Dr. Jack Steinbrink
English Composition I
September 25, 2013
Sex: America the Oppressed
Sex. In some form or another, it’s everywhere. At any given time, I can turn on my television and see someone or even something being sexualized. Whether it’s a product like a cheeseburger being eaten by two half-naked women, or that sexy cop who wears high heels every day when she is out on the beat, it is there. When I’m waiting in line at the grocery store, I can see it in the half dressed, photo shopped actors and actresses adorning the covers of magazines. Even though sex seems to be everywhere in our current popular culture, it still seems to be the biggest moral taboo for Americans.
In other countries, sex is not viewed in such a taboo way. For example, in the Netherlands, sex is a much more open subject. Unlike America, you can find men and women sunbathing at nude beaches with zero shame or embarrassment. Amsterdam is known for its red light district, where you can purchase sex without fear of prosecution. There is no battle in The Netherlands about educating their youth on sex and sexuality. They have a comprehensive sexuality education program in many of their schools. While Americans might assume all this openness about sex and sexuality could only lead to teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and other forms of debauchery, it is in fact quite the contrary. According to “Teenage Births in Rich Nations”, a report published by Unicef, the five countries with the lowest teenage birth rates are Korea, Japan, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden – all with teen birth rates of fewer than 7 per 1,000. The report further notes that the United States teenage birth rate of 52.1 is the highest in the developed world. It seems the Netherlands is on to something. Being open about sex and allowing educators to teach what sex and sexuality means seems to be creating a more tolerant and comfortable sexual environment.
Maybe America’s refusal to embrace sex in a positive and healthy way is rooted in our religious foundations. After all, there are several versus in The Bible that damn you to hell when it comes to having or engaging in sex. One that comes to mind is from the book of Matthew. “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (5.30) According to this, if you masturbate, to avoid a one way ticket to hell you should cut off your hand. Ouch! That is a pretty violent consequence for such an innocent behavior.
In the American media, there is more negative emphasis placed on consensual sex than sexual violence. The movie “The House on the Left” is rated “R” for sadistic, brutal violence, including rape and murder. When I watched the rape scene in this movie, I cringed, turned my head, and couldn’t watch it all the way through without feeling uncomfortable. Let’s compare this to the film “Blue Valentine”. This movie initially received an NC-17 rating. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, this is why:
The characters played by Gosling and Williams try to save their crumbling marriage by spending a night away in a hotel. They get drunk and their problems intensify when he wants to have sex and she doesn 't, but will to get him off her back. That hurts his pride and the result is an upsetting scene that makes you squirm, but is an honest one that establishes clearly that this couple has nothing left and isn 't going to make it because love has turned into contempt.
The “upsetting scene” the MPAA is referring to is Gosling, the husband, performing oral sex on his wife, Williams. In this scene there is no nudity, and it is totally implied. So using this logic, you can bring a minor to a movie that depicts graphic rape, but a scene with no nudity showing a drunk couple being intimate and struggling to fix a broken marriage is not suitable for children under 17. This is an example of how the American media is desensitizing us to violence, but the perfectly natural act of sex is to be hidden behind a veil of shame. We are a nation that is so hung up on sex that it is more risqué to show a consensual act of intimacy between a husband and wife than a brutal rape and murder. What is the message here? If sex is forced upon you, then it’s okay, but a consensual act is shameful?
It’s not just the media that is teaching us these confusing lessons about sex and sexuality. It’s our state and local Government. Did you know that in Nebraska they do not have laws protecting mothers who want to breastfeed their children in public? This means as you are sitting on a bench breastfeeding your child, you could be asked to put away your breasts or leave because your breasts are making others feel uncomfortable. You would think the act of breastfeeding a child could only be interpreted as something perfectly natural, but these women are often approached and criticized for providing nourishment to their child. Americans are so over sexualized that a mother nursing her child is considered sexual and deemed indecent.
According to Merriam-Webster.com sex is “physical activity in which people touch each other 's bodies, kiss each other, etc.: physical activity that is related to and often includes sexual intercourse”, but that is just one way to define sex. Sex is more than just an act. Sex is also about perception, and America’s perceptions towards sex are twisted and distorted. It’s no wonder most teenagers don 't feel they can talk to their parents about sex. American society has shamed sex to the point where most think of it as dirty and immoral. It amazes me that the puritan morals and values of yesterday can still have such a strong grasp on current societal thinking. Progress is not made by reprimanding and preaching brimstone and fire, but rather, intelligently discussing the issues that affect us all. Sex always has and always will be one of the core aspects of the human race. Our society should address this issue, rather than shake its finger at it.
Works Cited
"A League Table of Teenage Births in Rich Nations: Innocenti Report Card No.3." http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/328. The United Nations Children’s Fund, 2001. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.unicef-irc.org>.
"OpenBible.info." OpenBible.info. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.openbible.info>.
"Sex." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://Merriam-Webster.com>.
Cited: "A League Table of Teenage Births in Rich Nations: Innocenti Report Card No.3." http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/328. The United Nations Children’s Fund, 2001. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.unicef-irc.org>. "OpenBible.info." OpenBible.info. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.openbible.info>. "Sex." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://Merriam-Webster.com>.
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