Why is there so much antagonism towards sex in western culture?

[Taverner]

OK...this isn't a "sex" thread per se. ( I mean it is about sex, but more of a pondering the concept of sex itself, rather than anything explicit...)

I was wondering why is it that human nature, specifically western culture, has such antagonism towards sex? I mean one cannot discuss sex as a subject freely, but one can discuss any other biological function. It's even more acceptable to discuss gastronomical functions than it is to discuss sexual ones...

In western culture, it's OK to discuss violence, and "kicking someone's ass" but not ok to disuss, even from a clinical POV anything to do with sex.

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And a last note, let's try NOT to get this shut down, since it is a 'fine line' sort of topic.

[swag]

Judeo-Christian tradition

is loaded with antagonism toward sex. See Gore Vidal's great essay:



http://eserver.org/govt/monotheism.txt

[alexwcovington]

1. Three Words

Roman Catholic Church

[Endangered Specie]

12. Them? preventing sex?...

with a minor exception of the 8-12s.

[King Of Paperboys]

2. What are you, some kind of grad student?

You want me to write your thesis for FREE?

MODS! MODS! We got another grad student trying to get a free thesis!

[achtung_circus]

3. Don't lump us all into your "Western Culture" basket.

It's an American thing. Most other Western nations have a much more relaxed attitude toward sex. It may be related to Puritan forebears, the high percentage of Americans who describe themselves as strongly religious or the drinking water. Take your pick or suggest another.

Sex is just another part of life, not as important as food in the long run, but given a choice on any particular occasion....

[SarahB]

7. I would agree.

Most of my English side has been in America since the Colonial times (so they're pretty intertwined with Puritan historical ideals, but from the perspective of my mom's Swedish side, I'd say people were fairly liberal and tolerant about sex and able to have open discussions about it (which seems to be fairly common among Scandinavians as a whole). My mother has a plethora of "issues" but was never uncomfortable about the subject of human sexuality and neither is my grandma and grandpa on her side (not weird or over-sexual, just very healthy about it as a natural part of life).
My husband though was raised Irish Catholic (second generation in America- both parents from huge families) and definitely was given- not only a lack of information, but what little was given involved the whole "guilt" and "sin" aspects. So even when it comes to "Western culture", there is a vast difference in attitudes.

[asthmaticeog]

4. It's not Western Culture.

Europe seems to have far healthier and more realistic attitudes towards sexual matters than we do here on this side of the pond, and Europe is Western Culture. I've heard it argued that it's partly because we were founded by the Puritans, but that explanation doesn't satisfy me.

[Wright Patman]

5. Arabs are much more

uptight, particularly when one of their women "expresses herself" sexually.

I tend to reject your premise. Surveys have shown America is one of the most sex-crazed locales on the planet, with people having sex much more than in other countries (or reporting this to be the case anyhow), not that there is anything wrong with that.

Now there is also a much more politically active and powerful segment of fundamentalist types in this country than is normally the case.

They don't live what they preach oftentimes, but they are very judgmental of what they view as unconventional sexuality and they have a megaphone-sized voice compared to what they would have in a European or Asian country.

I also think a lot of the opposition to such things as gay marriage and the like comes from individuals who have probably not had sex with anything or anybody more than a few times in the last 30 or 40 years.

As Mencken said, "The definition of a puritan is someone who is deathly afraid that someone somewhere just might be having a good time."

[HEyHEY]

6. Cause no body is getting any and they're bitter

Actually I think we're one of the more laid back cultures when it comes to sex

[Taverner]

8. Well you're in Canada

They seem to still be getting the great orgasms...none for us south of the border however :(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. I see uptightness among some segments of the population, but

believe me, it's nothing like it was in the 1950s and early 1960s, when TV couples had to sleep in twin beds and the phrase "they had to get married" was widely known. (Today's college students have never heard it.)

How times have changed--but I don't think we as a society have mature attitudes toward sex. Everything is so much in flux that we have on one end a large population of people who try to maintain the traditional mores, and on the other end, people who use their rejection of traditional mores to practice irresponsible or exploitative sexual behavior.

I used to hear American men say that "Japanese have a much healthier attitude towards sex than we do."

However, what they appeared to mean is that Japan had a huge, out in the open sex trade, patronized almost exclusively by men. Oh, yes, and really explicit porno comic books, where anything was okay as long as no pubic hair was shown.

When I was a student at a women's college there in the 1970s, I had some fellow students who were pretty free and easy, but I had other fellow students who got all giggly and red-faced at the idea of kissing a man. They'd strike up a conversation and want to know if I'd ever been kissed.

I once saw a TV show in which an elaborate scheme was set up with Pink Lady (remember *Pink Lady and Jeff*? That Pink Lady), so that Kei was made to believe that Mii had said that she had kissed four people. Kei was absolutely indignant. By the way, Kei and Mii were about twenty years old and in show business.

On the other hand, there were some extremely androgynous entertainers (Priscilla Queen of the Desert androgynous or k.d. lang androgynous), but nobody in real life seemed to be gay.

Meanwhile, there didn't seem to be a big emphasis on virginity at marriage, but adultery by women was a r-e-a-l-l-y big deal, while adultery by men was practically expected.

All this has changed since I began going to Japan in the 1970s.

Yet in the old days, there was a huge sex industry, into which the daughters of destitute families were sold. Adultery by women was such a big deal that the penalty for adultery by a woman was crucifixion. (Yes, one thing the notoriously cruel Tokugawa Shoguns took from the Portuguese missionaries was the idea of crucifixion. They didn't like Christianity, but they heard about crucifixion and thought, "Cool.")

The upshot is, I know of at least one other culture that has repressive attitudes towards sexuality.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. It's not western, it's American

and uniquely American.

Other civilized western nations have no problem with sex. In fact, in those countries a booby is a vehicle for delivering milk to a baby, not a taboo fascinating dirty/lovely thing to want to see but to tell everyone you don't want to see, except when you're alone with the boys then you can say it, but you'll deny it in church.

No, it's totally American-only.

[LastKnight]

11. cause western culture was started by a bunch of puritans...

at least, the domonant western culture which spread from america outwards, and america was formed by puritans... at least thats my take on it. could be wrong, who knows.

-LK

[Tsiyu]

13. Sort of Wincing....

"Western Culture" is a huge freaking lump to tackle but, okay....hmmmmm.

First I must say that Eastern culture isn't exactly evolved sexually. Unless female genital mutilation and burkhas and the asian sex trades would be considered sophisticated expressions of a culture's sexuality. Does Eastern Culture get a better grade because they talk about these things matter-of-factly?

Secondly, if you are referring to attitudes in the US, again you are speaking of a very diverse population. Log onto villagevoice.com for very frank ( though often *wink wink* pieces) and don't expect any help with technique from the 700club. In other words, it is quite possible ( and I myself have done this) to have very open discussions about sexuality in America. You just can't do that everywhere.

There are a whole bunch of folks in the US who are screwed up sexually. It may have started with the old "I Love Lucy" episodes. Mostly it's due to parents who can't handle their own sexuality so they either freeze their kids out with zero info ( just say no....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) or they inundate them with or casually integrate them into patterns of irresponsible sexual behavior.

WE are saturated with sexual images, yet we have a hard time with talking about the nuts and bolts ( tee hee). Perhaps that is further evidence of a society that wants a primal mystery to surround everything. Sort of a Neverland where we never have to face reality and all the chicks are air-brushed and surgically enhanced and all the men are on Viagra? And there are no diseases or unwanted babies just orgasm after orgasm? Damn. Where is that place?

[SoCalDem]

14. The madonna-whore dichotomy..

Society taunts women to be sexy... and yet pure ..all at the same time..

[DivinBreuvage]

15. 'Cuz white boys can't do it right

Just kidding, for God's sake, don't flame me. Or do, I'll just have another beer.

Also, some of you are erring in blaming this on the Puritans -- not unusual, as DUers blame everything on the Puritans (just kidding, for God's sake, don't flame me. Or do, I'll just have another beer). The Puritans were just fine with sex so long as it was married and heterosexual and wasn't put ahead of devotion to God. The attitude you're thinking of is actually the fault of the Victorians (highly paradoxical as Queen Victoria really really loved snuggling with Prince Albert -- so I hear).