Why is the world so sex-centric?

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Premarital sex is mandated because it isn't prohibited; for meddlesome people, it has to be one or the other. 30 years ago, the people ridiculing you for not having sex would have been busy condemning people who did.

Don't let anybody grind you down. It's your body, your choice, and none of their business.


Cheers,

TH

Excitement, pleasure, happiness, etc are one of the reasons most people are sex crazy. Feel free to add more of the reasons.

Ripped down to Darwinian basics procreation is the only direct reason we're here. That's not throwing everything else out the window, just that everything else is open for debate - procreation is pretty straight forward as a prime objective.

Because humans are "programmed" to enjoy and generally become obsessed with sex for the survival of the species. For this reason, it's generally a common interest and enjoyable activity among humans, so it becomes commonplace in everyday media because it's what sells to said humans.

While the world's undeniably sex centric, it's equally as much economy centric as well. It's these two things together.

People are going to tell be that it's because "sex sells".

Playboy sells, porn movies sell....that I agree with. But that "sex sells" in mainstream media and advertising, I disagree with.

I know most of the world will disagree with this but hear me out because I've given it much though.

I live in the entertainment capitol of the world. There are giant advertisments everywhere, most of them with some scantily clad lady on it, trying to advertise some network TV show or product.

But except for very recent middle eastern transplants, I doubt those half naked ladies really caught anyone's attention any more than a fully clothed lady would because westerners are inundated with so much of this that they rarely think about it.

I don't think people tune into most TV shows to see sex. That would be a massive waste of time. If you wanted to see real sex, well, let's face it, that wouldn't be hard to find. I'm willing to bet that Sex In the City could be completely devoid of sex scenes and people would have still watched it, because people will watch anything that airs.

I never watched an episode of House for example, because I had a massive fixation with sarcastic, rude, pessimistic doctors, or even doctor shows. At no time in my life did I ever think "God, if only they would put a doctor show on TV...yeah...I'd watch that." I was flipping around one day and I came across an episode of House and it was pretty good...and to be quite honest I could have lived my life happy and complete without ever seeing House and Cutty do anything sexual.

So sex really doesn't sell all that much. You just have a perpetuation of the notion that it does.

^ But then why is the world (at least the western world, anyway) so caught up about sex? It's gotten to the point where "sleeping with" someone is the most common euphemism for having sex with them. I've wanted to sleep with a woman for a while -- in the literal sense. I just want to end the constant stream of loneliness and know that there's someone that loves me... but I don't necessarily want to have sex. If it happens, it happens, but if it doesn't, I don't feel like I'd be missing anything. Yet I can't say that I would want to "sleep with" someone because that would be interpreted as "I'm a crazy sex-addicted creep that can't be trusted"...

I guess you could say, "I'd like a someone to cuddle/spend time with" instead but I could see some people misconstruing that as something sexual as well. I don't get it.

My theory is in the western world it's become an explicitly competitive endeavor, and one that reflects on a person's social status. And so, once it's in that realm (of social consideration), it becomes a tool for social advancement, and all the usual dynamics come into play. I.e. assessing people's status (who is doing well and who isn't), using social means to boost one's own status (bragging, lying, exaggerating), or to cut someone else's status down (rumors, gossip).

I have to agree with the comment that since the 60's it gets talked about too much.

I think it's more about greed than anything. I've noticed a greater glorification of people who live in excess these days. For example, I remember when rappers we're portrayed as gun-toting street thugs, but now they just rap about how much money they have wear thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. There's also been greater focus on hollywood playboys and party girl in general.

Lots of sexual partners is just part of that glorified, greedy lifestyle. Don't feel you have to conform to the "in" thing right now.

If you're talking about sex in the media, it's because sex sells. It's one of our primal instincts, and what better way to leverage a product than to associate sex (unfairly, in some cases) with the product to boost sales?

It's not just the media though. People in every day life look down on me just because i don't ascribe to that lifestyle...

They may just not find you credible. From what experience do you derive your philosophies?

Ever notice how much crap movie actors get for expressing thier political views?

Sex has always been (well at least for America, and a few other Christian oriented nations) something you don't talk about, but do behind a closed door. The whole, "Sex is a sin," bit and human nature is always drawn to the contrary. Once fear of it is gone, we'll probably see less of it just because the mindset will shift from, "Gasp! Sexual display," to, "Oh, another couple screwing in the park." We can thank the Dark and Middle ages for this mindset (damn religious leadership). We're animals, we have drives (hormonal or otherwise), so our species as a whole should just get over it. Heh, it could be said that in Freudian terms, humanity is in the genital stage of its overall growth. So, for a species that's about 20,000+ years old (speaking of the modern, city shaping sapien), we're only teenagers in the whole of the galaxy.

maybe they think you are criticising them? Lots of people prefer to hang out with people with similar political or religious views as they are more confortable being in agreement with their friends than having opposing views, maybe it makes people with a strong sex drive uncomfortable listening to you saying how you dont like sex. Perhaps you would find comfort in a asexual forum/support group?

Personally I love sex so much and think it is the best thing and love reading about it and thinking about it and doing it, I can not relate to people who dont like it or value it, as it is too different from my experience, in the same way that I can not relate to other people whose views are very different to my own on politics or such like. But I dont mind people not likeing sex or not valueing it, I know lots of people who dont like sex and Im not critical of them but I expect I annoy them by speaking too frankly or too much about sex.

I don't know. It surprises people when they find out that that I don't masturbate, dislike porn, and am not in a hurry to be rid of my virginity. Most people think it's weird that I haven't had sex yet at age 21. Some of my friends would tell me that sex isn't what it's cracked up to be and that I'm not missing that much. :/