"So, if anatomy is destiny then testosterone is doom"

The assertion that anatomy is destiny evokes the idea that our physical bodies, particularly our biological sex, determine the course of our lives—our opportunities, our limitations, and even the way society perceives and treats us. Many feminist and philosophical critiques have challenged the notion, arguing that what people do and become should not be dictated by their bodies alone.

Al Goldstein’s provocative extension, "then testosterone is doom", takes this idea further by narrowing the focus onto a single hormone closely associated with masculinity. Testosterone is often shorthand for aggression, competitiveness, risk-taking, and sometimes for a lack of emotional expression. Goldstein’s view implies a kind of fatalism: if our biological makeup is inescapable fate, then the attributes commonly assigned to men—driven by testosterone—are not just fate but a source of inevitable trouble or destruction.

The word "doom" invokes not merely limitation but a sense of danger, self-destruction, or societal peril. It suggests that if men are ruled by testosterone, if society excuses male behavior by pointing to hormones, the result is disastrous. Underneath the dark humor is a criticism of essentialist thinking—the idea that men are inherently bound to be violent, domineering, or reckless because of their biology. This conflates the complexities of individual agency, socialization, and cultural expectations, reducing men to mere vessels of biology-run-wild.

A deeper reading interrogates whether anyone’s destiny should be fixed by biology. Goldstein’s statement challenges the social acceptance of toxic masculinity by highlighting its supposedly biological underpinnings and framing them in the bleakest possible way. Rather than accepting anatomy or hormones as doom, it invites reconsideration of how much agency individuals and societies have in shaping identities and destinies—even against the backdrop of biology. The quote ultimately questions both the fairness and wisdom of allowing physical characteristics to determine one’s fate, especially when the consequences are so dire.