My jeans were too tight and made the blood rush to my head!

[SuzanneBender]

I am watching David Brooks (NY Times) on PBS right now. I know I am such and exciting person. He is talking about our two methods of cognition and how we think consciously and unconsciously. We can only process 40 bits of the 1100 bits of information that we are able to take in every second. In the past is was thought that the other 1060 bits were either discarded or stored in some strange Jungian or Freudian type construct that guided us but didn't really impact out immediate thought processes.

Recent studies have shown that that remaining 1060 bits of unconscious information has parity with the 40 bits of information and often overrides the conscious information. Hence the reason why we make what seems to be irrational choices concerning decisions that run the gambit from how we live our personal lives to how we develop public policy. It also helps explain why often our "gut" decisions or intuition is more accurate than well thought out and deliberate decisions.

This look at cognition settles certain philosophical arguments concerning why human beings do things that are totally irrational given societal constructs.

Now, since I am totally infatuated with myself. And I never fail to not let transgenderism dominate my every waking moment, I have decided to try to apply this intriguing postulate to the situation of hundreds of thousand if not millions of us gender gifted out there.

I know I am going to take some heat for pointing this out but when you think about what we do and the construct of the Christian Western Society that we live in what we ultimately do is totally irrational. We risk the ruin of our families, our jobs, our finances, our friendship and almost every aspect of our lives to be who we sense that we are.

I am fascinated by the idea that despite the fact 1% of our conscious mind that says this is "irrational" the remaining 99% of our unconscious mind senses the reasons why we must do this. What is it our unconscious mind senses and why does it override the conscious concerns in some of us and not others? What has happened either genetically or environmentally that lays just below the surface driving us to be who we are?

Why is that Geico Gecko so damn cute?!

I am not really sure what I am asking. This concept just sounded really cool to me and I wanted to take the opportunity to not sound like an air headed Blondie for a few seconds.

This concludes this evenings broadcast of PTBS. Thank your for your support of the Public Transgender Broadcast System.

[Christine Kelly]

Interesting.
My dressing has often overwhelmed and shocked myself and others. Oh well, it made me feel alive!

[kellycan27]

I think that we tend to over think a lot of things. I tend to be happier just ..going with it. :2c:

Kel

[Kathi Lake]

Heck, if I thought about what I do - reeeeealy thought about it - I would probably never leave the house! Score one for not being bright enough to not consider the consequences! :)

Kathi

[Oli-Oli]

I am watching David Brooks (NY Times) on PBS right now. I know I am such and exciting person. He is talking about our two methods of cognition and how we think consciously and unconsciously. We can only process 40 bits of the 1100 bits of information that we are able to take in every second.


Ooh, this sounds interesting - I'm actually surprised they've quantified interpreted information - I'd love to learn more about that~ It's hard to imagine how one would go about determining a "unit" (and scale) of... thought (or perception)? Seems like it could be so arbitrary. Then again, what unit of measurement isn't? XD

*looks up local PBS schedule*

And I think learning is exciting!

[Persephone]

According to legend, Sigmund Freud, after discoursing on the sexual implications of cigars (something Bill Clinton obviously understood), reputedly concluded his remarks by saying, "And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

[makin' it real]

Yay, Suzanne! That's too much fun! While you were gettin all edumacated on the body's wisdom by PTBS, I was taking a class that inspired me in a similar direction so I just finished starting a new thread on it. As I was getting ready to post it, I saw yours here.

Yes, I think you and PBS are right. The body has a knowing, even when the mind hasn't a clue!

Oh, and thanks for your reply last night. I really appreciate it. Also, I just posted a response to all those requests for more information, if you're interested.

Take care,

makin' it real

(oh. just to clarify, because I made a jump there, you referred to the unconscious where I referred to the body. I guess I was using the Buddhist concept of the body as the storehouse of the unconscious. There, is that more clearerer?)

[gabimartini]

Hi Suzanne, great post! Very interesting!

My feeling is that transgenderness goes beyond the rational/irrational, conscious/subconscious mechanisms. We don't choose to be gender-gifted, we just are. Same way that we are left-handed or have eyes of a particular color.

We may consciously try to repress our TG sides, but ultimately fail. Have you ever heard of anybody who changed the color of their eye through thinking? (well, yea, through buying colored-contacts... :P)

Anyway, I think that the conscious/subconscious refers to the way we receive, store, and interpret information being fed to the brain. Once in the brain it does affect the way we behave and present ourselves, but it doesn't change who we are.

I dunno... too complex a subject for early morning... lol. I need to think some more about it!

[Karren H]

I dare say that if you wore a skirt that wouldn't happen!! Blood flows so much free-er when your legs aren't restricted ya know!! :).

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

I think you're spot on with that, Suzanne. For years what kept me from wearing skirts in public as a guy was that despite how comfortable I was with what I had on, I was uncomfortable with being noticed by everyone else where I'd go. I didn't want to be the center of what I assumed was negative attention.

I'm sure I get noticed just as much as I was before I started just going for it, but I'm not really aware of it when I am. I occasionally catch something but it just amuses me now, like a few weeks ago via their reflection in a mirror, I could see two girls and a guy at table nodding to each other and motioning in my direction. It used to be that when I was out I wouldn't be able to notice anything but that and I would've felt super self-conscious, but now I'm just usually focused on whatever else it is I'm up to.

Not being constantly aware of the impact of what you're doing to social norms is key to being comfortable and relaxed when out in public. And it feels amazing when you realize what you're doing!

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I'll bite..

I have no idea what you are talking about...and yet somehow I feel that you are totally correct!!! get it?? :heehee:

99 is more than 1....its so simple that if the original concept is correct and we are somehow processing those bits, then it almost has to be true..

intuition?
hair on the back of the neck standing up?
erections?
seemingly impossible discoveries?
panic attacks?

these are all real life meaningful things that have almost no consciousness to them

the only thing i can't agree with is that as trans people we are irrational..
i actually think we are incredibly coldly rational..and our situation requires almost perfect fearless rationality to survive..

most human beings simply do not have to even consider the things we think about all the time...100% of the bits come into is as "male"...we are considered men....everything gets filtered through our gender...we have to somehow understand these bits (confusing at best, overwhelming at worst because our filters are female or at least not 100% male), and then we have to figure out how to
IMPROVE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE...by dressing, transitioning, planning..etcetcetc...what could be more rational than a laser focus on what is the best quality of your life???

just a thought...

[Frédérique]

He is talking about our two methods of cognition and how we think consciously and unconsciously. We can only process 40 bits of the 1100 bits of information that we are able to take in every second. In the past is was thought that the other 1060 bits were either discarded or stored in some strange Jungian or Freudian type construct that guided us but didn't really impact out immediate thought processes.

I’m not sure if this is relevant, but last night I saw the latest episode of Michio Kaku’s Sci Fi Science, and he was pointing out how the human brain processes billions of bits of information in nanoseconds as we stroll through an environment that changes every day. As a result, creating a thinking, cognitive, friendly robotic companion (the theme of this show) happens to be a daunting task. There is no way at the present time to make a machine as complex as the human mind, at least in terms of moving around and thinking on it’s own (as we take for granted). Freud and Jung notwithstanding, the brain does seem to under-use the information it receives on a daily basis, which means a lot of editing is going on behinds the scenes (go figure). This may explain why I’m still thinking about summer days in my childhood when it would have been “cool” and profound to wear a dress. Alas, it’s too late now, but my own mind haunts me with surplus memories…:straightface:


I know I am going to take some heat for pointing this out but when you think about what we do and the construct of the Christian Western Society that we live in what we ultimately do is totally irrational. We risk the ruin of our families, our jobs, our finances, our friendship and almost every aspect of our lives to be who we sense that we are.

I think the “construct of the Christian Western Society*” creates this need for irrationality, if you choose to step out of the construction for a moment and look at it. It may be pointless to look for rationality anywhere, and those who stubbornly adhere to this meaningless activity (or notion) need an opposing force, i.e. irrationality, to make their ideas seem worthwhile. If there wasn’t someone standing up and telling us what to do, how to act, how to think, and how to “be,” there would be no explanation for the attraction of crossdressing or other alternative lifestyles. I know these lifestyles create themselves from birth regardless, but, at least in my case, authoritarian thinking is highly repulsive, and thus attractive (in a negative sense) at the same time. It reinforces my need to be different, but I know no other way. I look for things to bounce off of. Like a magnet, there are always two poles of opposing force, unless you can come up with a mono-magnet and learn to co-exist with your previous fears…

It’s more important to “be” who we are than worry about ruining families, jobs, finances and friendships, but that’s easy for me to say, Suzanne, since you and many others here have more to lose than I do. But, I think everyone will, in he end, begrudgingly acknowledge the sacrifices one makes to be true to themselves, since, by way of lip service, that is put forth as a cherished idea at all times. “Be all you can be” they say – well, I am, thank you, but it’s not what you had in mind, is it? Irrationality makes he world go round, and I hope it never stops...:)

*And let’s not be exclusive – every “construct” of every society on Earth can be questioned in regards to so-called "rational" ideas of normalcy, unless one is dreaming of Utopia…

[VeronicaMoonlit]

I am fascinated by the idea that despite the fact 1% of our conscious mind that says this is "irrational" the remaining 99% of our unconscious mind senses the reasons why we must do this. What is it our unconscious mind senses and why does it override the conscious concerns in some of us and not others? What has happened either genetically or environmentally that lays just below the surface driving us to be who we are?

We are quite rational. Posit: In an infinite multiverse a dude might want to dress like/be like/become a chick. Said dude, or more accurately, dudette might want to do things to move this sort of thing along. Such things would be quite rational. If the dudette likes pretty shoes, then the dudette should think about buying said shoes. Kind of like in how I don't like rhubarb, so I don't eat the horrid stuff.



Why is that Geico Gecko so damn cute?!

It's the accent.



I am not really sure what I am asking. This concept just sounded really cool to me and I wanted to take the opportunity to not sound like an air headed Blondie for a few seconds.

Just say stuff like: "that adumbrates the malversation of the bicameral mind" in an uppercrusty accent. A good accent lets you get away with anything...just ask the Gecko.

Veronica Rogers

[kimdl93]

I saw the same interview on Charlie Rose last night - David Brooks has been writing a lot about irrationality lately. I think its pretty revolutionary, because as he said, political decisions and economic policy often are based the presumption that people will act "rationally", and research showing that not to be the case.

Yep, I agree - what I do as a cross dressing male is hardly rational. Its based on needs, emotions and compulsions that I really don't have any rational explanation for and "rationally" could potentially pose the risk of ridicule, loss of relationships, social isolation and economic loss.

But here I sit, in my breast forms, bra, thong, brown tights, boucle sweater, skirt and 3" heels corresponding with other people who share my irrational interests.

But seriously, I could be a lot worse!

the sooner we accept that people are crazy, the easier life is.

[Lorileah]

Why is that Geico Gecko so damn cute?!



<memory overflow>
<system unable to process>
<please reset partitions to allow more memory>
<40 bit memory has been deleted>
Your session has timed out. This could be due to trying to process too much information or having too many windows open. Close unneeded programs and try again.

(Windows 1956 ver 3.2 opsys male brain partially upgraded to female.)

I'm sorry what did you say? Ain't he cute?

[msniki48]

Heck, if I thought about what I do - reeeeealy thought about it - I would probably never leave the house! Score one for not being bright enough to not consider the consequences! :)

Kathi

Kathi...thats probably why i haven't left the house in 8 months as niki...:eek:

[Sarah Doepner]

It seems that a lot of that information is being filed away in non-cognitive areas of the brain. Those areas where we feel rather than think. Most of the flow is going to very basic areas of the brain that aren't being used on the consious level. We are building a very large foundation for successful and pleasurable behavior. That would be those areas that we were really activating during our first crossdressing experiences. I have to admit that I was not what you would call a deep thinker when I first tried on a bra.

Since so much of that information that is being flooded through our senses is still addressing basic survival, pleasure and pain centers and the like, there is a great mass for behaviorial inertia. It's kind of Newtonian in a way. The way I behave I will continue to behave unless acted upon by my wife. Or the cops, or the boss or fear of something negatively impacting my ability to survive. The logical 1% may be telling us that what we do isn't a good idea, but the inertial mass of our experience tells us to go ahead.

So, that's why I like Raspberry Newtons more than Jungian analysis.

[Gigi0366]

Heck, if I thought about what I do - reeeeealy thought about it - I would probably never leave the house! Score one for not being bright enough to not consider the consequences! :)

Kathi

Girlfriend that goes for when we are in boy mode as much as when in girl mode. If one really thought about all the dangers out there, no one would leave their house!

[SuzanneBender]

I'll bite..

I have no idea what you are talking about...and yet somehow I feel that you are totally correct!!! get it?? :heehee: Don't feel bad I have know idea what I was talking about, but it sounded smart didn't it.


Just say stuff like: "that adumbrates the malversation of the bicameral mind" in an uppercrusty accent. A good accent lets you get away with anything...just ask the Gecko. Working on the accent now the rain in Spain fall mainly on the plain.


<memory overflow>
<system unable to process>
<please reset partitions to allow more memory>
<40 bit memory has been deleted>
Your session has timed out. This could be due to trying to process too much information or having too many windows open. Close unneeded programs and try again.

(Windows 1956 ver 3.2 opsys male brain partially upgraded to female.)

I'm sorry what did you say? Ain't he cute? I was going to by the full upgrade for the 1966 OS version but Bill Gates wants way to much for it right now.


But we gotta split ways on that damn Gecko! :) Ahhhh you take that back! That little fellow is so cute. He just make me want to tickle him everytime I see him.


Heck, if I thought about what I do - reeeeealy thought about it - I would probably never leave the house! Score one for not being bright enough to not consider the consequences! :) Oh no Kathi that is the beauty of this theory. You are smart enough to realize the consequence you just realize all of the wonderful reasons in your subconscious that overwhelms that silly conscious reality that would keep you locked in the house. In addtion, this theory can apply to why you have such wonderful fashion sense and a way with the SAs.


I have to admit that I was not what you would call a deep thinker when I first tried on a bra.

Since so much of that information that is being flooded through our senses is still addressing basic survival, pleasure and pain centers and the like, there is a great mass for behaviorial inertia. It's kind of Newtonian in a way. The way I behave I will continue to behave unless acted upon by my wife. Or the cops, or the boss or fear of something negatively impacting my ability to survive. The logical 1% may be telling us that what we do isn't a good idea, but the inertial mass of our experience tells us to go ahead. Wow I am impressed. You like raspberry Newton's too. Did you every wonder why they call them Newtons? Ohhh there was no thought the first time I slipped on a bra. It was pure synergy. I walked in the room. My mom had left it on the bed and we were off to the races.


Girlfriend that goes for when we are in boy mode as much as when in girl mode. If one really thought about all the dangers out there, no one would leave their house! I am hiding under my bed right now.

[Persephone]

Girlfriend that goes for when we are in boy mode as much as when in girl mode. If one really thought about all the dangers out there, no one would leave their house!

But Gigi, it's common knowledge that most accidents happen in the home!

(I don't know what they count as "accidents" in figuring that out, but think about it -- if it wasn't for accidents, some of us wouldn't be here :).)

[Kathi Lake]

Oh no Kathi, that is the beauty of this theory. You are smart enough to realize the consequences. You just realize all of the wonderful reasons in your subconscious that overwhelms that silly conscious reality that would keep you locked in the house. In addition, this theory can apply to why you have such wonderful fashion sense and a way with the SAs.Hmmmmm. I'm still holding to the "I'm so dumb, I don't know what to do" theory. I use it a lot on women. It makes my wife roll her eyes, but it really works. Here's why:

I go up to a cashier, or someone else in a position to help me, and in my best "dumb guy" voice and look, I say, "Ummmm, I'm not sure what to do. Can you help me?" Since it seems that women are genetically predisposed to believing that everyone with a Y chromosome is either ignorant, clueless, or a combination of the two, they usually take pity on the "dumb male" and their "motheryness" takes over. They guide me through the process, and I get what I want. Manipulation? Sure, but it's not like I use it to get in someone's pants, or anything. Heck, when I say "I'd like to get in her pants" I mean it literally, and not figuratively anyway.

Is this on-topic? I'm not sure anymore. It kinda went south.

:)

Kathi

[sherri52]

Maybe it's just that we would rather go against the norm.