"gender Trouble" Is Old. I Mean, You

Gender Is A Kind Of Imitation For Which There Is No Original; In Fact, It Is A Kind Of Imitation That Produces The Very Notion Of The Original As An Effect And Consequence Of The Imitation Itself.

Our Notions Of What A Human Being Is Problematically Depend On There Being Two Coherent Genders. And If Someone Doesn't Comply With Either The Masculine Norm Or The Feminine Norm, Their Very Humaness Is Called Into Question.

When I Was Twelve, I Was Interviewed By A Doctoral Candidate In Education And Asked What I Wanted To Be When I Grew Up. I Said That I Either Wanted To Be A Philosopher Or A Clown, And I Understood Then, I Think, That Much Depended On Whether Or Not I Found The World Worth Philosophizing About, And What The Price Of Seriousness Might Be.

You Only Trust Those Who Are Absolutely Like Yourself, Those Who Have Signed A Pledge Of Allegiance To This Particular Identity.

I Think We Are Affected By Others In All Kinds Of Ways. I Do Understand What It's Like To Wish To Control The Conditions Under Which We Can Be Affected By Other Human Beings, But None Of Us Really Are.