> O'Regan, Emlyn wrote: in a purely text-based
> relationship, how is physical gender really relevant? In fact, how many of
> the components of your identity really have relevance in such a context?
Two excellent questions, Emlyn. I have been pondering these: Do men talk differently to men than to women? Assuming none are hoping for a sexual encounter, such as a conversation taking place at work, why would you choose different words and phrases when talking to different genders? How does it work when talking to one of homo-orientation? Why should it matter in a nonsexual context? Or is there such a thing as a completely nonsexual context?
I know that conversations between two women is much different that conversations between two men. I have always assumed it is because we evolved as hunter/gatherers. The women eased the boredom of gathering by talking and sharing, the men had to shut up to keep from alerting the game. So. A million years later, the ladies communicate and the men silently watch sports. {8^D spike