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Testosterone - Problem or Solution? [1]

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Date: 2023-05-05

Testosterone. Is it the problem or the solution? Just kidding. It’s the problem. OK, so I’m not a scientist and it wasn’t my best subject in school, but I do have some observations about its effect on the world – HORRENDOUS!

I have to confess that when I looked up the definition, it said, “A hormone made mainly in the testes (part of the male reproductive system). It is needed to develop and maintain male sex characteristics, such as facial hair, deep voice, and muscle growth,” which sounds kind of benign, doesn’t it? But then, upon further investigation, I learned that testosterone activates the subcortical areas of the brain to produce aggression. So, excuse my sloppy logic but does this mean that testosterone is probably the cause of most calamities in the world since we started walking upright? Not necessarily, but I will leave this up to smarter folks to unpack.

I know. I sound incredibly sexist and prejudiced against our furry friends, but someone has just got to speak up for the rest of us who have been suffering in silence (well, mostly). It may seem a little cruel and unfair to blame half the population for all the woes of the world, but shall we have a brief review. According to Wikipedia, there have been 10,624 battles in the history of mankind. This was last dated 2019. I don’t know why they stopped counting. Maybe they got disgusted, too. Let’s face it, I think we can safely say several more battles and wars have been added to the count since 2019, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. That is, unless some drastic changes take place before we witness the end of civilization as we know it. And, up until just very recently, it has been mostly men who have waged war. Yes, women have started getting into the act, too, especially in the United States, but this does not account for all the untold suffering and destruction that has been caused by men, waging war for thousands of years.

It may seem unfair to single out 50% of the population for the problems of the 100%, but I think, upon further examination, you will be siding with me. And let’s be clear, it is the old men with the waning testosterone who are encouraging the young ones with an abundance of the stuff, who hold a great deal of responsibility for all the pain and suffering we see in the world. Latest case in point, Putin.

So, what to do. I mean testosterone also serves some positive functions, like helping to create embryos. After all, women can’t create life without them. Well, not yet. And we can’t just get rid of them (that’s their solution to problems). We could set up a contest with the greatest scientific minds of the day and get them working on it. I bet female scientists will be highly motivated as they have to work alongside their testosterone-laden colleagues every day. Maybe we could water down their testosterone with a little estrogen, like having men take estrogen pills daily. Just a thought. Or maybe we could start socializing them differently from birth. There have been the odd few cultures where men have been cooperative and not hostile. I should actually review those groups soon. I’m sure it won’t take but a minute. And women are becoming leaders of countries. Maybe this will stem the tide. We can see that women are slowly gaining seats at the table, and for the most part, doing a pretty good job. My concern is that will any of these changes and movements take place in time to stave off certain death and destruction? Probably not.

So, I guess I’ll just have to live out my remaining years bearing witness to the final chapter of humankind. We will probably just be one more group to go extinct, a footnote in the history books.

I still think I have some excellent ideas (see paragraph above). But will men listen? Maybe a few kindred spirits. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just get the popcorn, get comfy on the couch and watch the latest episode of the destruction of humankind. Butter, anyone? /s

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/5/2167692/-Testosterone-Problem-or-Solution

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