Smoking while pregnant can make your kids gay...

Shane-KornSpace

According to an article on the Sunday World's website from today!

Professor of neurobiology at Amsterdam University Dr Dick Swaab’s new book “We Are Our Brains” claims that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can make your infant gay and stupid.

Full article here:
http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/daily-world/smoking-while-pregnant-could-make-your-baby-gay-says-dr-dick-swaab#.Ut0EdQnWxfc.facebook

I just don't know what to say... Are the Sunday World really that hard pressed for publicity?

Nemeses

My mother smoked whilst she was pregnant with me..

I ain't gay.. However the latter....

hmmm.

Stupid babies need the most attention.

davo2001

According to an article on the Sunday World's............................. stopped reading after this :roll:

Muise...

Dr Dick Swaab.

Really?

:P

frag420

as in Fags?

Ravenid

Hi Dr. Dick !

biko

http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/graphics/pregnant.jpg

gobnaitolunacy

davo2001 wrote: »

According to an article on the Sunday World's............................. stop reading after this :roll:

The nations fave culring book.:P

tin79

Shane-KornSpace wrote: »

claims that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can make your infant gay and stupid.

Charming way to put it. Very scientific.

Maximus Alexander

Can someone tell me which part of this to be morally outraged about so I can get on board early please?

Shane-KornSpace

tin79 wrote: »

Charming way to put it. Very scientific.

My thoughts exactly! Sunday world sales must be dire!

tin79

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Can someone tell me which part of this to be morally outraged about so I can get on board early please?

The part where the publishing doctor is named after something you use to wipe your penis with.

Maximus Alexander

tin79 wrote: »

The part where the publishing doctor is named after something you use to wipe your penis with.

It's an absolute disgrace Joe, I'm mortified!

old hippy

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Can someone tell me which part of this to be morally outraged about so I can get on board early please?

Certainly.

Professor of neurobiology at Amsterdam University Dr Dick Swaab’s new book “We Are Our Brains” claims that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can make your infant gay and stupid.

The idea that being gay is a negative thing or equates with stupidity.

Maximus Alexander

old hippy wrote: »

Certainly.

Professor of neurobiology at Amsterdam University Dr Dick Swaab’s new book “We Are Our Brains” claims that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can make your infant gay and stupid.

The idea that being gay is a negative thing or equates with stupidity.

That's an idea you're fabricating yourself though - they haven't equated them.

It would read something along the lines of "Study suggests smoking during pregnancy may lead to increased chance of homosexuality in offspring, also carries risks of decreased intelligence". The Sunday World have just dumbed that sentence down to the level of their target audience.

That's literally all that has happened here.

kneemos

Drugs can alter the genetics of a foetus.Sounds plausible.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Shane-KornSpace wrote: »

According to an article on the Sunday World's website from today!

I stopped reading after that

wp_rathead

Sounds legit..

old hippy

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

That's an idea you're fabricating yourself though - they haven't equated them.

It would read something along the lines of "Study suggests smoking during pregnancy may lead to increased chance of homosexuality in offspring, also carries risks of decreased intelligence". The Sunday World have just dumbed that sentence down to the level of their target audience.

That's literally all that has happened here.

No, that's not all that's happened here. Read between the lines.

seamus

old hippy wrote: »

No, that's not all that's happened here. Read between the lines.

Indeed. The article states...

Homosexuality is not the only subject of Professor Swaab’s wide-ranging book

...but still the article basically dedicates most of its content to the subject of homosexuality.

There is no other way to read it really than, "Doing bad things while pregnant will make your baby bad. Like possibly even as bad as being gay".

Dr. Swaab is a highly respected and decorated neurobiologist, so I doubt he has made any claims without at least providing something to back it up. Of course, a watered-down article from the Sunday World just picks out a few things, sensationalises them and basically turns the claims into something completely different from what Dr. Swaab has claimed.

mikom

Smoking weed during pregnancy ensures your child will emerge looking like the incredible hulk.........

kneemos

old hippy wrote: »

No, that's not all that's happened here. Read between the lines.

Scientists report facts.Is there another way to day it?

kneemos

mikom wrote: »

Smoking weed during pregnancy ensures your child will emerge looking like the incredible hulk.........

Or Louis Walsh.

bodice ripper

Hilariously named Dutch person in "says something tactless" shocker.

old hippy

kneemos wrote: »

Scientists report facts.Is there another way to day it?

Not the Sunday World way, that's for sure.

poundapunnet

I read a review of that book in a real newspaper and it looked pretty interesting, apparently it has a few chapters just ranting against religion but apart from that seemed like it was good.

Other things I remember from it! The more older brothers a man has the more likely he is to be gay. Anorexics and some other people have a high incidence of having had complicated births, but it's not clear which way if any the causal link is running.

Mostly remember his funny name though.

suicide_circus

old hippy wrote: »

No, that's not all that's happened here. Read between the lines.

sometimes it's important to read the lines themselves before reading between them

cletus van damme

Emmitt Strong Shorts wrote: »

I stopped reading after that

aren't you wonderful :rolleyes:

incidentally it was reported in various media but I'm not sure which one is suitable for your fantastically smug mind.

The Diabolical Monocle

So will volume of cigarettes smoked and potency of tobacco relate to the gay-issity of offspring ??

Also, If cigarette sales are high now can we correlate with Louis Vuitton sales in say 20 years.

old hippy

suicide_circus wrote: »

sometimes it's important to read the lines themselves before reading between them

Maybe the Sunday World should have done that before sensationalising it, so.

suicide_circus

old hippy wrote: »

Maybe the Sunday World should have done that before sensationalising it, so.

that's not how to sell copy!

poundapunnet

old hippy wrote: »

Maybe the Sunday World should have done that before sensationalising it, so.

This is also in the article

Swaab’s views directly oppose those of ultra conservative groups who believe that gay people can be ‘cured’ and that homosexuality is a choice.

He believes that a child’s sexuality is determined in the womb and can’t be changed, writing: “Although it’s frequently assumed that development after birth also importantly affects our sexual orientation, there’s no proof of this whatsoever.

“Children brought up by lesbians aren’t more likely to be homosexual. Nor is there any evidence at all for the misconception that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice”.”

They are trying to sell papers and get people to click on links. That headline is eye-catching. They're not saying gay people are stupid. I've stuck up for you loads of times when people accuse you of looking for things to be offended by, but sometimes....

Son Of A Vidic

Muise... wrote: »

Dr Dick Swaab.

Really?

He's also married to the highly respected and well renowned Professor Horseshít

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

cletus van damme wrote: »

aren't you wonderful :rolleyes:

incidentally it was reported in various media but I'm not sure which one is suitable for your fantastically smug mind.

well sorry for not believing an article from a newspaper I wouldn't wipe my arse with.

old hippy

poundapunnet wrote: »

This is also in the article



They are trying to sell papers and get people to click on links. That headline is eye-catching. They're not saying gay people are stupid. I've stuck up for you loads of times when people accuse you of looking for things to be offended by, but sometimes....

I'm aware we're not stupid, I'm also aware that headlines like to hook people, to generate interest etc. Much like this thread, come to think of it.

I'm also aware that there are also people who delight in other people's offence.

iDave

So can we indirectly blame smoking for storms and flooding?

Ficheall

tin79 wrote: »

The part where the publishing doctor is named after something you use to wipe your penis with.

You wipe your penis with a swab?
I find a tissue, for example, to be much less painful.

old hippy

iDave wrote: »

So can we indirectly blame smoking for storms and flooding?

Only if you join UKIP

Terry1985

Emmitt Strong Shorts wrote: »

well sorry for not believing an article from a newspaper I wouldn't wipe my arse with.

Then maybe you're relying too much on newspapers to spoon feed you their opinion.

Have a look at his professional credentials on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Swaab

There's plenty of links to smoking and hormone imbalances

tin79

Ficheall wrote: »

You wipe your penis with a swab?
I find a tissue, for example, to be much less painful.

No I said you use. Not I use. If you need to use a tissue then you are not shaking it enough, either that or you should go see a doctor. I know a good Dutch doctor. Dr. Woek Sphincter.

conorhal

Hmmmm part of me is dubious about this, if smoking while pregnant might make your children gay then eh...surely the entire population of Tallaght would be far better dressed then they currently are?

Of course it's hardly news that drugs and alcohol can have an impact on foetal development, just google Thalidomide, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome may well relate to a spiral in ADD cases. It's also well understood that hormonal levels can have a significant impact on foetal sexual development.
Already conservationists are concerned about the way that plastics on other chemical waste reagents are causing problems for fish stocks, as their chemical composition mimics that of oestrogen some fish have been 'changing sex' or born with underdeveloped or femal sex organs as a result of enviornmental polution.

poundapunnet

old hippy wrote: »

I'm aware we're not stupid, I'm also aware that headlines like to hook people, to generate interest etc. Much like this thread, come to think of it.

I'm also aware that there are also people who delight in other people's offence.

So why is your reaction that they're equating gayness and stupidity? Why did you tell someone to read between the lines when they said it was just an eye-catching headline?

I'm not in the least bit delighted by your offence, I think you're really nice. But I think in this instance your offence is...misdirected.

old hippy

Shane-KornSpace wrote: »

According to an article on the Sunday World's website from today!

Professor of neurobiology at Amsterdam University Dr Dick Swaab’s new book “We Are Our Brains” claims that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can make your infant gay and stupid.

Full article here:
http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/daily-world/smoking-while-pregnant-could-make-your-baby-gay-says-dr-dick-swaab#.Ut0EdQnWxfc.facebook

I just don't know what to say... Are the Sunday World really that hard pressed for publicity?

poundapunnet wrote: »

So why is your reaction that they're equating gayness and stupidity? Why did you tell someone to read between the lines when they said it was just an eye-catching headline?

I'm not in the least bit delighted by your offence, I think you're really nice. But I think in this instance your offence is...misdirected.

I guess I read between the lines, looking at the initial post on the topic.

Just put it down to an automatic, weary response on my part to decades of being bashed.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Terry1985 wrote: »

Then maybe you're relying too much on newspapers to spoon feed you their opinion.

Have a look at his professional credentials on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Swaab

There's plenty of links to smoking and hormone imbalances

does hormone imbalances have an effect on your sexual orientation though?

J_E

Emmitt Strong Shorts wrote: »

does hormone imbalances have an effect on your sexual orientation though?

I'd say there's maybe a correlation, yes. I can't find the exact studies but it's speculated to be related to the levels of testosterone and antibodies produced for each subsequent child born to a woman. Seems it's more likely that if you have an older brother, you are potentially gay. Then again, there are only children who are also gay, so hard to tell what is the causing factor really, and even with the above it's more relative to boys than girls.

RDM_83 again

Cydoniac wrote: »

I'd say there's maybe a correlation, yes. I can't find the exact studies but it's speculated to be related to the levels of testosterone and antibodies produced for each subsequent child born to a woman. Seems it's more likely that if you have an older brother, you are potentially gay. Then again, there are only children who are also gay, so hard to tell what is the causing factor really, and even with the above it's more relative to boys than girls.

I've a possible explanation for that in a population dynamics/evolutionary biology basis. Bearing in mind that utterly exclusive homosexuality is pretty rare even in modern studies.

If you've X brothers your all going to be competing for resources and mates, a member of that group that doesn't have as strong desire/need to reproduce (don't take offense at this wording please!) increases the chances of offspring of the brothers surviving, therefore this trait that causes likelyhood of homosexuality in males to increase when they have more brothers would be passed on.

In terms of this not applying to Females in population biology terms 1 man + 3 woman = 3 children, 3 men + 1 woman = 1 child, as well i think in early humans (and even later) female sexuality probably wasn't a huge driver in whether they reproduced or not.

J_E

RDM_83 again wrote: »

If you've X brothers your all going to be competing for resources and mates, a member of that group that doesn't have as strong desire/need to reproduce (don't take offense at this wording please!) increases the chances of offspring of the brothers surviving, therefore this trait that causes likelyhood of homosexuality in males to increase when they have more brothers would be passed on.

That's bro science, wasn't what I meant. Lots of gay men and women would love to have children.

bodice ripper

I have this wonderful image of the radfems from the other thread frantically drinking and smoking while pregnant upon reading this news.

RDM_83 again

Cydoniac wrote: »

That's bro science, wasn't what I meant. Lots of gay men and women would love to have children.

Bro science Look I am not saying that that gay people have no desire to reproduce that would be just stupid, but in a situation where there is an imbalance in the numbers of each gender so there is a scarcity of females, homosexuals and bisexuals will have an outlet for sexual release/pair bonding that doesn't result in reproduction or competition with other males over females.

This theory doesn't imply any right or wrong, I am not a biological determinist by any stretch and I don't think evolutionary theory should influence our morals or how we wish our society to be, but we as humans weren't created from scratch in a modern society, we have a few hundred thousand years as homo sapiens before that and 50,000 years as homo sapiens sapiens.

fl4pj4ck

Smoking while gay can make your kids pregant