Sex myths without substance: Mislabelling Japan

[Demo_Chris]

44. In any discussion involving sexual morality and tribal taboo...

I always try to distance myself personally from the activity under discussion before assigning value judgments, and instead approach it with the assumption that sex is not something icky, gross, or shameful; and that sexual activity of any sort is fine (if you enjoy it) so long as no one else is being harmed. When considering any sexual activity, once you have dispensed with the first the later becomes much easier to define.

Let's say, for example, that I enjoy slathering myself in Vick's Vapo rub and retreating to my basement to furiously masturbate over back issues of Horse and Hound magazine. As I am sure you are aware, this is a common fetish, but it will do for starters. If we stipulate that there is nothing wrong with masturbation and that the horses are both unaware and uncaring (the hounds are, of course, flattered), it's easy to see that no one is physically harmed by this activity. It is therefore not "sick" -- whatever your own religion based cultural values might suggest.

And this remains true even if we substitute our now ragged Horse and Hound magazine for this month's edition of Cat Fancy or Farm Life, or even a picture of a model in a sailor suit clutching a backpack. Even if we add other people to the mix, labels like sick or wrong are not for you to assign. If my partner enjoys dressing up like a schoolgirl, complete with vending machine panties, and calling me Uncle Tickle, that's really none of your business and it's certainly not your place to call it sick. The most you can say is that it's not a turn on for you.