What is it about the Rainbow Nation that they can bring to the surface anomalies which mirror the complexity of the society.
A legless runner who not satisfied with competing with other disabled athletes but contested with able bodied people who when at the hight of his profession on the track, shoots and kills his girlfriend at home.
Watching Caster Semenya run her first heat in the 800 metres one is again struck by the fact that she looks masculine. She was born with a condition called hyperandrogenism which causes the body to produce male hormones, especially testosterone.
A legless runner who not satisfied with competing with other disabled athletes but contested with able bodied people who when at the hight of his profession on the track, shoots and kills his girlfriend at home.
Watching Caster Semenya run her first heat in the 800 metres one is again struck by the fact that she looks masculine. She was born with a condition called hyperandrogenism which causes the body to produce male hormones, especially testosterone.
The definition of a man and a women is usually 'anatomical' with the
other defining feature, the production of chemicals by the body which
help produce bulk and the muscle power
In Semenya's case she produced three times as much testosterone as a
normal woman and was forced to take drugs to reduce this. As she did so
her form fell off and her times became more equivalent to the other
women athletes. Then politics stepped in and it
was determined that her personal rights as an individual was being
diminished so the testosterone in her body was allowed to find its
normal level again and her times on the track got faster.
It is rumoured that there are a number of women competing at the Olympics who are hyperandrogenist and that they gain an advantage for being so.
Is it fair. Should we try to define what is normal.
As our society discover more and more variables in the make up of homo sapiens we have to continually move the bar to what we understand as normal. I suppose we could do it statistically, grouping people like voters to a party, we should forget trying to do the impossible, grouping everyone under the same banner but recognise the inevitable and group them appropriately. It only matters when you wish to contest on a level playing field such as in an athletic competition but then one could ask, should we segregate short from tall, fat from thin, dark from white.
It's a conundrum which we seem to have solved by ignoring it and striking down anyone who wishes to question these matters.
The women running against Caster Semenya could claim their rights are being infringed but as "human rights" continually frustrate the old rules of "common sense", I suppose we will continue to continue to muddle through.
It is rumoured that there are a number of women competing at the Olympics who are hyperandrogenist and that they gain an advantage for being so.
Is it fair. Should we try to define what is normal.
As our society discover more and more variables in the make up of homo sapiens we have to continually move the bar to what we understand as normal. I suppose we could do it statistically, grouping people like voters to a party, we should forget trying to do the impossible, grouping everyone under the same banner but recognise the inevitable and group them appropriately. It only matters when you wish to contest on a level playing field such as in an athletic competition but then one could ask, should we segregate short from tall, fat from thin, dark from white.
It's a conundrum which we seem to have solved by ignoring it and striking down anyone who wishes to question these matters.
The women running against Caster Semenya could claim their rights are being infringed but as "human rights" continually frustrate the old rules of "common sense", I suppose we will continue to continue to muddle through.
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