You gave me quite a lot of feedback to my question about programmers, both here and on LiveJournal. So I thought I'd sum it up.
Bret Morgan writes that "true first class programmers are going to be a select few, because they need brains that are on the borderline between masculine and femine brain structure." In elementary school we did some tests to see which-brained we were, and mine was very even; so Bret's statement is tempting to believe, insofar as brain-sidedness relates to gender. Peganthyrus sparked a thread on cross-disciplinism, and Revar stated what's at least uncommon wisdom, saying, "I know enough folks who are both programmers and artists, that I had the impression there was some minor affinity for the two." The Jargon File states, "It is noticeable (and contrary to many outsiders' expectations) that the better a hacker is at hacking, the more likely he or she is to have outside interests at which he or she is more than merely competent."
As for programming being an aptitude, Andrew Ducker wrote that "it's [not] a 'you get it or you don't' kind of thing, more a 'you get it more or less'." I can agree with that. chipuni described the acquisition of skill sets, with which I have less experience than I'd like to admit. Mark Bernstein himself managed to respond, also calling it a skill: "Some people can't write fine prose, but we expect that just about everyone will learn to write. ... It's not a rare gift, like being able to hit a fastball. It's a simple skill, like driving a car."
My answer to "Are there programmers?" is, to riff off Mark Bernstein's statement at first:
There are people who know how to program, just as there are people who know how to write, or to read French. There are people for whom programming is difficult, but they only have gaps in their education. It takes a particular mindset to write good software, just as not everyone can be a top-shelf chef or stunt car driver, but with enough work and practice you can acquire it. It's just easier for some than for others.
