The one night stand culture

[Ahnehnois]

Not having lived there, I can't say - but that's how your country is viewed by most of the rest of the Western world, for right or for wrong. Partly perhaps because your country was founded by self-identified puritans.

That last part is overrated I think. Puritans were never a large part of our population, and the New World in many ways was diverse quite sexually liberal. Certainly our founding fathers were (say, Benjamin Franklin's exploits or Thomas Jefferson and his slaves). I'm not an expert historian (though I did take one class in women's history), but my understanding is that the repressive element is relatively new, part of a change in direction to some extent.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

but my understanding is that the repressive element is relatively new, part of a change in direction to some extent.

And confined, unless I'm mistaken, to a certain part of the USA.

AR

 

[bone_naga]

*I seem to have ninja'd <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention --> @bone_naga <!-- END TEMPLATE: dbtech_usertag_mention --> who made most of the same points only a minute after I posted, so I assume that it was coincidental to some extent.

Well it seems great minds think alike. You are a great mind, aren't you?

 

[Ahnehnois]

And confined, unless I'm mistaken, to a certain part of the USA.

I'd caution against painting with too broad a brush (and against ENW's no politics rules). But yes, a relatively unique phenomenon in the US, because we're so spread out, is many people that live in relative isolation (certainly through most of our history, but even today to some extent), which causes some rather extreme regional cultural variations.

I should point out, however, that I was referring to Maryland above, which despite being one of the most cosmopolitan and educated regions in the country, has a law banning oral sex. Not prostitution, homosexuality, or anything of the like. It is illegal, today, for consenting adults to engage in any type of oral sexual activity anywhere in Maryland. Obviously, no one is actually enforcing this law, but no one has repealed it either, because no politician wants to be the one to do it. Mind-boggling.

Well it seems great minds think alike. You are a great mind, aren't you?

Well, I've been told that. Personally, I don't think so (at least, not any more).

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

Not having lived there, I can't say - but that's how your country is viewed by most of the rest of the Western world, for right or for wrong. Partly perhaps because your country was founded by self-identified puritans. But I'm not familiar with what you are or aren't exposed to on a daily basis, so you'd know better than me. It's probably just one of those random stereotypes people get saddled with which don't reflect reality at all; happens to us all!

It's not just outside of the U.S. that the U.S. is viewed as a a sexually repressive country. Many within the U.S. view it the same. As Ahnehnoia and Bone_naga have pointed out, there are many laws in place all around the country that prohibit, or restrict sexual behavior. One would think that it varies state to state, but the fact is it varies greatly even within states. Here in Florida you can go from one place where strip clubs are full nudity, and the next they can only be topless, and the next they must be covered up in a bikini or something that covers and equal amount of the body. That variation can be from county to county, or even city to city. As most of Florida is not as developed as the image that Florida tourism authorities would like you to believe (we're more than Miami and Disney Land, dammit!!!).

In any case, many within the U.S. also feel repressed in regard to sex.

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

Well, I've been told that. Personally, I don't think so (at least, not any more).

Just thought you should know, when bone_naga says "great minds," he actually means "rampart fornicator." The guy has plowed his way across countless countries. We don't call him The Storming M@#^@&* for a reason.



[sblock=*]Removed to avoid violating EW's policy[/sblock]

 

[Kramodlog]

Just thought you should know, when bone_naga says "great minds," he actually means "rampart fornicator." The guy has plowed his way across countless countries. We don't call him The Storming M@#^@&* for a reason.



[sblock=*]Removed to avoid violating EW's policy[/sblock]

Oh yeah. His sig should be "All your wifes are be mine!".

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

Oh yeah. His sig should be "All your wifes are be mine!".

Quoted for truthyness.

 

[EscherEnigma]

Lots of rebuttals already out there, but here's my two cents.

The thing with Hollywood/media is an interesting one, but should be taken with a grain of salt. There's the whole Madonna/whore thing. There's that men and women both lie about how many people they've had sex with, men overstating, women understating. There's our language... how many casual insults and derogatory terms are sexual in nature? I swear, when I hang out with people my own age I want to slap them upside the head for how often they use some reference to a penis as an insult. I mean really dudes, you have one of those and you like it, so why are you using it as an insult?

The takeaway being that America is pretty neurotic about sex. And you want to know one of the things that leads to neurosis? Repression. If we aren't repressed, then I want to see the psych eval to see what what we are.

 

[Bullgrit]

I'd be willing to bet, if you checked enough towns, England, and even France, has old ridiculous sex laws on their books as well. A law that isn't enforced -- isn't even known unless you dig in historical municipality documents -- isn't really fair play for argument about what is or isn't allowed.

My point is that you can go out anywhere, any time, and find someone to have sex with, in any manner you want, and you'll get no societal trouble. You can have gay interracial multi-partner sex, and you won't be jailed, loose your job, or otherwise have a problem. In general.

Sure, you can find a way to get a problem from it, but the same is true of going to the toilet. No one has a problem with it, but if you go around telling your boss, "I just took the biggest dump!" they'll be some stigma attached to you.

This conversation even started with the acknowledgement of the common phenomenon of one night stand, casual sex. If things were as puritanical as you say, that would be a strictly secret activity. But it's not secret, or even concealed.

Sex is far from repressed in America. It may be less in-your-face than some other countries, but Saturn being smaller than Jupiter does not make Saturn a small planet.

Bullgrit