Sex and Automobiles

May 31, 2012
By Sinclair Soul
 
Are we over-sexed in modern society? Surely there are those who feel we are and compare the “sexualization” of culture to moral decay. In the political arena, sex is a unique entity – scorned and distanced on the surface but hardly ever regulated. In contrast, just today that nanny-state nincompoop from New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg came up with the ridiculous proposal to ban drinks larger than 16 oz., but you will never see any such regulation proposals concerning sexual behavior (nor should there be). So the central question is whether sex is a good or bad thing. I propose that it has no moral face value but should be seen as a useful human vehicle for purpose and pleasure, not to be abused or used carelessly. With this I offer a loose allegory between the sexual act and the act of driving a car or other automobile.

Now, I realize that this is not a perfectly comparable allegory, but it does line up on several fronts. First, I think sex is a good thing. I’m pro sex. I think the world would be a better place if more people had more sex. In of itself it can provide short-term pleasure better than any intoxicant, medication, routine, or meditation. In this sense, it is the greatest human vehicle for pleasure as the automobile is the greatest personal vehicle for transportation. Cars give people freedom, mobility, more shopping options, access to more services and jobs, and can provide emergency transport. Of course, both of these “vehicles” have strong detractors. The traditional religions all place restrictions on sexual behavior, while the new religion of environmentalism has placed the automobile as its own instrument of sin.

In each of these camps, there are evangelists who preach that the use of each of “vehicles” should be severely restricted to narrow situations. They each correctly point out the potential dangers to self and to others if done carelessly or improperly as well as the potential consequences for society overall. For those who like to practice what they preach, this is fine for personal standards. But there is certainly no blanket policy that is applicable to everyone. Like car drivers, there are differing skill levels of sex practitioners and, therefore, differing risk of disasters. There are also various specific personalities – some like to drive for pleasure and thus drive often, while others can’t be bothered with driving beyond the bare necessities.

There is also the factor of age. Neither of these activities are appropriate for those too young or too old and, even within the “prime” years there may be differing levels of activity. I’ve personally driven clear across country, from Pennsylvania to the California, three times. But that was in the 1990s, when I was young enough to partake in such “driving promiscuity” and such a task may be more difficult now. As for a few analogies on the negative side, a cheap, drunken one night stand may be comparable to a receiving a traffic violation – something stupid and unnecessary that one may wish to take back. VD and STDs may be comparable to differing degrees of traffic accidents, from fender benders to fatalities. While a pregnancy may range from taking a wrong turn to taking a fortuitous road to destiny, an abortion is analogous to a fatal hit-and-run. I don’t even consider rape and sexual assaults as acts of sex because they are acts of pure violence, much like getting blown up by a car bomb has nothing to do with driving.

Like cars, we each chose our sexual vehicles according to personal taste. Some will only be happy with something flashy and inefficient while others happy with something trusted and reliable. There is an near infinite pantheon of desires, orientations, fetishes, and fantasies that act as a plethora of “factory options” that make operating this vehicle more satisfying. According to PsychologyToday.com;

“The most basic human act of sex is anything but simple. Within the universe of intimacy and pleasure that sex affords, there is a lot of room for error…”

Obviously there are some flaws in my analogy, the most glaring being that driving can be done independently with sex requires mutual consent and participation. But this was an attempt to try to remove the emotional haze which usually comes with this subject and look at it in a logical way. Though the jury will perpetually remain hung over sex’s moral and political implications, there is one thing which is undeniable. It is why each of us exist today and it is one thing future generations depend on.

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Sinclair Soul is a championship-level background singer and philosopher who specializes in examining the state of American culture from a “Soul” perspective.