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Thank you for the kind words. I think your theory about female involvement is sound, especially about not having the leisure time to pursue a personal interest. As you say, a lot of responsibility for day-to-day life falls onto women's shoulders. As far as the desire to pursue such topics, I think that across genders it will always be the more liminal types who have the most drive for that. Although it could also be having Rh- blood. (jk).

There's also the possibility that talk about the paranormal is gendered in some way. That's when your gender shapes what topics you can talk about when and with whom or sometimes even what words and syntax you use. For example, there was a white slavery panic in the French town of Orleans in 1969 and some researchers went to study it. They were having a hard time finding out anything until they started hanging out at hairdresser's shops to listen as the women there chatted (book: Rumor in Orleans). There isn't a paranormal element to that story (well, okay, there were tunnels. And injections. And abductions...) but the rumor that swept the city became a very big deal. The point is until the researchers started getting their hair done they couldn't figure out what was driving it.

Another example might be something that's always struck me about Linda Moulton Howe -- she's mastered the kind of flat, just-the-facts reportorial vocal delivery that is practically synonymous with credibility and authority and is usually associated with a male person. It's almost like it doesn't matter what she actually says! (jk/~jk) Whereas someone like Ann Druffel who seems to have good research cred and who wrote a perfectly good book on how to resist alien abduction, gets largely ignored during the abduction-heavy 80s and 90s - what's up with that?

Finally, I would just like to say it's Paracastanettes, sir. We have them.

<blockquote data-quote="Sue" data-source="post: 240499" data-attributes="member: 6308">Thank you for the kind words. I think your theory about female involvement is sound, especially about not having the leisure time to pursue a personal interest. As you say, a lot of responsibility for day-to-day life falls onto women&#039;s shoulders. As far as the desire to pursue such topics, I think that across genders it will always be the more liminal types who have the most drive for that. Although it could also be having Rh- blood. (jk).There&#039;s also the possibility that talk about the paranormal is gendered in some way. That&#039;s when your gender shapes what topics you can talk about when and with whom or sometimes even what words and syntax you use. For example, there was a white slavery panic in the French town of Orleans in 1969 and some researchers went to study it. They were having a hard time finding out anything until they started hanging out at hairdresser&#039;s shops to listen as the women there chatted (book: Rumor in Orleans). There isn&#039;t a paranormal element to that story (well, okay, there were tunnels. And injections. And abductions...) but the rumor that swept the city became a very big deal. The point is until the researchers started getting their hair done they couldn&#039;t figure out what was driving it.Another example might be something that&#039;s always struck me about Linda Moulton Howe -- she&#039;s mastered the kind of flat, just-the-facts reportorial vocal delivery that is practically synonymous with credibility and authority and is usually associated with a male person. It&#039;s almost like it doesn&#039;t matter what she actually says! (jk/~jk) Whereas someone like Ann Druffel who seems to have good research cred and who wrote a perfectly good book on how to resist alien abduction, gets largely ignored during the abduction-heavy 80s and 90s - what&#039;s up with that?Finally, I would just like to say it&#039;s Paracastanettes, sir. We have them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sue, post: 240499, member: 6308"] Thank you for the kind words. I think your theory about female involvement is sound, especially about not having the leisure time to pursue a personal interest. As you say, a lot of responsibility for day-to-day life falls onto women's shoulders. As far as the desire to pursue such topics, I think that across genders it will always be the more liminal types who have the most drive for that. Although it could also be having Rh- blood. (jk). There's also the possibility that talk about the paranormal is gendered in some way. That's when your gender shapes what topics you can talk about when and with whom or sometimes even what words and syntax you use. For example, there was a white slavery panic in the French town of Orleans in 1969 and some researchers went to study it. They were having a hard time finding out anything until they started hanging out at hairdresser's shops to listen as the women there chatted (book: Rumor in Orleans). There isn't a paranormal element to that story (well, okay, there were tunnels. And injections. And abductions...) but the rumor that swept the city became a very big deal. The point is until the researchers started getting their hair done they couldn't figure out what was driving it. Another example might be something that's always struck me about Linda Moulton Howe -- she's mastered the kind of flat, just-the-facts reportorial vocal delivery that is practically synonymous with credibility and authority and is usually associated with a male person. It's almost like it doesn't matter what she actually says! (jk/~jk) Whereas someone like Ann Druffel who seems to have good research cred and who wrote a perfectly good book on how to resist alien abduction, gets largely ignored during the abduction-heavy 80s and 90s - what's up with that? Finally, I would just like to say it's Paracastanettes, sir. We have them. [/QUOTE]

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