sexual gratification

Lecture 5: Sex for Money It’s treating people as a “means to an end” in this case “my sexual gratification” Instead of this: We should always treat people as “ends in themselves” this is “dignity” The above comes from the great German philosopher Emmanuelle Kant (1724-1804) C.O.Y.O.T.E. = “Call off your old tired ethics” Notes: Hermaphrodites or Intersex: -biological sexuality is not always clear cut -in rare cases we have hermaphroditism -South African woman ran in women’s race and won -had been tested and found to have intersex qualities -elevated levels of testosterone -had male testes that are internal -the word hermaphrodite comes from Greek mythology - Greek god Hermes and goddess Aphrodite =hermaphrodite -the Greeks stood in awe of this condition and though its origin was super natural -sometimes these characteristics are internal -sometimes people have both male and female genitalia -the cultural side has generally been uneasy w/ sexual ambiguity -this is not the case w/ all cultures -in Thailand, it’s generally accepted w/ relatively little stigma (negative label) -NavajoAboriginal group in South West part of the USA -also look on it w/ awe and as something supernatural -people who were intersex became influential people in the tribe Transexuals: -may have transplants to function as normal males and females -some deliberately change their sex -someone who is prepared to undergo therapy and surgery to change their sex -gender identity is out of synch w/ the body -sometimes a person’s identity doesn’t line up w/ their biology -some people are convinced that they are a “woman in a man’s body” or vice versa -this kind of surgery is covered by OHIP in Canada -gender rolesexpectations about how males and females are supposed to act Meterosexuality: -men who are absolute “fuss pots”/extremely concerned about their appearance -these men are heterosexuals -ex. David Beckham Homosexuality: -caused by nature or nurture? Nurture: homosexuality is found among our closest evolutionary relative -chimps, baboons, gorillas -you also find it in other mammals therefore it suggest a biological root -found in all cultures and apparent in all times in history -Greek phalanx (formation in army) -when that formation breaks than you’re in big trouble -in order to maintain the solidarity of the Phalanx, soldiers were encouraged to participate in homosexual behaviour Nurture: -it may well be that sexual preference is flexible and can be learned -in prisons, both male and female prisons, homosexual behaviour is widespread -these people go into prison as heterosexuals, while in prison they engage in homosexuality, and when they leave they return to their heterosexual behaviour -this may be the reason why people can be bisexual Gender roles: -in our society it has recently legalized homosexual marriage -54% of Canadians approve these changes -still problems w/ this in the states -tolerance for homosexuality has increased over time -sociologists have less interest in the origins of homosexuality b/c there is substantial evidence that homosexuality is biologically determined -homosexuality is less stigmatized -there has been political agitation by the gays and lesbian community -psychiatric associationslooked at homosexuality as a mental disorder -after political agitation, they dropped that view Transgender: -don’t like to follow gender role expectations -sometimes cross-dressers -very often they will engage in traditional female activities -in traditional cultures (tribal)they make room for men who don’t want to be warriors but instead want to live w/ women and engage in women activities -ex. Aboriginal in the Americas The culture of sex: -when sociologists speak of sex they talk about biology -gender is the social construction of sex -culture shapes that biological drive -our sexual practices are shaped by culture -by contrast, grasshoppers have sex in a genetically programmed way -have mating rituals that take specific form -reproduce in specific way in relation to body position -in humans it’s different -but culture shapes; there is cultural variation -ex. sex position Kinsey: found that most couples have sex face to face w/ the man on the top or bottom = “missionary position” -on South Seas, men and women didn’t have sex that way -when Europeans came along, they said it was sinful to have sex in the position they did -kissing styles vary culturally -in some cultures it’s ok for males to kiss each other -modesty can vary as well -in Victorian era, what was considered erotic, that part of the woman that has sexual connotation was the ankles and so these were covered -in Somoa, the navel is considered erotic and thus covered -in Sumatra, the knees were considered erotic and thus covered -in the West, it the breast and genitals that are considered erotic and thus covered -men could not bear their chests b/c considered lewd and indecent -a female student from Guelph took a case to court in which she argued that when females bear their breasts it’s seen as obscene but when males do, it’s not -she won (court found in her favour) -variations in intercoursewhen and when not you can have it -some cultures are strictsex only permissible when you’re married -some cultures are more permissible and some are indifferent -Southern cultures, ex. Tahiti -very permissive sexually -resulted in their great undoing -when Europeans arrived, the sailors who went ashore quickly took advantage and the Tahitians got STDs -they had no immunity and thousands died -if you live in an area where STDs are common, some people gain immunity but this was not the case in Tahiti Sexual controversies: -sex is not always associated w/ intimacy and love -sometimes associated w/ hate, violence, and aggression -usually male on female but also male on male (usually in prisons) -sexual aggression can take many forms -harassment, rape, verbal abuse, physical abuse in sexual context Harassment: -most like takes place in places where people congregate -schools, universities, workplaces, family settings -studies revealed that women who are not assertive tend to be victimized 2 forms: 1. Quid pro quo sexual harassment -“I give you this, you give me that” 2. Hostile environment sexual harassment -comments about the body -people at the bottom of the hierarchy -they have occupational powerlessness -more likely to be harassed -if a boss, most likely to be left alone -as women achieve positions of power, increasingly, female superiors are harassing male inferiors -the power dimension -what are becoming fairly common, female primary school teachers having affair w/ their young male boy students Rape: -many people say that it has nothing to do w/ sex -desire to degrade and humiliate -in America, about 100 000 women report being raped per year -but rape is one of the most underreported crimes in the US Why? b/c of the stigma that is attached to it -in Ontario, in order to make it easier for women to report it, we have rape shield laws -when the case goes to trial, the media cannot reveal the woman’s name Jane Doe -we know that rape is underreported due to victimization surveys -when asked women if they has ever been raped, the numbers increased from 100 000 to ½ a million -in Canada, the number in 2005 was 26000 but probably only 1/5 the real number (didn’t include survey) -thus, the principle motive is domination and humiliation -arise from early sexual preferences -children abused as children are more likely to engage in it when they are adults -children who were not sexually abused are less likely to be abused as adults -children may have had emotionally cold and distant fathers Social conditions associated w/ rape: -Warhistorically, those who were defeated in war, the victors would come and rape all the women of the