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Why Are Americans So Uptight About Sex

As far as nakedness goes, yeah it really shouldn't be a big deal for women to be topless in public. Of course I'd draw the line before people putting their naked butts on public seats. That would be a public health hazard.

Korimyr the Rat said:
Well, leaving aside the purely physical-- the precautions one must take and the problems should they fail-- there are all of the social and emotional consequences of sex which cannot simply be dispelled by pretending to be too "enlightened" to suffer from them.
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No not really. The social and emotional consequences are culturally contrived, not inherent. The more objective consequences are health-related. An enlightened person wouldn't necessarily say, "I'm going to lose my virginity to the one I marry," but they would certainly be prudent to insist that their partners get tested prior to having intercourse with them, and insist on using condoms in combination with birth control, whilst being prepared if they fail.

Sex is one of the primary and most powerful means by which people form, affirm, and reinforce relationships between them. It creates powerful emotions and contrary to popular opinion, this is not purely a matter of social conditioning. Sex releases hormones that make you feel a certain way, and that goes far beyond mere pleasure.
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They don't make me feel a certain way, except relaxed. I do feel close to my partner, but it has nothing to do with sex per se. Sex is physical pleasure and it has an emotional component mostly because society says it should.

Moderation, yes. And I think people place far too little importance on propriety.
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Discernment in choosing partners maybe, but not frequency. Having sex multiple times per day is not generally bad for you, most people just don't have the time or energy for that.

I'm much more sexual than people give me credit for, mostly because I don't discuss my sexual practices in exquisite detail with strangers or in public, and because I don't engage in blatant public displays of "affection". Nor do I avail myself of every opportunity just because I can.

It's one thing to be open and honest. It's another thing entirely to be indiscreet.
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There should be more public display of affection. It is good to see people happy.

Goshin said:
Maybe because unrestrained casual/promiscuous sex has a measurable societal cost?

Like, teen pregnancy, other unwanted pregnancy, divorce, single-parent households, effectively unparented children, etc etc.
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Hm and which country has more of that?

Dayton3 said:
Why not. Its true.

Eliminate sex before marriage and you make it more difficult for people to break up their marriages later.

After all, if you've never had sex with someone other than your spouse you have no basis for physical comparison. And not having any kind of sexual relationship before marriage makes it more difficult for people to conceive of the possibility of having sex with someone else.

Eliminate divorces. Eliminate unwed births. Both huge causes of poverty and crime in the United States.
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You can't actually eliminate sex before marriage. And actually, studies have shown that there is no significant difference in the divorce rates of people who go into marriage virgins versus not.
 
Americans aren't uptight about sex. Some Americans are and make it into a social and political cause, which creates the impression Americans are uptight about sex due to its over representation in the media and Capital Hill. The rest talk about it, laugh about it, and perform the act with great enthusiasm, sometimes with friends or total strangers. The efforts of the sexually reserved but politically active minority don't infringe much on what occurs in the bedroom and only has a limited power to censor TV and movies, so no counter-movement has developed.

Elsewhere, if you don't like sex, you censor the television, don't talk about it much, and probably don't do it much.
 
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Slithering Rainbow said:
I do think it makes us wrong- but of course that's only my opinion! And we all know what that is worth :mrgreen:

I also do think religious no-sex-before-marriage-end-of-discussion teaching HAS hurt many people. That's a whole new topic, though, and a good one!
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Then you're for teen pregnancies followed by abortion, right?
 
American said:
Then you're for teen pregnancies followed by abortion, right?
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No, of course not! :)

I'm for educating teens so if they will know the risks of sex, and hopefully choose not to do it without being willing and able to take total responsibility for their actions (which usually means waiting!). Simply telling kids, "Don't do it because it's bad" is not enough. It doesn't work! Sex education and birth control could reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies dramatically in my opinion. People are going to have sex for reasons other than procreation (including lots of married adults, like myself). Please understand, I am not against waiting for marriage. I am against presenting that, and that alone, as the only option, while failing to educate kids on how to be safe if they DO decide to have sex.
 
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