3 ms·
That last line is the key, isn't it? Sex used to(?) mean something. People were exposed to each other, vulnerable, sharing themselves. It was even intensely po
by smeej 5y ago
That last line is the key, isn't it?
Sex used to(?) mean something. People were exposed to each other, vulnerable, sharing themselves. It was even intensely powerful, in the sense that new life might actually spring out of it.
But this is basically treating another unique, unrepeatable human person as a toy, and not even an exceptional one.
I can't help but think we've lost something important and are that much the poorer for it.
Is the liberation to live one's life in pursuit of the next orgasm really worth it if we have to lose what sex was to get there?
- replygirl 5y agoYou can expand this to pleasure-seeking in general. Narcissism is central not just in the proliferation of identity markers but of micro-celebrities, micro-genres, fandom communities, DTC + targeted advertising, a whole bunch of things that make it hard to thrive unless you treat yourself as the main character. There's that self-care meme with the text that goes something like "Sorry but I don't have the capacity to help you with your breakdown, can you reach out to someone who's emotionally available?". Advertising, the revolt against organized labor, and the financialization of the economy have all come together, knocked down a ton of load-bearing dominoes in our society, and interacted with the media landscape in a way that's eroded any tangible sense of community and made people incredibly self-interested, fearful, reactive, and unable to form an inner life that gives one the strength to give and accept real love and criticism
- ghostbrainalpha 5y agoWhat is DTC ?
- Jcowell 5y agoDid it? Some cultures surely put meaning into it but did all of them?
- replygirl 5y agoi think we're just talking about western culture, more specifically american culture, which was founded on and has spent most of its history confronting anglican and protestant values
- zozbot234 5y agoIt's not just "some" cultures, either. Long-term affectionate bonds, along the lines of marriage for people of different genders, or other forms of quasi-affinal kinship (e.g. sworn brotherhood, compadrazgo etc.) for same-gender pairings are effectively a human universal. Sexual orientation doesn't even enter into this all that much, the ubiquity goes beyond that.