"We like to think that we live in a liberal, permissive society - that, if anything, the problem is that there is too much sex about. This is a cruel delusion. We live in a culture that is deeply confused about its erotic impulses; it bombards us with images of airbrushed models and celebrities writhing in a sterile haze of anhedonia while abstinence is preached at the heart of government." More at the New Statesman.
That statement is dead-on. We live in such an uptight, prudish society when it comes to sex. Of course we're free to engage in any kind of sex we want, but there seems to be a deep shame regarding sex that runs through our entire culture. Newsflash - EVERYBODY FUCKS!!! It's not aberrant, deviant, immoral, or wrong AT ALL! Consent is the key word - if it's not hurting anyone against their will, WHAT is the issue?? Seriously. This is one of the primary reasons I believe the Right Wing is a significantly more poisonous and dangerous movement, simply because they believe sex is fundamentally something to be ashamed of, hidden. Forget it if you're anything but straight, too. That way of thinking makes people suppress NATURAL SEXUAL FEELINGS THAT THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT, because they believe what they are thinking is wrong instead of natural. Republicans misunderstand human sexuality to such a vast extent that I would never, EVER support a candidate with any kind of Republican philosophy on sex. It is simply medieval thinking to believe that sex is immoral or something to hide - that only creates more problems for all of us.
It's not an accident that we have so many politicians and public figures mired in sex scandals - they lack an outlet for their sexualities, either because of societal stigmas (Craig, Vitter, Enson, etc.), or the artificial structure of monogamy. But that's another long comment I don't feel like writing now...
