Speak No Evil…

In my quest to find an interesting blog, I came across one that directly addresses the problem which I fear the most: the quiet attitude our culture projects upon sex. It is silently accepted that it happens, yet never properly discussed. I have found that often it is that which is swept under the rug that causes the most problems. Such is the case when it comes to human sexuality.

This blog, with the help of this article, brings this fact, this “sexual mystique” to light. Instead of lauding people like Tony Venezuela, who gave a speech about how he feels sex without a condom promotes intimacy and enhances pleasure, for openly discussing his habits and why he practices sex the way he does, he is attacked, denigrated as a propagator of unsafe sex.

I agree with the author of the blog. We need to understand why people do the things they do, not just punish them for it. For example, the book My Secret Garden, by Nancy Friday, relays the story of a woman who was raped. This woman now cannot have sex unless she is “raped”. In fact, a friend of mine recently informed me that her roommate freshman year watched animal porn. My friend was utterly disgusted. Of course, I wanted to know why. Did she have an experience that made her feel that she was closer to animals than humans? I see this as cause and effect – an insightful tool into understanding why people are turned on to certain things. This can be hepful in understanding phenomena such as child porn and bestiality.

Only open forum discussion can quell any mystery associated with the taboo that is sex. Those who are made uncomfortable by the thought have two options: a) Ignore it. Just because information is out there does not mean you must access it, or b) get over the initial discomfort and understand that this is not about demoralizing people, but rather about educating people. Academic discourse about sex and sexuality will serve to alienate people less and elucidate the arena of STDs and pregnancy (moreso, in my opinion, than pornography, where it is often experienced alone and the aftermath of sex, protected or otherwise, is rarely examined).