flatterer!
i havent actuall read that book, but the mental image it is cugoring up is quite appealing
Doreen seems to have given up trying to cagegorise me, and has concluded that i really am a cat
so much of what you say rings true for me as well. at work they seem to have concluded that i am an alien reptile, having long since eliminated the idea that i was a sane human like them
the other side to this though is that humans seem to think in compartments. from watching people i would guess that men are more prone to this than women. remember that the internet seems to have far more men than women on it, so this is a very common practice.
the (to me) depressing part of this though is that so many people seem to lend themselves into being slotted into compartments. where are all the individuals?
there have been studies (i have seen reports on them in the NewScientist magazine) that say that on the internet people are much free'er to be themselves, and arent tied down by the steriotypes of their appearance, etc.
as for a voice to all people, that really seems to depend on where you are. in most groups you have to earn the right to a voice that is listened to. but in that process you need to try and avoid being clasified away and ignored.
at times like this i find it helpful to snort *humans* under my breath, and be thankful that there are other, more interesting, people out there. to me this is the great strengh of the internet. it allows the interesting and unique people to find each other!
