Bruce Jenner Interview
 

Normally I would never have tuned in but my 12 year old daughter was watching so I took a listen. I watched the whole thing. What I found difficult to understand at first was how someone so 'masculine' as Jenner was could desire to be so feminine. The explanation comes in the form of how certain people can take their internal struggles and allow that to be a fire inside.

I found a few things interesting:

1) At the end he was referring to himself in the third person feminine, a person Diane Sawyer would meet at some point over dinner, as if he was going to introduce her to her. Interesting detachment.

2) His first two wives showed amazing class, the third not so much.

3) Of the show he did with his kids on reality, he had the most interesting 'real' story yet never showed that side, the kids and mother were nothing more then boring and greedy.

4) His right eye doesn't close all the way when he blinks. Interesting.

I used to watch him workout prior to his decathlon in San Jose a hundred years ago. I was out running the bleachers at San Jose State Stadium as a workout during my tennis days. Never spoke with him...but I knew who he was.
,
Hard to imagine what's up w/him, though.
Very foreign to me.

Hard to understand but I usually feel if it's not hurting anyone, do what you want.

If what he says is really true, he couldn't have been in a worse family or show. How sad is it that after all these years, he finally comes clean and the first question Diane asks is if this is a stunt.

Your 12 year old watches that carp? Oh man ...

G

I dont expect many on this board to be capable of understanding what he's going through.

I have a few close trans friends. It is not an easy life.

The ideal goal for any parent is that our children will be wiser & 'better' than we are. lube has succeeded. Congrats. Well done!

Ian

He is detached from his manhood.

Oh. wait.

Really, you mean this guy er' girl sold out about issue out on some sort of TV show? That figures, typical of that entire family circus.

I could care less whatever his hang-up is, does with his body or life, but why do they have to make some big ordeal and air out to the public? Only one answer.... $$$$$$$$$$.

"Only one answer.... $$$$$$$$$$."
~~~~~~~~~
Hasn't that been that whole crew's MO all along?

Agreed. But it also doesnt do much to help other trans people.

While she is a gifted student, musician and athlete ... She is 12 and like any pre-teen, fascinated by pop culture.

Just so you know, her goals (short term) are to make 1st chair violin next year (she has only taken it for 3 months), play up another age group on her traveling soccer team as keeper, continue achieving grades not being any lower than 95 in AP course. Long term goals are to attend Annap or Point then medical school, serve as an Ortho or reconstructive surgeon for wounded troops then go private.

All her ideas. And yes she finds pop culture fascinating.

We discussed the differences between transgender and homosexuality. She knew and understood the differences between sexual preference and the desire to be of a different gender. She actually commented before the show mentioned it that it was most likely neuro chemical and that it must be impossable for some to live with it. They then went into how some teens commit suicide due to the confusion. That upset her.

She's a good soul.

it was painful to see how he was/is treated by the paparazzi. he seems very stoic yet gentle in how he has conducted himself. I have a new admiration for his journey.

I wish him well.

Did not see interview but that could possibly be a residual of surgery, bell's palsy or botox.

He might have missed the boat on this one. Most people find edlerly crossdressers/transgender a little bit creepy. As a 20 something I think they have the time of their lives.

I remember a while on the bus there was a 50 year old guy dressed up (tastefully :rolleyes: ) as a woman. I don't know how many people got on and off that crowded bus but no one sat next to him.

I find the whole thing amazing. How would this be if they were put on the show Naked and afraid where their are no clothes ?

Transsexual- transgender, homosexual are mutuality exclusive. You can cross dress yet not be homosexual. You can get a sex change and still desire someone of opposite chromosomes.
Question asked - when he gets genital reassignment surgery and he becomes a women - begins to date another women would he be a lesbian ?

There is a bible verse that condemns cross dressing. So it's not something new. Not sure what the harm is other then it would produce some confusion. Culture likes pigeon holes.

This can't be an American thing - I guess it would be real easy in certain parts of the Middlebeast. Put a head vail and burka on, who would know ? Wonder how many do that? And what about various tribes that are basically naked? How's that work? Or People that live in the artic ? How can you tell ?

Didn't watch the segment but don't have an opinion either way - live and let live I say.

In the surfing world.........there's the famous Australian surfer Peter Drouyn story.....for interested parties. I bet Bruce Jenner knows him/her.

http://jamiebrisick.com/images/made/...40_1073_80.jpg

What he wants to do, is his biz BUT, it isn't news and I really don't like it being reported on as such. I don't watch E-Tv for a reason, I do watch the news for a reason, and it isn't for E-Reports

True to a point but it is news because there is interest. Not by you but by society in general. It's a discussion point and our culture considers celebrity lives of high importance. I guess that's the fall out from being capitalistic. The rich and famous fascinate us. As a culture we want to know all about them. Maybe because we want to know their secret to success or and juicy bit that brings us closer to them.

While many of us here find the desire to know so much about celebs ridiculous still, it is huge.

I feel for him. A person's mind must be an awful mess to lead them to do such things. I hope he gets a rest from whatever demons are torturing him.

+1

I'm as liberal as they come, and I could care less what Bruce Jenner does or becomes as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. But I'm frustrated that there are 100,000 problems in the world greater than the 'identity comfort' of a privileged person.

I believe the celebrity-obsessed segment of the population is a greater danger to the future of society than all the people with gender identity/confusion issues.

Good point.

The topic of the interview was the first news on this morning, ahead of the Nepal earthquake. That to me is very disturbing and disappointing.

As long as you bring it up......how about the obsession of white cops shooting blacks in the media? Way too much focus on the racial aspect rather than just investigating so many blacks are being shot....period. Whether by white cops, black cops, or non-cops.

There's an analogy you can sink your teeth into.

Sorry for the detour but thought it was germain to your post, Tech.

This. I think it is sad that so many are obsessed with this fellow's obvious mental illness. I guess it is because only the rich (and Federal inmates) are allowed to indulge their insanity. Cost and lack of financial ability protects most insane folks from themselves.

Well, yes and no. I never chase these threads into PARF, but that discussion would kick it there, fast. Put it this way, I think that's an appropriate focus because we have a hugely disproportionate racial component in police killings, and there have been about 5,000 in the past decade, which is a huge number. We do have a 'trigger happy cop' thread anyway, don't we?

As long as there has been those that are 'celeb', 'royal, or 'warrior' then there will always be fascination. Always. Every culture is like that. Some take advantage of it.

Well said.

Bruce trans Jenner. Yawn.

I guess living with the Kardashian's could be the reason he is messed up

btw Politically, Jenner leans conservative and is a Republican. Jenner is also a Christian.

I didn't watch the whole thing, but came away with the same take as Lubey. Changing out the plumbing has to be painful as hell, all this just to become a lesbian.

To achieve what Bruce did in the Olympics takes an inordinate amount of drive and perserverance. I wonder if there was something in his childhood (molestation, overbearing parent) that might have caused some of this or if it was a "born this way" situation.

And "Belinda"? He couldn't come up with a better name than "Belinda"?

Why change names?

I have trans friends. It's a difficult life for sure. One of my friends helped found the national day of silence and transitioned to a male, lives in Seattle and works in politics and education. He is truly one of the best people I know.

Day of Silence

I wish Bruce the best but the obsession with pop culture, putting your life on TV to make money, etc. in my view takes away from the authenticity of his/her journey and in the end I don't think will do anything helpful for this population. I hope I'm wrong.

Crap t.v.
 

As Marshall McClellan said: "t.v. Is a vast wasteland". Whatever Jenner does, is his biz. Not newsworthy in the grand scheme of things. Just reading about the goofy Koch brothers makes me cringe. I'd be more concerned about their concept of increasing the 'well being of society'. Scarier than what Jenner's doing...buying an election.

I have a trans friend. It's singularly one of the bravest things I've seen. Love or hate celebrities, they give a voice to people alone in the dark, unsure and insecure of how they feel versus how society at large might treat them. As a species, it's been our history to ostracize/hate/exclude/kill those that are "different" from "us" - it takes extra effort to transcend reptile brain to realize that there is no threat, no right, no wrong.

Already mentioned my thoughts about BJ but rather interesting how the OP interacted with his daughter. Good luck to you and can't be an easy subject matter to discuss.

I wonder about kids today and how to minimize exposure from adult topic, sexual in nature and the law. The topics and language on major network TV for ratings.

Obvious sex sells and networks are CASHING in, but years ago, the most hoopla might have been a daytime soap. Today anything goes and its NOT LATE night TV either. They keep pushing and the more titillating, the higher ratings. Reality shows, Hollywood or music industry award shows, daily top hits... you know, fuch songs, its all about the 'bass', etc. No parent can completely censor it and one wonders why their kids are sexting AND a whole lot more! Unreal the story's I sometimes hear from young parents about their kids and caught in the act. Crazy!

Pisses me off how the media has PUMPED sex, yes SEX during daytime mainstream tv, dinner hour, gay this, gay that, massive implants that every young girl yearns want list tv shows, erectile commercials........ on and on.

I'm embarrased when visiting and walking in the family room and the grandaughters are watching this stuff on the big screen. Its crazy and creeps me out!

How far is going to go? So from ED commercials during all hours on TV, will we start having them about little buzz toys for woman? Will we be seeing up the orifices of Kim Kardashian but producers will describe it as a medical and learning show?

BTW: Even if you set parental controls on Sat. / cable TV, i-net, this stuff IS NOT filtered.

I don't know. At the previous turn of the century, an exposed ankle was considered provocation, and there were still people who wouldn't use the term "legs" referring to what tables stand on. Some people even separated books written by men from those written by women. I think overall, we're a far healthier society. De-mystifying sex just doesn't seem a big deal to me.

My accumulated wisdom isn't much, although I have cobbled along with the resources at my disposal.

What I do know, what is critical to a free society in my mind, is the right of an individual to pursue happiness as long as the pursuit harms no one. Hackneyed, I know, but there it is. Simple, self regulating.

I have only watched snippets of the interview, but what is clear to me is Jenner walks on trails I never will, has struggles I will never share, has come to the conclusions he has with burdens I will never carry.

I wish him well as he works through becoming what every free person cherishes, happiness.