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TechnographCOLUMN: Bilateral masturbation: The dehumanization and degradation of sex and intimacy
By John Bambenek
Posted: 9/15/06 Section: Opinions
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As usual, the hook-up culture comes down hardest on women who generally bear the consequences of rampant sexuality. Single parenting, sexually-transmitted diseases and date rape disproportionately affect women. The more safe sex is preached from the rooftops, the more women seem to be left in the wake of human tragedy.
McKinley offers two condom packs per month which means about 48 condoms per couple. Few people have that much sex. Those who brag that they do are probably getting none. With such a wide availability of birth control on campus, you'd think we'd have no unplanned pregnancies or STD infections. The fact remains that Champaign has been declared as having an epidemic of syphilis. Plan B access remains the issue of the day, but if safe sex is so safe, why is there a need for a Plan B?
Lally Gartel, in her column "The HPVictory," accused me of not taking into account that people will "just have sex." No, I expect people to be human beings using the big melon on top of their necks to make rational choices. People don't just "do" things; they "choose" to do things. If people cannot be expected to be rational they should not be allowed freedom. Relegating sex to the realm of the "involuntary" just dehumanizes the person you have sex with.
It is far past time to realize that this dehumanized and degraded view of sex has done nothing but create generations of single mothers and children raised without both parents, and has left men and women unable to relate to one another. Every single statistic from abortions, to out-of-wedlock births, to STD infection rates, to divorces, show that sexual liberation has done far more harm than good. Perhaps it's time to use that melon on our necks instead of following every urge in our pants.
McKinley offers two condom packs per month which means about 48 condoms per couple. Few people have that much sex. Those who brag that they do are probably getting none. With such a wide availability of birth control on campus, you'd think we'd have no unplanned pregnancies or STD infections. The fact remains that Champaign has been declared as having an epidemic of syphilis. Plan B access remains the issue of the day, but if safe sex is so safe, why is there a need for a Plan B?
Lally Gartel, in her column "The HPVictory," accused me of not taking into account that people will "just have sex." No, I expect people to be human beings using the big melon on top of their necks to make rational choices. People don't just "do" things; they "choose" to do things. If people cannot be expected to be rational they should not be allowed freedom. Relegating sex to the realm of the "involuntary" just dehumanizes the person you have sex with.
It is far past time to realize that this dehumanized and degraded view of sex has done nothing but create generations of single mothers and children raised without both parents, and has left men and women unable to relate to one another. Every single statistic from abortions, to out-of-wedlock births, to STD infection rates, to divorces, show that sexual liberation has done far more harm than good. Perhaps it's time to use that melon on our necks instead of following every urge in our pants.
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