A)
Pepper Schwartz opens Why is Everyone Afraid of Sex? with "In spite of the visibility of sex in the media and popular culture, despite a widespread acceptance of a variety of sexual practices, Americans still hold a deep-rooted fear of sex." (252) Schwartz then goes on to explain the surprising, but obvious truth. American society portrays a sexual attitude, but is actually hiding a fear of the activity. Schwartz does a great job of showing both sides of this argument. She mentions how sex seems to no longer be a completely taboo thing within the media and society today. Within television, magazines, articles, movies, etc, sexual themes are all over the place. Another factor is that premarital sex is becoming more and more acceptable these
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These five factors include: religious tradition, double standards, STDs, cultural expectations, and ostracism for not being masculine enough. (258) When first reading the title of this article, I was confused on how one could be frightened by such a natural act. After reading these five factors, I can understand where Schwartz is coming from. The religious tradition plays into the disapproving of homosexuality and also sex before marriage, which explains why some people may fear sexual activity. Double standards gives reasoning for women to be fearful of embracing their sexuality due to the fact that they will most likely be ridiculed by their society for being too open or too in touch with their sexuality, while men are free to do as they please. Today, some people still find women in touch with their sexuality to be a threat to society. (259) Sexually transmitted diseases are definitely something that could establish fear within the society and encourage the absence of sexual activity. This factor only makes sense, especially if people are uneducated on how to protect themselves. Cultural expectations would include people fearing they wont know what they are doing in bed and they wont look how the actors in the movies look. People begin to fear the normal act of sexual intercourse because they feel that they wont live up to the unrealistic expectations - which is a valid fear. (260) The last contributing factor is the fear of having the "wrong" sexual orientation. When people begin to feel things for someone they do not want to feel things for, it causes fear and causes for them to shut down their feelings and therefor, their
[3] Since the 1950’s, a sexual revolution has spawned in America, accordingly downgrading previous anathemas in society, like pre-martial sex, masturbation, and homosexuality. For example, according to an article describing the sexual revolution, “In the 1950s, less than 25 percent of Americans thought premarital sex was acceptable; by the 1970s, more than 75 percent found it acceptable” (Stossel 74). Norman Podhoretz recounts how in the early 1950’s obtaining pornography was like trying to buy illegal drugs. But Playboy changed all of that, as it emerged as an “acceptable” form of pornography in 1953.
Author Amy Schalet ultimately brings up a delicate and sensitive topic about teens having sex, comparing the different mindsets of families in the Netherlands and in America. By Schalet carrying the interviews, she found out that teens in America are a lot more secretive with their personal lives, and would not discuss it with their parents, unlike teens from the Netherlands that eventually told their parents. While some people might say that it’s a matter of common sense, some other people might argue it has to do with culture. Catholics, for example, believe in celibacy until you have decided on the person you will marry. You are taught from young age to protect your body and mind from carnal desires and focus on other things that will benefit you on the long run. Obviously, times have changed, and not many people practice this anymore. We can see an example on shows on television about teen pregnancy, while these shows aren’t necessarily telling to go ahead and have children at young age, it might have negative impact on younger girls, almost like a unintentional role model. On the other hand, writer Jamaica Kincaid, demonstrates the In The Girl we see the other side of the coin, a mother that is so demanding and is always right, no matter the outcome, she is right, and things have to be done a certain way. I think a figure like this would not benefit
A moral panic is defined as a public panic over a matter that is considered to be threatening or shocking to the social order. One example of a significant matter that caused a moral panic in the public eye is homosexuality. The public discriminated against homosexuals, viewing them as sick, unnatural, immoral and a threat to society. Another example of a moral panic is America’s effort to protect its children from sex, which is discussed in the Harmful to Minors book by the author Judith Levine. This controversial argument by Levine explores why Americans demonize the topic of sex and keep their children away from it in fear that it will harm them, and in return Levine explains how protecting them away from sex actually ends up harming them.
...n credit cards with men’s names. What is even more important is the reach of porn’s influence. The emerging generation that has grown up in the Internet age and most likely porn has been this generation’s first sexual experience. In most cases the habit sticks, about 70% of 18-24-year-olds visit porn sites each month. Porn has both massive ubiquity and ease of access; the average age when hardcore porn is first viewed is now only eight years old (Viewpoint , 2012). Children are necessarily looking for it but, these images and videos are shared on phones, advertise in magazines and found by innocent Googling. With porn so omnipresent and sex education budgets being slashed across Europe and the United States, porn has become de faco sex education (Viewpoint , 2012). As a result, a whole generation of kids is growing up with a distorted impression of human sexuality.
Countering the Culture of Sex is an article by Ellen Goodman dealing with the entertainment industry’s plague upon society. With sex rooted deep in children’s minds it creates this idea of what life revolves around. Digging deeper, Goodman brings up the point of why one never sees the consequences of sex. If the media were to show the consequences of people’s actions, the industry could create a sense of fear into the public.
For instance, the previous generation of musical idols such as Michael Jackson and Madonna did not express their interests in nudity and extreme sexual behavior in the public arenas as compared to the modern-age equivalents, such as Miley Cyrus who has been renowned for extreme sexual behavior in the public domain (Marcotte 1). Prudery has also affected the literal and writing industry through books such as the Twilight Trilogy that incorporates extreme sexual obscenity. These ideologies then trickle down to the young generation. In fact, recent studies indicate that 33 percent of the young U.S. citizens aged between 15 and 24 years have never had sex (Marcotte 1). While these figures were overly publicized in the mass media platforms in the U.S. as an unobjectionably good thing, it is critical to understand that the numbers are relatively high compared to other nations, especially in Western Europe. The perception of these numbers as an achievement when it falls short in the global arena is the result of sexual perversion in the U.S. society as a result of
“…in the absence of comprehensive sex and sexuality education…adolescents are largely getting their sex education and socialization through media—and the higher their ‘sexual media diet,’ the earlier their sexual experimentation begins.” (Olfman 10) The vast lack of acknowledgment that the media controls childhood sexualization is astounding. As Dr. Sharna Olfman explains “Media can be viewed then as both a reflection and a shaper of society.” In the patriarchal society U.S. citizens live in, there seems to be a massive blindspot where there should healthy sexuality education. A direct result of this blindspot is the prevalent acceptance of rape as an inevitable, inextricable part of society. Men and women are both dangerously,
In the past, sex was something that people tried to avoid talking about it, neither less teaching. Sex became a mystery, and a mystery would always trigger people’s nerves, especially teenager’s curious minds. That leads teenager at that time, who had no idea about sex, wanted to have sex to know about it. And when they had sex without any protection, they easily got STDs or HIV or even pregnancy. The case awakens society that sex education must be taught for students at the very first when they enter middle schools. But the way sex was taught those days was very much different from today. In the article “What the sex educators teach” posted on the Opposing View Point in Context website, Dana Mack has written about her experience when taking sex education class when she was a teen: “At the age of ten or eleven, girls and boys were herded into separate rooms - usually in the company of a parent. There, in industrial-gray pictures and solemn monotones, they were introduced to the world of gametes, ovaries, and menstruation. Not exactly titillating material, this reproductive information.” (Mack). Back in those days when sex was a newly revealed topic and sex education program had just been operated, people are still very shy to talk about sex and they often avoid having this kind of
The purpose of this short interview is to ask an elder person, at least the age of 40 years old, about their view of sex during their time and their perspective of how the society has changed. This experiment will illustrate societal and sociological changes that have occurred. For this project, I interviewed Mrs. Ebony Jackson, a 41 years old Africa-American women. Mrs. Jackson was born in 1975 and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her family that she grew up in consist of her two sisters, mother, grandmother, and grandfather. I asked Mrs. Jackson if her family ever talk to her about sex or sexuality and the respond I got was a 'no. ' She continued to explain to me how parents and their children are not supposed to mention anything
Today’s society is a sexual playing field. Celebrities on television and movies, models on the covers of magazines, and even politicians have become sexual legends in the map of American society. The issue of sex is publicly discussed, on media and otherwise, and as such, it has become, to a great degree, a measure of self-worth. Issues such as breast size, penis size, and sexual stamina have flooded the American public with the idea that one is defined by how sexually appealing s/he is.
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
The sexual revolution of the 1960’s made a big impact on society as a whole, changing and shaping it to much of what it has become today. Although this change has provided progress for the society it has also created new challenges that civilization must now face. Due to the new issues brought on by the previous sexual revolution it can be said that the sexual revolution is not yet over, as it is still revolutionizing society today. We are currently part of our own sexual revolution, one that deals with issues brought on by the previous one as well as issues that have never been tackled before, such as situations brought on by the relatively new media. This revolution seeks to change the opinions on women’s rights, sexuality and gender, and the social media. The sexual revolution is now, and it is affecting the North American society as a whole. It is widely known that society is ever-changing, so it is inevitable that new challenges will cause change; in a society that can never stay the same there can never be only one revolution. The sexual revolution of the 1960’s only served as a starting point for a plethora of sexual revolutions that are to come.
We become accustomed to all of these social notions and conceptions, whether through subconscious or conscious means, through our peers, family and sometimes the religious institutions we attend. Hence, the media can be a positive tool to encourage healthy debate on discussions of gender and sexuality, but it can also be detrimental in further perpetuating and engendering harmful gender stereotypes. This essay will discuss some of the key concepts mentioned above through the analysis of a video entitled The Economics of Sex by The Austin Institute. In doing so, this essay will look at some of the main arguments raised by the video and some potential resulting social implications.
Valenti, Jessica. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2009. Print.
Sex has been a taboo subject for many generations in nearly every culture present in the world. Many seem to rely on the traditional idea that one should abstain from sex until marriage, while others evolved and began to exercise the idea of sexual freedom and are not held down by any certain beliefs or traditions. Leslie Bell takes an in-depth look into this complex situation by taking into account various psychoanalytical theories and first-hand experiences in order to make sense of this complicated subject. One can argue that sex becomes a much more complicated rather than a pleasurable experience for women due to the confusing standards that society has put in place, their upbringing from childhood to adulthood, and their overwhelming desire