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A Thesis: Furry Materials are no more Sexual than Mundane.
16 years ago
The subject says it all:
Many people whine and cry about how sex ruins the fandom and makes things weird.
I posit that, instead, sex is no more common as subject matter among fandoms than non-fandom groups. Among my many justifications for this stance are the following points:
All visual art.
Fragonard, any Renaissance or Mannerist painter or sculptor.. any impressionist.
All religious texts.
Song of Songs. Kama Sutra. Random passages from any religion's holy books. Wads and wads of sexual restrictions.
Most music.
Opera. Duh.
I further posit that the -perception- of more sexuality in fan-communities is a function of more exposure, and less tradition backing up suppressing and/or hiding this- we don't have tens of thousands of years of taboos in place.
Can anyone think of a good counterpoint to nullify this argument?
Many people whine and cry about how sex ruins the fandom and makes things weird.
I posit that, instead, sex is no more common as subject matter among fandoms than non-fandom groups. Among my many justifications for this stance are the following points:
All visual art.
Fragonard, any Renaissance or Mannerist painter or sculptor.. any impressionist.
All religious texts.
Song of Songs. Kama Sutra. Random passages from any religion's holy books. Wads and wads of sexual restrictions.
Most music.
Opera. Duh.
I further posit that the -perception- of more sexuality in fan-communities is a function of more exposure, and less tradition backing up suppressing and/or hiding this- we don't have tens of thousands of years of taboos in place.
Can anyone think of a good counterpoint to nullify this argument?
Which is worse? Guy in well-done bodysuit having sex on tape, or 350 lb. 40-something guy in rubber Sailor Moon bodysuit? Who gets the most attention?
For the record, I agree - any form of significant creative expression is going to draw out sexuality, because it is one of the most JOYOUS parts of the human experience. The notion that there is an unhealthy preoccupation with it is a function of people who either feel they aren't getting enough or others are getting too much. Or like typical bullies, derive a sadist's pleasure from eliminating someone else's source of joy, or at least tarnishing it.
I realize you asked for counterpoints, but I seem to be extending and enhancing. The only thing I would suggest that might modify/somewhat counter your point is that there isn't necessarily more sex in the fandom, but like in real life, sex sells, both for cash and for recognition. So it may not be, en toto, a larger part than any other expression form, but in the absence of the taboos it is at least more prevalent.
Counter-examples... Christian media? I mean, aside from the Christian Rock lyrics, South Park handled that. And Slacktavist has gone into the bizarrly twisted sexual dynamics of Left Behind and Buck's longing for Plank and Steel and all that. Um...
...There's very little "We're not talking about sex, we're talking about..." in children's media? Aside from the portions based around five-hand versions of fairy tales, anyways...
It's not halfassed and short if it makes your point. :)
It's people like me who write too long without getting to the point who need some help. :)