I've been pondering this question for a long time, and I think I've developed a reasonable hypothesis.
Assumption: All aspects of human behaviour are the result of evolutionary process, including social conventions, abstract concepts, and social structures. Nature doesn't keep things around unless they are somehow useful in an evolutionary framework.
Hypothesis: Gays (inclusive) are socially advantageous because they supply a small population of adults who are typically unencumbered by the work of child rearing. At times there are sudden increases to the necessary workload of a social group due to environmental pressures. If all adults were encumbered by child rearing then there would be no additional people to deal with these periodic increases to necessary work without sacrificing the well being of children.
During times of normal activity levels, the population of unencumbered adults are freer to pursue optional activities which advance technology, liberal arts, and other fields of endeavour which are not strictly required for survival and species propagation.
Discuss!
1 comment:
Thanks for the thoughts, bstewart23. I don't think that political or social bonding is what makes people gay. Being more-or-less exclusively attracted to their own gender does. I'm kind of sketchy around the current fashions of identity politics. I was gay long before I knew the word or went to a bar. The role of gays in society has been what it is since time immemorial; since long before academics decided to deconstruct us for fun an profit. We've always been the mystics seeing the underlying ambiguity of existence.
I think your point about our role in beautifying the world (us included) is well made. That's what I meant to communicate about what we do when we're not riding in and saving the day for the poor overwhelmed heteros and their crying children.
Anyhoo, one final note: "not in a nonstalkery fashion" - being a double negative - indicates that it was in a stalkery fashion. Perfectly fine, of course. I've always wanted a stalker and my Canadian pre-husband doesn't want the job. Ha ha.
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