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Evaluating Hookup Culture

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In the essay “Sexism in Practice: Feminist Ethics Evaluating the Hookup Culture,” ethicist Conor Kelly argues that the “four common features of [hookup] culture” (that is 1) “lack of commitment”; 2) “ambiguous language”; 3) “the use of alcohol”; and 4) overwhelming “social pressure to conform” [65]) injures the freedoms of all undergraduate students (more so for those who are female). While I believe that Kelly is correct as to his analysis of the roles which peer pressure, cryptic language, and alcohol are designed to play in the context of hookup culture, I disagree with his claim that students engage in casual sex to evade commitment. I will argue instead that students participate in hookup culture in search for enduring relationships and …show more content…

There are a few reasons I can think of (which I will expound upon in the following short paragraphs); however, I am not sure how plausible each of these explanations will be.
Firstly, the idea that Millenials shy away from commitment could be propagated by those with a substantial amount of influence who, due to a lack of meaningful interactions with today’s youth, ignorantly believe the superficial characterizations of youth as “self-absorbed” and enveloped in a “culture of individualism” (www.scientificamerican.com). An example of such a person would be Dr. Jean Twenge, who bases her conclusion that Millennials are egotistical on “statistics...anecdotal testimonies and pop-culture examples” (www.newyorker.com) as opposed to sincere real-life encounters.
Secondly, the belief that Millennials oppose fidelity should potentially be attributed to “generational resentment” in which today’s young people have transformed into “scapegoat[s]” (www.qz.com) onto which older generations dump their frustrations concerning the social climate of the United States

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