Aaron Ikan, 13592100, Soc 64, Essay 1 on Sexual Activity Anal sex is the act of a penis being inserted into a partner’s anus. The act can be between male and female, or two males. The act can be pleasurable to some, and hurt for others. Anal sex can also be used to help reduce the risk of pregnancy, but not necessarily STD’s. I will compare anal sex in the United States today to anal sex during the time of the Ancient Greeks (800 B.C. to 500 B.C.). The activity is similar in a few ways, but there are plenty of differences. A similarity would be that a lot of the anal sex took place between two males. The U.S., however had more instances of anal sex between heterosexual partners. In the modern day U.S., anal sex is commonly referred …show more content…
Also, some people may view anal sex as “dirty” because it involves the anus. Finally, there’s anal sex between two men. The social attitudes will vary depending upon the beliefs of each person. Obviously, people who are anti-gay will argue that anal sex is bad because they believe that sex should only happen to procreate. As for people who do support gay rights, then they may be all for it. Some, however, will stress the importance of protection because of the risk of STD’s. So overall, the social norms/attitudes of anal sex in America today are mixed, but it is clear that people are generally more open to it than before. The Ancient Greeks (800 B.C. to 500 B.C.) were known to participate in anal sex. Their acts mostly involved two males. The interesting part is that lots of anal sex took place between young teen and older man. The older man would usually be in his mid-to-late 20s and the young man would be any age after puberty up to 18. This is called Pederasty (Holmen 2010). The Greeks, for the most part, did not condemn or criticize the act, but the actually encouraged, or at least permitted, it. Older men desired for sex, and viewed their wives as just the child-bearer. They looked to young men to appease their sexual desires. Younger males would seek mentorship, and the older males would teach them (Holmen 2010; Miko 2016). Many societies in Ancient Greece saw anal sex between males of different age groups as a rite-of-passage.
Masturbation and the sexualization of minors was seen as evil, and sinful, and as a result, society tried to curb these ailments through genital mutation of both sexes. However, while minors being seen as sexual beings was taboo, at the same time, child sexual abuse occurred commonly behind closed doors. Child prostitution and pornography flourished during this period, as well as slave owners frequently used rape and sexual abuse to crush the spirit of young African-American girls. Similarly, in the 20th century, many popular stories pushed the idea that young girls were capable of willingly ‘seducing’ older men who were ‘helpless’ and unable to resist the temptation. Likewise, stories such as “Greek Love” by J.Z. Eglinton put forth the idea that boys who were forced into relationships with much older men were simply being prepared for sexual experiences in adulthood. Society often contradicts itself even today. Its said children should not be exploited sexually, yet child pornography thrives and is sought after, child sexual abuse is rampant, victims of CSA are often belittled in court while their abusers are believed and protected; as well television often portrays teenagers, particularly young girls, in “seductive” and sexual ways. While incest has mostly been seen as universally taboo and has been stigmatized, the sexualization of children has often been used to rationalize incest and child sexual
During that era, the entirety of sexual intercourse (irrespective to the practice of married couples with intentions to procreate) was deemed immoral. This was because any practice of sexual activity was
Homosexuality has had a long battle through America, the thought of homosexuality was a mental disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-II Code 302 Sexual Deviation Sub-Section 302.0 Homosexuality. It stays “this category is for individuals whose sexual interests are directed primarily toward objects other than people
Society evolves with time and some of the things we see as normal now, were seen as offensive or wrong in another decade. Until 1967, homosexuality was criminalised and people were sent to prison for things they did in private. At the time, society saw homosexual acts, even those performed in private, as offensive; and homosexuals were stigmatized. This is what Feinberg calls legal moralism: to “prohibit conduct on the ground that it is inherently immoral, although it causes neither harm
Sexuality is not new; in fact, it is possibly the oldest existing occurrences in human history. It even goes back to the days of Gilgamesh and, though not given labels and limitations, it definitely has an important presence in the Epic of Gilgamesh, written by Anonymous. Yes, it is important. Three of the major game-changing events in The Epic of Gilgamesh involve sex, or the refusal of it. One involves using the act of sex to civilize. Another one involves rejecting sexual advances and how that can result in a big mistake. The last involves the soul ties one can conclude after sex. The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the journey of Gilgamesh as he works to obtain immortality. Although Gilgamesh never achieves immortality, the women of the text play
Throughout the course of history, the topic of homosexuality and its acceptable behavior has been one of varying opinions and much heated debate. Although how tolerated homosexual behavior was all through history can differ depending on who your source is, most everyone can agree that a few large cultures were either strongly for, or against, homosexuality.
The Middle Ages were a time of expanding and experimenting sexually for the people. Religious figures who had taken vows of celibacy had children, sometimes with more than one woman. Even some popes of the time had illicit affairs. However,
The meaning of sexual abuse has transformed throughout history, especially when referring to child sexual abuse. In ancient times children were view as property, primarily females. The girls were view as belonging to their father. Therefore what they could do and who they could marry was determined by the father. Their very existence was defined by his need. However, females were not the only ones that were subjects to these treatments, young boys also underwent a similar experience. In ancient Greece boys were given to wealthy men by their parents so that they could be sexually trained and used for their own pleasure. This was thought to be useful in order for them to be ready for adulthood (deMaude, 1995; Rush, 1992; Hilarski, 2008).
As time went on, homosexuality came to be accepted as more mainstream. To confirm an article entitled “Most say homosexuality should be accepted by society” reveals that among the findings from the latest Pew Research Center political typology survey, released May 4, 2011. The survey conducted ,stated that while the public is divided over same-sex marriage, a majority of Americans (58%) say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society. Among younger people in particular, there is broad support for societal acceptance of homosexuality. More than six-in-ten (63%) of
Americans endlessly recycle the old conflicts: "first we fought about slavery, then segregation, then gender, and now sexual orientation"-(Anon). Homosexuality is an on-going conflict in America, as well as other countries. The history of homosexuality goes back to the ancient civilizations. As we have different ideas and ways of "dealing" with it, so did the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome.
Today, people are not frequently jailed or housed in mental hospitals For their private views. Unless their actual practices break local laws by violating anothers informed consent or causing harm to the point of death, sexual practices are mostly left to the realm of live-and-let-live. The US is still a recently religiously, and therefore sexually puritanical society, But the fact that our generations motto is “I can do whatever I want”, plus the large community of BDSM lets me believe that the world of vanilla people are actually the deviant ones in our society today.
Throughout various societies, cultures, and different situations, people have their own opinions and ideas on what is normal and abnormal sexual behavior. It
Culturally, this type of behavior had no definite wrong or abnormal connotation strapped to it. As Neil Miller describes, "In the 1870s, a concept of homosexual identity--or of gay and lesbian community--was barely articulated" (Miller xvii). In America, the idea of homosexual love was beyond societal understanding. Prior to the introduction of homosexuality people were free to care about each other on levels without the constraints of any insecurity base on a the possibility of getting a label.
A 55% majority believes it is a sin to engage in homosexual behavior, and that view is much more prevalent among those who have a high level of religious commitment (76%). About half of all Americans have an unfavorable opinion of gay men (50%) and lesbians (48%), but highly religious people are much more likely to hold negative views.
Dennis O'Brien, he talked about nature of gay people and stated that Bruce Bawer said