Tuesday, February 10, 2015
A Darwinistic Approach
I know in class (Feb 9) we were discussing physical deformities and what constitutes beauty. Kind of touching on the socialization aspect of the definition of what we believe to be beautiful. Personally, without any socialization at all, we are attracted to someone who we believe to be a suitable mate. I know this sounds rather harsh, but it is just another paradigm to consider. What would happen to autistic, down syndrome, cleft lip, or any other physical or mental deformity if there were no society to protect them. Most wouldn't make it! The only reason that these people survive is because our society can facilitate them and we have moved beyond the animalistic or nomadic ways and we have time to sit down and think about anything (And I think this has led to over-thinking). Let me offer this question: What is attractive to you? Actual qualities, both physical and internal about a person. So maybe Allende is questioning our socialized notion of beauty, but if we take a Darwinistic approach to her logic one might say that she is being ridiculous. That we are attracted to people because they are attractive to look at (for preserving the species) and because they are also endowed with a good personality. I'm not saying that one cannot have sympathy for someone with a cleft lip! Because they are people too. I'm saying that it seems that these ideas of what constitutes beauty are hardwired in our genetics and we are attracted to people who we feel comfortable sharing genes with.-Pat Seiberg
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It may sound callus but I think a lot of what you're saying is true. There is a kind of "at first sight" phenomenon, where sometimes you are able to make a judgement based just on looks. However, in my opinion there's a big difference between a severe mental disorder such as autism or down syndrome and a more physical deformity, such as a cleft lip.
ReplyDeleteEspecially in Riad's case where his immense generosity, kindness and compassion, at least in the book, overshadow his physical deformity. There is no argument that long ago people who weren't in top physical shape had a much harder time surviving. I believe that in some cases however, there are people who would be willing to look past something like a cleft lip, as Eva is and see a person by the actions they take.
The best comparison I can think of is in early America, up until after the second world war. Many women got married because the men they met had a good job. One that would be able to provide for them and eventually children. In that time period, looks were less important. That's not to say that people just took whoever was making money, no matter their appearance, just that attraction tends to be dependent on society, time period and other factors.
Attractions a hard thing to explain and different for every person, but I must assume there is people who would weigh a physical deformity different than others. As a counter example, say you married a model. Beautiful in every way but she gets into a car accident that leaves her with a very noticeable deformity. Assuming there's no kids, would you divorce? I'm sure every person's answer would be different. It's a weird thing to think about. Good post.