When it comes to sex, Americans revert to their adolescent, pubescent days of simultaneously intrigued, grossed-out, aroused, confused, obsessed and shameful behavior. Perhaps it is due to our nation still being in its infancy compared to most of the world or perhaps our conflicting sexual fascination and guilt originates with our founding members, the Puritans, who were the most devout and spiritual, and perhaps the most sexually deprived group in all of
As a nation, it doesn't take much to get our panties in a wad. While we like to righteously claim that we adhere to a strict code of family values and lofty, yet "ideal," notions of morality, we find it admissible to promote the adrenaline rush of watching a bunch of "steroid-crazed, wife-beating, semi-literate millionaires harm another bunch of steroid-crazed, wife-beating, semi-literate millionaires" (Diane Roberts) yet the idea of Janet's wardrobe malfunctioning thereby allowing all of America a nanosecond of a glimpse of her bare breast is outrageously inexcusable. As Diane Roberts so eloquently said, "Football is good, clean all-American fun. Sex is dirty, violence is okay." Since when did a glimpse of a breast outweigh the harm induced by violence, booze binges, murder and commercials claiming "erections lasting more than four hours require immediate attention?"
When did our morality as a whole be equated with our sexual morality?
Our media saturates our minds with sexual propaganda, images, stories, music and any other methods at their disposal, yet with all this titillating means of arousal and temptation we are not supposed to act upon it without compromising our moral stature, that is, unless we are keeping our lascivious activities within the confines of a marriage. God help you if you are not bound by matrimony. As for homosexuals, according to our strict equation of morality and sex are just doomed from the start. God forbid they desecrate the sanctity that is marriage. Yes, a sacred bond with fifty percent ending in divorce and the remaining half most likely sullied by secret affairs. Clearly the homosexuals would undermine the holy bond of marriage. Hell, even our Puritan ancestors were not pure enough to withstand adulterous or pre-marital temptation. There are numerous accounts of Puritans in the 1600s being punished for sexual deviance through whippings, brandings, and fines. Even their uncompromising code of conduct and sexual limitations, justified by the Bible, were not enough to suppress their inherent sexual desires.
As a species, we are inherently sexual in nature and, yet, through the years we have been brainwashed to believe that sex is impure and immoral unless it is within the binds of marriage. Our moral codes are complex definitions of right and wrong based upon well-defined value systems such as the Golden Rule, the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, and the 10 Commandments of Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic religions. Morality though is confused with religions precepts since religions have provided both visions and regulations for an 'ideal' life. At the top of their list is the claim that an ideal life can be achieved through sexual repression and abstinence until marriage. Heaven forbid you have sex with someone you are dating and as for a one night stand, as far as religion is concerned, you are definitely on the 'damned' list. Perhaps if you chanted enough 'Our Fathers' you'd cleanse your immoral soul.
We observe sex in all aspects of our culture, where the media depicts it as a natural part of life, but still can not enjoy it freely. In spite of your religious affiliation, there are still deeply ingrained notions of sexual immorality. While we have evolved from considering anything outside of marriage to be taboo and immoral, we still have not evolved to the point of accepting multiple sexual partners or the idea of having unlimited sexual partners. For each of us, there still remains a line in our mind that someone can cross sexually to suddenly become immoral, whether it be by participating in a certain sexual act or by having one to many sexual partners. We still equate sex with morality. We will never be sexually liberated until our mental structure and moral inhibitions evolve.
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