There seems to be an inordinate amount of talk about matters sexual here this week, but it just seems to be the season for odd/interesting reports about it.
First, Mind Hacks referred recently to a column in Psychology Today which gives a quick rundown on the history of “self pleasure.” It is, I think, mainly a summary of the ideas in the book "Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation," which I have read or heard about before, but despite my feeling that it has already had mention here, my (somewhat unreliable) blog search function can’t find it.
So, the core idea of the book is that a couple of centuries of cultural/medicalised hyperbole about the dangers of a near universal male practice was kicked off by a opportunistic crank and his successful book “Onania; or, The Heinous Sin of Self Pollution and all its Frightful Consequences,…etc” in 1715. But the cultural reason why it caught on so readily is explained this way:
The book, it appears, had hit a nerve by tapping into the zeitgeist of a cultural shift, where concerns about privacy were becoming paramount. Masturbation, along with reading printed books--a new technology at the time--had become a symbol for the uncontrolled, uncensored private lives of individuals, including women. Such private power was felt to threaten the social order. The social keepers of the order--the politicians, aristocrats, and professional classes--hence hurried to proclaim the potential dangers embodied in this newly shamed and shameful act.
Sounds as good a theory as any. The rest of the column is full of interesting bits, most of which I've heard of before, and so I will assume most readers have too. But although I knew of the historical connection of hysteria with women’s sexuality, I don’t think I had heard of this extra detail:
Interestingly, masturbation was not considered proper or safe for women even during those times when some were given masturbation treatments by their doctors. Yes, in the late 19th century, doctors occasionally masturbated women who were suffering from ‘hysteria.' It was a nifty Victorian trick: Suppress and deny female sexual knowledge and expression, and when the resulting misery erupts through general manifestations of bodily and emotional discomfort, diagnose the women as ill and have them get sexual release through the desexualized digital (and later mechanical) manipulations of male physicians. All in a day's work!
And for my final un-family friendly story for the week, the New York Times had a story on the village of Puttenham, notable for its ancient church, friendly pub, and being incredibly popular for visitors wanting to have (or simply view) outdoor sex.
This is starting to get up the nose of the locals. (Perhaps an unwise expression in the context, now that I think of it.) Naturally, this is mainly a male activity, and has become a high tech hobby in Britain. The report explains as follows:
Public sex is a popular — and quasi-legal — activity in Britain, according to the authorities and to the large number of Web sites that promote it. (It is treated as a crime only if someone witnesses it, is offended and is willing to make a formal complaint*.) And the police tend to tread lightly in public sex environments, in part because of the bitter legacy of the time when gay sex was illegal and closeted men having anonymous sex in places like public bathrooms were routinely arrested and humiliated.
* well, given the mutual consent involved, that’s hardly surprising.
Anyhow, the residents who would like the Council to do something about the bit of field they feel is too close to town and schools which is prime “dogging” territory are getting limited sympathy. I think this was the most ludicrous line by far:
“It was like, ‘Are you taking this seriously?’ ” Ms. Paterson said. “One cabinet member said, ‘If you close this site, there could be an increase in suicides because these people have nowhere else to go.’ ”
Well, why stop there? As a public anti-suicide measure, councils could designate each local “public sex participation area” by big neon signs, and have red or green lights on public toilets to indicate what use they are currently available for. [Insert symbol for rolling of eyes.]
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