What is the sex bubble? It is an economic bubble (sex is an industry), and as inferred by the use of the word bubble, it will eventually pop. In the United States, among many other places, sex is a big industry. Hell, anyone that regularly uses the internet knows that many businesses are making bank off turning people on. Anyone with eyes has noticed the steady increase in the pervasiveness of the sex industry in our day-to-day lives. While this isn't directly caused by atheism, I believe it perhaps is indirectly caused by the loss of traditional values given by religion (but not exclusively owned by religion). But perhaps what is more responsible is the cultural lag caused the the rapid changes that technology has had upon our socialization. Each generation's socialization has been very different from the last, and this is reflective of a disturbed society that begs for stabilization.
Nearly everyone has sexual desires (it's not a need like water or food). In other words, nearly everyone gets horny in the same way that nearly everyone gets angry, sad, happy, etc. But just because we all experience these things, does not mean we should encourage them to their fullest. For example, I could be angry at something, and could get myself very worked up if that anger is encouraged (by obsessively thinking about it) over a long period of time—doing this will lead to a very deeply rooted cynicism (like that of TheAmazingAtheist). Anger is a useful emotion, when it is used usefully, and the same is true of the sex drive. That said, if a person constantly exposes themselves to things that generate sexual arousal, the brain will rewire itself accordingly (making a person for lack of a better term, perverted).
But don't we already know this? Don't we know that encouraging a particular emotion will cause changes in our worldview? But it doesn't need to be over a long period of time. For example, let's say I had a positive view towards Arnold Schwarzenegger, but after finding out about his scandal, I experienced anger/disgust towards him. Such a change of view is purely driven by emotionally charged thoughts, and those perceptions transcend the knowledge of his affair and pollute the entire view of him (and it would take effort to undo this pollution). This is true of all emotionally charged thinking/labeling. Another example would be woman that have a sexism towards men. If a woman thinks about men as being bad often enough, eventually those negative emotions will transcend their perception of all men. I believe the same principle can be applied to a society that is overexposed to sexually arrousing images. The more sexually arousing images an individual sees, the more they will want to see to get that euphoric high. Traditionally, people were limited to what they could get away with under the law, and typically marriage—and those energies were channeled into single individuals forming closer family bonds. This is part of the reason the divorce rate is so high: people have sexual appetites that are so great that a single individual cannot quench them. Not only that, but the fact that people have many more sexual encounters will multiple individuals, this destroys the amount of intimacy and individual can experience with the person they end up marrying (sex has become slightly more intimate than a handshake). And this is all caused by an emotional state and worldview perpetuating one another. The sex industry is one of the biggest problems our society faces in the future, it has a direct role in destabilizing the family unit.
This trend however is reaching its ceiling, and we are seeing the negative impacts upon the foundation of society (i.e. the family). If you watch TV, see magazine covers, go on the internet, and so on, there really isn't much more sex they can pack in. I believe with the reaching of the ceiling (again, how much more sex can be put out in the open?) coupled with the negative consequences of this hyper-sexuality imposed on our society by corporations, we will see a popping of the sex bubble. What does this have to do with atheism? Well, I believe atheism is eventually going to dominate society, and it is up to the atheists (by default) to establish (or reestablish) sexual values back into society (at the moment sexual values are far weaker than they should be). An example of this is to reestablish the useful disgust towards promiscuity that once existed—sadly it is now a badge of honor for most—and it eventually leads such individuals (i.e. the majority) to experience...or rather not to experience the deep level of intimacy that binds a relationship. Not only is there a lack of intimacy, but the proverbial bar is raised to unreachable heights for what is sexually attractive. The sex industry has weakened the bond that holds the foundation of a society together; let's hope this bubble pops soon so that its destructive (albeit apparently subtle) influence doesn't raise havoc on our values for much longer.
Boycott the sex industry, you and your society will be better for it in the long run.
Nearly everyone has sexual desires (it's not a need like water or food). In other words, nearly everyone gets horny in the same way that nearly everyone gets angry, sad, happy, etc. But just because we all experience these things, does not mean we should encourage them to their fullest. For example, I could be angry at something, and could get myself very worked up if that anger is encouraged (by obsessively thinking about it) over a long period of time—doing this will lead to a very deeply rooted cynicism (like that of TheAmazingAtheist). Anger is a useful emotion, when it is used usefully, and the same is true of the sex drive. That said, if a person constantly exposes themselves to things that generate sexual arousal, the brain will rewire itself accordingly (making a person for lack of a better term, perverted).
But don't we already know this? Don't we know that encouraging a particular emotion will cause changes in our worldview? But it doesn't need to be over a long period of time. For example, let's say I had a positive view towards Arnold Schwarzenegger, but after finding out about his scandal, I experienced anger/disgust towards him. Such a change of view is purely driven by emotionally charged thoughts, and those perceptions transcend the knowledge of his affair and pollute the entire view of him (and it would take effort to undo this pollution). This is true of all emotionally charged thinking/labeling. Another example would be woman that have a sexism towards men. If a woman thinks about men as being bad often enough, eventually those negative emotions will transcend their perception of all men. I believe the same principle can be applied to a society that is overexposed to sexually arrousing images. The more sexually arousing images an individual sees, the more they will want to see to get that euphoric high. Traditionally, people were limited to what they could get away with under the law, and typically marriage—and those energies were channeled into single individuals forming closer family bonds. This is part of the reason the divorce rate is so high: people have sexual appetites that are so great that a single individual cannot quench them. Not only that, but the fact that people have many more sexual encounters will multiple individuals, this destroys the amount of intimacy and individual can experience with the person they end up marrying (sex has become slightly more intimate than a handshake). And this is all caused by an emotional state and worldview perpetuating one another. The sex industry is one of the biggest problems our society faces in the future, it has a direct role in destabilizing the family unit.
This trend however is reaching its ceiling, and we are seeing the negative impacts upon the foundation of society (i.e. the family). If you watch TV, see magazine covers, go on the internet, and so on, there really isn't much more sex they can pack in. I believe with the reaching of the ceiling (again, how much more sex can be put out in the open?) coupled with the negative consequences of this hyper-sexuality imposed on our society by corporations, we will see a popping of the sex bubble. What does this have to do with atheism? Well, I believe atheism is eventually going to dominate society, and it is up to the atheists (by default) to establish (or reestablish) sexual values back into society (at the moment sexual values are far weaker than they should be). An example of this is to reestablish the useful disgust towards promiscuity that once existed—sadly it is now a badge of honor for most—and it eventually leads such individuals (i.e. the majority) to experience...or rather not to experience the deep level of intimacy that binds a relationship. Not only is there a lack of intimacy, but the proverbial bar is raised to unreachable heights for what is sexually attractive. The sex industry has weakened the bond that holds the foundation of a society together; let's hope this bubble pops soon so that its destructive (albeit apparently subtle) influence doesn't raise havoc on our values for much longer.
Boycott the sex industry, you and your society will be better for it in the long run.
"An example of this is to reestablish the useful disgust towards promiscuity that once existed—sadly it is now a badge of honor for most—and it eventually leads such individuals (i.e. the majority) to experience...or rather not to experience the deep level of intimacy that binds a relationships."
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I think it is important for people to have sex before marrying to make sure they are sexually compatible...having sex with many people does not ruin intimacy it enhances it. I have had sex with so many people...and it still feels great to me...dont be such a wet blanket