people between the extremes of complete heterosexuality and complete homosexuality could "be helped".
Suggestions given for diverting femininity in boys were for the father to give masculine examples to the child... "take him to a ball game," for instance!
III--"Male and Female in American Culture"Jan. 12,1957.
Panel consisted of Margaret Mead, anthropoligist and writer; Max Lerner, journalist, historian and sociologist, and the moderator. The moderator introduced the subject by referring to the Life Magazine article on "The American Woman," her changing roles and responsibilities.
Miss Mead discussed the cultural factors of homosexuality in general...the institutionalization of an ordinary variation in sex drives. Lerner said, "Let's go back to these cultures that didn't have it...a simple culture?" Miss Mead couldn't think of any that didn't have it, simple or complicated. Sho cited the Plains Indians who badgered their boys till the weakest or most sensitive gave up and dressed like women. Lerner said it was a matter of expectations. Miss Meade said it was more a matter of "do you have a 'word" for it?" "Today," she said, "even the girls can't be 'sissy'."
The problem entered where a potential became a limited and named possibility with laws, jokes and slothes attached. Lerner felt that a "word" was the last thing that happened in the course of human events. Upon a simple Puritan society had been superimposed sensuousness and sensuality and people were caught in a cultural gap. He mentioned the romantic concept with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable playing star roles.
Miss Mead said that the problem arose when one attempted to define sex identity in terms of occupation and temperament. She felt that this was the basic mistake this or any society could make and led to a curbing and warping of the great human potential for variety and adjustment to changing conditions.
(Continued on page 22)
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