Posted on 06/05/2009 1:46:32 PM PDT by LottieDah
Boys who have a so-called "warrior gene" are more likely to join gangs and also more likely to be among the most violent members and to use weapons, a new study finds.
"While gangs typically have been regarded as a sociological phenomenon, our investigation shows that variants of a specific MAOA gene, known as a 'low-activity 3-repeat allele,' play a significant role," said biosocial criminologist Kevin M. Beaver of Florida State University.
In 2006, the controversial warrior gene was implicated in the violence of the indigenous Maori people in New Zealand, a claim that Maori leaders dismissed.
But it's no surprise that genes would be involved in aggression. Aggression is a primal emotion like many others, experts say, and like cooperation, it is part of human nature, something that's passed down genetically. And almost all mammals are aggressive in some way or another, said Craig Kennedy, professor of special education and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, whose research last year suggested that humans crave violence just like they do sex, food or drugs.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
“Warrior gene”?
Is that like the “Gay Gene”?
What the heck is happening with science?
Good grief.
Cookie - do you see a common thread between your son’s ambition and your tag line?
> That was perhaps the most unrealistic NYC movie of that decade.
There’s a good reason for that: the story wasn’t supposed to take place in 1979, but rather some time in the future.
The movie came out at about the same time as Curtis Sliwa was organizing the Guardian Angels in the Bronx. The gang-bangers didn’t dress up in baseball suits and makeup like in “The Warriors” back then, but they were bad enough.
“The Warriors” has got to be one of my favorite movies.
Every boy has a “warrior gene”, but it’s just how much it is encourage or ‘messed’ up along the way!
> You’ve heard about the planned sequel/remake, right?
Jeez, I hope not. No remake I have ever seen has been nearly as good as the original. “The Warriors” cannot be improved upon.
Oh, OK. I knew it was in my blood, somehow.
I know they’ve been trying to do a remake for years, but I have no doubt any remake would suck, it would all be hip-hopped up.
Think again. The DOJ released a report 2 years ago that suggested the number of soldiers with gang ties was several magnitudes larger than previously thought. SoCal police departments and county sheriffs have also been reporting that gang members returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been bringing the benefits of their training and experience back to the gangs.
We just sent a nephew off with our best wishes to the Marines. He gets picked up Friday and inducted Monday. Definitely has a warrior gene or two ~
If gang member types are getting in - the standards are too low.
Girls.
From Wikipedia about this Warrior gene:
“Due to the sensitive political nature of the findings, and the standard peer review process, the research has been heavily scrutinized. Several objections have been raised, such as the small sample size, and the extrapolation of non-Maori studies to the Maori population. In addition, ideological objections were raised, as well as concerns about announcing such findings in the early stages of research”.
> If gang member types are getting in - the standards are too low.
You’re mistaken.
Some gang members make excellent soldiers. The Military can be an excellent place for them to turn their natural skills to good use.
Some gang members would certainly be unsuitable for the military. But then, so would some Irishmen, and some college students, and some women, and some dog owners, and some Conservatives, and some people with driver’s licenses, and some baseball players...
The danger with making sweeping generalizations is that they are almost always wrong and almost always silly.
There, fixed it.
And without sending a blood sample off to these quacks, I'd bet a steak dinner he's got the 'warrior gene'. He sure as heck has the 'obnoxious 18-year-old teenage boy' gene.
We kept him out of trouble (mostly) by letting him think it was his idea to join the Navy Sea Cadets -- which by the way is an excellent program for rowdy, active, risk-taking boys.
If he's on schedule, he met his DI today at Parris Island.
He was standing in the yellow footprints Monday evening.
You can't really discourage them if that's what they want to do, they'll find a way.
Well, how ‘bout that! My son is one week ahead of your nephew in the Parris Island Processing Machine . . . . do you know which battalion and company he’s in yet?
> such as the small sample size, and the extrapolation of non-Maori studies to the Maori population.
I can certainly understand Maori being hesitant to accept this study. They are over-represented in our NZ gaols and are already stereotyped for being violent — in many cases unfairly. Labeling them with a “warrior gene” — whether it be true or not — would not be helpful to their efforts to change attitudes about violence in their community.
Somebody once said that “it is wrong to be right too early.” For the Maori community, these study findings may be “right too early”. Fundamental behavioral change takes time. Given 20 years these findings may be more timely.
Very shortly he will, of course, be meeting up with his new "mother and father". All will go well.
It is true that you remember Sergeant Gittens and Master Sergeant Leander Perez ~ now there's a name!
How do we get these guys into the military instead of gangs? We can always use more warriors on the front lines killin’ Muzzies.
Brilliant, simply brilliant.
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