Obsession With Other People’s Sex life

Someone’s sex life affects them and perhaps a couple other people. It does not affect a great number of people and does not affect society at large. Why is it so interesting to everyone and of such concern? Is it the fault of the media that headlines the love life of celebrities and politicians? Is it the titillating advertisements and films that focus more on sex than subject matter? Whatever the reason, it seems that the sex life of everyone else gets more attention than issues that concern our own personal lives. And it is not a good thing. There was a slogan once, “Keep the government out of our bedrooms”. It might apply to more than the government, because the obsession with gay, lesbian, trans lives has passed the limit of decency and privacy. What difference can it make to my life if a neighbor has a same sex partner? How is my life affected when two people of the same sex are married?

What, after all, is marriage in our society? It is a contract between two people that ties them together in property and finance and responsibility. It is a legal contract that can be ended only in a court of law. Those who choose to do so, may also have the blessing of a religion, but that is not necessary, and not legally binding. The marriage contract granted by the state is binding, and not different from any other contract .It can be entered into by two people of the same or different races, sexes, religions or philosophies if the parties so choose. The right to enter into contracts is a citizen’s right. It should not be limited in the case of marriage by those whose religious beliefs add to the contract unwritten restrictions.

Many people point to “the old days” as if there were no gay, lesbian or transgender people in that better time, but those people who so point are uneducated. Many of the greatest names in military, art, politics and sports history have been outside the male/female dichotomy. In Herndon’s novel, Stranger In A Strange Land, the main character asks ,”How many sexes are there on Earth?” The man relies, “Two”, to the astonishment of the questioner. He says, “That can’t be true. I’ve already counted six.”

But my point is not whether people must conform to the idea of a sexual dichotomy, or whether history shows that it never has done so, or whether contracts of marriage, like all legal contacts, are not limited by gender. My point is that the great concern in today’s American society with everyone’s sex life is a diversion. Sex is the part of someone’s life that has the least effect on the the rest of us, so why the exaggerated interest and attention? Are there not other subjects that DO affect the rest of us, that DO cause our lives to be better or worse? Are we being fed a sexy, titillating diet to keep our minds off the serious issues that really matter?

What about usury? The preacher talks a lot about sex but little about usury, when the Bible tells of its evil over twenty times. What would the Biblical writers say of 29% interest on your credit card, a card necessary for most people who can’t afford a cash and carry life? What about mortgage rates that prevent the ordinary worker from owning a home?

Mr. Richman owns the company that makes a product on which he earns a profit; he pays his worker, Mr. Poorman, too little for him to buy the product he makes. So, in order to buy the product, he borrows from Mr. Richman at high interest , allowing Mr. Richman to make a profit on the product and interest on the loan to buy the product. In this way, Mr. Richman gets richer, and Mr. Poorman gets deep in debt. Does the constant attention to a movie star’s latest fling, or a senator’s indiscretion keep everyone mind occupied on the wrong issues? Maybe.

What about prisons? No country in the world has as many as we do, nor as many people imprisoned. The biggest industry in some states is the prison system. It lobbies the government for more laws and longer prison sentences because it means more money for them. The corporations that own the prisons pay as few guards as little as possible to increase their profit. But we, the public read about a congressman’s extramarital affair. Meaningful?

I beg you to educate yourself . Look for issues that matter and don’t be pulled into gossip that has no effect on you life. H.G. Wells said, “The world is in a race between education and catastrophe”. We must join the race on the education side and win.