Montag]

2. IMHO

I guess we evolved to find the opposite sex attractive so we would mate with them & our genes would be passed on to the next generation.

[kentuck]

3. Peer pressure ?

:)

[DrWeird]

4. The heterosexual agenda.

It's infiltrated our schools and is poisoning the minds of our childen.

[Stephanie]

5. I don't know, it's just the way I've felt since my earliest memory

My mother thinks it's because she used to make me wear dresses and patent leather shoes.

[WilliamPitt]

6. Boobies

For me, anyway. :)

[MurrayDelph]

14. Me, too.

Straightens me out every time.

I'm a sucker for a nice pair.

(Sorry)

[NoPasaran]

26. Yeah, they do it for me every time

That, and a total lack of fashion sense.

[Misunderestimator]

30. Me too... oh wait... this is the straight thread...

never mind :)

[randome]

7. Good posture.

[David Zephyr]

23. Straight Posture vs. Erect Posture?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[daveskilt]

8. I think some people are just born that way

my brother tried really hard to be gay but eventually had to just admit the truth to himself that he was straight. It was a hard transition he was in art school at the time and risked loosing many friends when he came out as not gay.

[CO Liberal]

9. Personally, This Is What I Believe

Everybody is born one of three ways - straight, gay, or bi-sexual. Since the bi-sexual folks can go either way, this explains the so-called "ex-gays".

Just MHO.

[GliderGuider]

33. Close, but I think it's more subtle than that

My opinion is that there is a continuum from "straight" to "gay", and everyone is born somewhere on it, with mix of innate degrees of attraction to both sexes. Cultural conditioning and personal effort can move us a bit one way or the other, but our general position on the spectrum is genetically predetermined.

My girlfriend has a lovely t-shirt that takes off the Dove soap logo using the word "Love". The slogan is "88% Straight".

[Selwynn]

35. Everyone is bi-sexual by nature. Your context moves you in whatever way..

..you move...

[RodneyCK2]

10. I still believe in a more Kinsey-esq definition...

that no one is pure, 100%, either way. We are all on the scale somewhere. It is the other factors of life that may mask/prohibit someone's desire, their curious yearnings, to discover the forbidden fruit.

[dr.strangelove]

11. God does

[dr.strangelove]

13. Seriously, its natural

for straight people to maintain their sexual identity for life. Its as natural as it is for a gay or bi-sexual to keep their sexual identity for life.

I'll grant you some straight people are not being true to themselves, but those that are, its natural to keep at it regardless of age or fertility.

[slinkerwink]

12. their mullets and wifebeater t-shirts

[lastliberalintexas]

15. Re-bar?

Sorry, I know that was a lame attempt. :spank:


:hi: anyway David

[AngryAmish]

16. Evolutionary biology would say

it strengthens group and pair bonds, and bonded grandparents would be interested in helping to support grandkids, keeping their genes alive. I think. this is way outside my expertise.

[chiburb]

17. It's in the jeans.... n/t

[Cheswick2.0]

19. a bad relationship with the parent of the same and/or

opposite sex?

Ummm...better toasters?

[Lex]

20. Purely marketing and propaganda.

I mean, have you ever seen how the "straight lifestyle" is depicted sooo much in TV, print ads, music, books, etc.?

I think people are just responding intense corporate marketing--I mean, straight people are the ultimate tools of the corporate marketing strategies because they need them to make new babies who grow up to consume their products and thus perpetuate the corporate control of America.

/sarcasm

[Geo55]

21. Vitamins ?

[Nikki Stone 1]

22. Why aren't all women gay? ;)

:)

(I mean, men leave the seat up and most of them don't know how to operate a vacuum cleaner.)

If only it were a choice...

(Sigh) ;)

[Inland]

24. Old age also brings bad eyesight

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. Poor fashion sense :)

[VOX]

27. Healthy, loving sex feels good, regardless of age or orientation...

The desire to give love (and to be loved) in that intimate, special was just never gets old, even as we age.

I would even venture to say that sex actually improves with age, as the entire brain becomes engaged -- the act evolves into something far more soulful than an adolescent genital urge.

[buycitgo]

28. maybe......

this?

[demwing]

29. I can't speak for others, but for me

Beautiful and intelligent women make me straight. Meowr!

I've tried to change my orientation through therapy and even drug treatment, but nothing works. I guess I was just born this way...

[tom_paine]

31. Probably the same thing that makes gay people gay

Whatever combination of genetic predisposition and environment gets together at some point and imprints.

For most human beings, I presume, there was NEVER a choice.

One day about the age of 10 I woke up and discovered that grls were "arousing". This feeling increased over the years.

I imgaine it's much the same for gay people. This is not to say that that it is all genetics, but whatever combination of genetics/environment it is, the process of "sexual selection" takes place largely beneath the surface and without a person's participation.

Yep. It could be said that one day you wake up and KNOW wqhat truns you on.

gays, straights alike.

[Fleshdancer]

32. Why isn't everyone bisexual? Seriously.....

Why do people have a genital preference prior to falling in love?

[Selwynn]

36. Because of context - we start bi-sexual, and our context moves us...

..in whatever direct we move.

[Fleshdancer]

39. do you think we really start out as bisexual?

if it's just a matter of context, then how would a person living in a strict, religious, closed minded family and community end up gay?

[Selwynn]

42. I think we start out neutral, able to love either way

I don't think its just a matter of context, though. My experience with my own emergence from "closed minded family and community" was that I was exposed to other contexts that had a more significant affect on me than family ever did.

[theboss]

41. I don't think there is any proof of that statement

There is proof that our wiring from birth leads us towards a sexuality and there is some evidence that events/environment can play a role. But I've never seen anything that shows we are essentially neutral at birth.

[Selwynn]

43. There's little "proof" of anything in this area

There is speculative and fragmentary evidence from which tentative ideas can be suggested. There is not "proof" that is not undisputed that our wiring determines our sexuality. There is speculation, limited evidence, but not conclusive evidence - we're not a proof yet.

[theboss]

37. Probably because men are ugly

Have you ever been in a men's locker room? Sweet fancy Moses. Especially, the guys in their 60s who love to parade around with their junk hanging out for twenty or thirty minutes.

I'm telling you, it's a scary freaking place.

[Fleshdancer]

38. ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Point taken. So why aren't all women gay? lol

[theboss]

40. Beats the hell out of me.....

I have no idea why a woman would want one of our smelly hairy bodies on top of them. But God bless 'em for it.

[KamaAina]

34. Our quiet yet effective recruitment campaign.

Notice how we've managed to subtly infiltrate straight couples into sitcoms, movies, novels and the like, without any hue and cry from the public. Sneaky? Underhanded? Yes -- but look how well it works. Polls indicate that heteros may now in fact be the majority in crucial swing states.

Now you know why we don't need to give away toasters or anything like that.

:-)