Sexual Shame

[FreeTony]

A lot of people are very ashamed about having genitalia. It is considered offensive to be naked in public.

The reason I got thinking about this was a documentary on TV about a naked rambler here in the UK. He was walking in front a school and (not for the first time) was reported by a mother and arrested and put in prison. According to the mother being naked in front of a child is harmful ,even when it is clearly not in any way sexual. I thought this was total rubbish, how can a child possibly be damaged by seeing just a naked man walking past. How is this different to a biology class? Or am I wrong, is it harmful? I'm sure I saw my parents naked when I was little and my parents thought nothing of it, but they would have had a completely different reaction if it had been another adult.

I think the reasoning is that nakedness is automatically associated with sex. However I don't think a child would be thinking about this, just the parent. Young children often show each other their bits in the playground (so I've been told), completely unaware of any connotations other that "you are different to me, that's interesting".

Anyway, I was thinking: Is this a religious idea, or something that pre-dated religion/ is part of human nature? Obviously you've got the Adam and Eve story, so whoever wrote that must have already had the idea of sexual shame.

[Chad32]

I think most kids would point and laugh, rather than be scarred by the incident. Mostly because they have to be taught that nakedness is shameful in the first place.

Sexual urges is one of the biggest driving forces in a species, and really the most important thing for a species' survival. It really shouldn't be portrayed as evil, and it's not something that can really be stopped unless you get castrated or something. To add iinsult to injury, even masturbation is looked down on, even though it's actually good for your health.

Though honestly these rules were made at a time when the jews wanted to separate themselves from religions that practiced orgies at festivals, and the idea that a woman could just say no to a man's sexual advances was a foreign concept.

[Alex K]

Any damage is done by the parents alone, who will implant into the child's
brain the notion that it has seen something terrible. This will severely
hurt the child's relationship to his/her own body, to sex etc.

Of course, for some parents it is the actual goal to raise their children with
a traumatic relationship to sexuality and to their own body, so if that goal is
undermined, it may just as well be seen as "damage" in their eyes. In the
prudish US, this is rather common. I'm more surprised about the UK.

[Ben Davis]

In the prudish US, this is rather common. I'm more surprised about the UK.

'Privacy', 'propriety', 'sensibility' and 'manners' are still highly important over here: they form the foundation of our social mores are considered as the key-stone in 'tolerant Britain'. Unfortunately religion has managed to incorporate a dislike of sex & the naked human body into these memeplexes, along with a series of 'appropriate' responses, meaning that it's very difficult to shed.

Also, we wouldn't have had the Carry On films if it hadn't have been for 'British' sexual repression so that's another reason to fight it.

[No_God]

I would rather my 3 year old son see nudity and sexuality than violence.

And people think that is weird.

[Chad32]

I would rather my 3 year old son see nudity and sexuality than violence.

And people think that is weird.

Yeah, people tend to get it backwards. Driving a sword through someone? PG13. Topless woman? Rated R. Then of course there's the double standard between hetero kissing and homo kissing.

[No_God]

A man talks about jerking off and cumming no one bats and eye

A woman talks about masturbating and cumming and everyone loses their minds.

[FreeTony]

Yeah I'd say the UK has an undercurrent of "Christian values" and that Christianity=good, though the vast majority are either Atheists/Non-religious/Cultural Christians. It's quite difficult to explain. People tend to just not talk about religion, and give it a respectful wide berth. Amongst friends at school or at Uni I never heard the word "God" mentioned even once. When you hear the word "God" it on the radio/TV it tends to be people saying they don't believe in it with a slighty hesitation so not to offend anyone. Listening to a national radio station the other day the presenter said "Of course none of us I imagine would believe in God" with a slight laugh. This was unusual but I guess that wouldn't happen in the US. If people do mention God they tend to be though of as nutcases, so they don't do it.

Going back to the subject, I think a lot of people's sexual fantasies are based around these ideas of shame and guilt, so it could be argued for some they make sex more exciting?

[Chad32]

A man talks about jerking off and cumming no one bats and eye

A woman talks about masturbating and cumming and everyone loses their minds.

They're not supposed to enjoy it. They're just supposed to lie back, and think of England. Or wherever they're from. It's no wonder men didn't think much about consent in some places, if they thought women didn't enjoy it anyway. What's the point of asking? It's like asking if someone wants to clean their room. Of course they won't say yes.

[No_God]

These are my two favorite ladys in the world and they also happen to both be atheists.

http://dodsonandross.com/