| June 23, 2006 Rank and File by Nova Stubbs, insurgent49 America’s
Contradictory Perception of Sex
What is SPAM? Is it a salty canned meat ... or annoying emails sent by corporations telling you how to enlarge your penis? The answer is both, but the problem is that, at this point, I would prefer the disgusting canned meat. This is an issue that comes with technology. I am not a proclaimed neo-Luddite, because technology (i.e. the internet) is ultimately useful. One can find facts, learn about various social and political issues, and travel the world through a screen. It is truly amazing, uncensored ideas by the click of a mouse. What is my problem? Children, who have not yet developed their critical thinking skills, are learning about life through a screen, including sex. Yes, there is “nanny software” that parents can install into their computers, but computers are everywhere. I have observed people, generally teenage boys, looking at pornography in public forums such as the UAA library and a local internet café. They are curious young people who will go to any length to find what they are looking for. But the truth of the matter is that children and adolescents should learn about sex and the human body through natural development, and their parents should fulfill the role as an informer and guide. A shot of a large breasted blonde woman with her ass in the air does not constitute all that is “natural”; however, many teens do not know that. The human body is beautiful, but our society is so sexually contradictory that our perception of the body is often only linked to sex as opposed to natural beauty. On one end, we are puritanical and oppressed; on the other, sexually charged, as we cling to the socially constructed “sexy” image. Image is of great value in America, and can often dictate one’s social fate. I am bothered by the fact that thirteen year-old girls wear clothing that reveals their breasts. Not because breasts are bad, but because these young women are aware that they are able to use their bodies as a tool to get what they want. Thirteen year-old girls don’t usually want sex. They want attention. Good attention or bad attention? Both ... scantily dressed women are either viewed as whores or hot chicks, dependent upon who is looking. Are they dirty and wrong, or simply sexy? It is the ultimate contradiction. According to a 2005 survey, only 4% of Internet users reported that they have downloaded and viewed pornography. I have a hunch that the actual percentage is much greater. For instance, I receive SPAM daily that suggests this disparity. Just yesterday I received an email form dirtyhottie entitled “MyHubbylsOutOfTown” and one from Maxload that stated “GetMassiveErections, HugeQuantitesOfSemen” So why is it underreported? Again, I look to the great contradiction. Although the Internet is full of adult content, people are made to feel guilty and wrong for having such desires. I do not believe that looking at pornography is bad; however, the concept of the human body as natural and beautiful should also be incorporated into one’s perception. Yet, for teens, this is not always the case. It is a parent’s duty to give their children the reality of sex and sexuality. Instead, many parents either refuse to broach the subject, or insinuate that sex and masturbation are wrong. Therefore, children and teens are left to their own devices to learn about sexuality and sex. They learn about it through pornography and their peers. This can lead to false impressions, confusion, and feelings of guilt, which eventually become the foundation of their sexuality. Sex and death are two conversation topics that make many Americans uncomfortable. They are topics that are “hidden” and taboo, but very real and very natural. In Amsterdam, prostitutes stand in windows in hopes to entice a client. Their sexuality is not hidden or marked taboo, instead it is reality of human nature that is reckoned with. The internet is not the problem, and sex is not a taboo. Parents need talk to their children about sex in order to dispel this contradictory cycle. Nova Stubbs is a freelance writer and activist, and is co-founder of Insurgent49. Nova resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage and may be contacted at nova@insurgent49.com. |
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2005
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Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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