Outline
Culture and society are two different aspects of human experiences. As multiculturalism and modernization came into the scene, new trends and cultures started to be followed. Casual sex is one among them. It has faced opposition by most societies, claiming it is against their cultures. Casual sex is a just an activity that gives physical pleasure to its participants, and does not bring in any emotional attachment. Many of its consequences are to be taken care of while engaging in casual sex. People engaging in casual sex are considered unequal by the conservatives of the society. Some critics say, they do not find any problem in engaging in it if it’s acceptable to both its participants. The paper makes a detailed discussion of its structure, expressed meaning, and sociological characteristics and consequences.
Introduction
Culture is a term often never understood or misunderstood by people. Sociologists still find it difficult to define it in a sentence, because of its complexity. The meaning of culture varies with the different perspectives of individuals. For example, some people consider culture is of two types: high culture and low culture. What differentiates high culture and low culture is not clear though. However, Richard Peterson says that, sociologists generally refer to four things when explaining culture. Norms which are different ways of public behavior in society, values which are dear to them though they differ with each individual, beliefs which are what people think about everything, like how and why things happen, and lastly the expressive symbols which are the ways of expressing the norms, values and beliefs in society. At this point, it is important to understand that thinking of culture and society as two different things is to distinguish between two different aspects of human experience.
People behave in a wide variety of ways in society and these differences are methods of expressing humans as social beings. (Griswold, 4). Culture as an aspect of tradition, consider one culture better or higher than another culture. However, Herder argues that every nation and community has equally meritorious cultures and so it is important to speak about cultures and not about a single culture. (Griswold, 8). Every culture is distinguishable due to their differences in race, traditions, beliefs and norms. With globalization, every country in the world was brought closer and immigration made people of different cultures to live closer and live together in the same societies. Multiculturalism is a result of globalization and global immigration. Now, every country has people following different cultures and from different communities. People have learned to co-exist with people who are culturally different. This mixing of cultures has given rise to new cultures, parts of which are followed by some people and parts of which are opposed by some others.
This kind of multiculturalism did not produce positive results alone, though. It has become a reason for clashes of cultures in every society. Problems occur when the different races, classes and genders are seen as diverse. This problem arises when culture is seen part of tradition alone, which makes people think their tradition alone is right. Modernization too resulted in clashes of culture. Advancements in every field and new technologies make people busy, making it impossible to live the same way their earlier generations used to. This creates a tension between traditional and conservative people and modern people, because conservative people refuse to change their ways of living and condemn everything that modern people believe in. Modernism has brought many changes in the lives of the people. Clothing, food, beliefs and perspectives have changed drastically which means a change in cultures.
A group that has been affected the most with these changes is the youth. Their trends are not acceptable to a majority of the rest in the society. A few major problems of modernization include the people’s, especially the youth’s alienation from the society, increasing consciousness of body and image, inclination towards computer and the internet, homosexuality and casual sex. Kenneth Plummer, in the work ‘Sexualities: Critical concepts in Sociology’ says that casual sex is an important issue which needs immediate attention, because it has become just a fun hobby. It is a phenomenon that has direct relation on the society. This paper discusses the probable reasons for the increasing popularity of casual sex, its social characteristics and consequences on its participants and on the society.
Discussion
The first point to be discussed is the reason for the increase in casual sex among youngsters. The reasons are many all of which can be studied using a functionalistic approach. “Functionalism, the branch of social theory that assumes a social institution usually serves some specific function necessary for the well-being of the collectivity, identifies culture with the values that direct the social, political and economic levels of a social system.” (Griswold, 9). Putting together theories mentioned in McDonaldization of Society and Griswold’s functionalistic perspective, casual sex can be viewed as the result of several other changes that have come about in the society like the consciousness about body and image, alienation from the society, extreme inclination and dependence on the internet. These are only some of the factors that have changed the youth perspective of sex. In the book, ‘Sexuality in the time of AIDS,’ Ravi K Verma states that, casual sex does not require or give any emotional attachment between its participants, instead it gives only physical satisfaction. (Sexuality in the time of AIDS, 170). A majority of the teenagers engaging in casual sex do not even know each other. Plummer says it is done basically as fun hobby among most of them. The youth follow popular cultures instead of the earlier cultures which were transferred to them by their ancestors and immediate precedents.
George Ritzer, in his book says that “the Mc. Donaldized world is one in which the sincere expression of emotion and affect have been all but eliminated. At Mc. Donald’s, little or no emotional bond can develop among customers, employees, managers and owners.” (Ritzer, 198). This is not considered as a defect or a problem by its customers because everyone is busy with their own lives and tensions. Mc. Donald’s became popular because it provided tasty food faster than ordinary restaurants. Majority of the people prefer restaurants where food is served the fastest, so that they can get to work as soon as possible. Similarly, the youth today is not interested in spending time trying to know a person, so that a relationship can develop between them. What they require is just physical happiness which requires no emotional attachment with the other person.
Alan Soble and Nicholas Power say that casual sex can also occur between people familiar to each other. For example, a married couple gets divorced, it means there lacked love, an emotional attachment or understanding between them which made them separate. Another example, is when lovers break up after they have a physical relationship, that too means they lacked real love, or that it was mere lust. Though a major population consider casual sex as wrong, some people also believe that there cases when it is not wrong. Soble and Power argue that though casual sex is morally wrong in certain cases like rapes, sex with children etc, there are exceptional cases too. He quotes an example; suppose two people intentionally engage in casual sex with complete knowledge and desire, then it cannot be considered wrong. “…that sexual desire is not inherently morally suspicious, it would seem that nothing is wrong with desiring casual sex or acting on the desire as long as, from a virtue-centered perspective, two conditions are satisfied…”(Soble and Power, 340). This type of casual sex is becoming more and more common in the society.
Earlier, there were social constraints to prostitution and casual sex. Now, the youngsters are too modern, even to listen to their parents or family in general. This has brought about a lax in social norms controls, making it impossible to put limits to their activities. Also, a survey report by Levinson, Ruth and Jaccard says that more women are ready to engage in casual sex, because of the new technologies and advancements which help in preventing pregnancy. Most of them argue why they should not engage in sex when there is no more risk in it? It was found in the survey that the participants of casual sex do not bother or care about the partner’s culture, race, class or at times even gender. They do not even think about whether it is acceptable by the rest of the society or is thought of as unnatural behavior. The different media like television, books, films and the internet have added to the problem by exposing even small kids to exaggerated versions of obscenity and vulgarity. That is not all. Many of them convey wrong ideas about sex.
The article by Levinson, Ruth and Jaccard also state that the influence of friends has a lot of impact in bringing about changes in people and making them follow a different trend. Every community might not consider casual sex as against ethics or culture. The friends who believe that casual sex is not an issue, influence their friends, who in turn start to believe them. This is one reason for the popularity of casual sex among the youth. It is the youngsters who get influenced the maximum with the company of others. Since many of them might not have previous experiences in sex, they tend to believe that what their friends follow is right. They begin to indulge in such activities, and gradually get deeply involved in them. Since, the society does not encourage sex at an early age, it is commonly done against the wishes of their families or the society in general. Sometimes, it is also done as part of bets and agreements. This is one of the worst ways of beginning to engage in casual sex. The youngsters do it with the intention of winning bets, or money. Once, they are introduced to it, they begin to indulge more often and soon stop feeling bad about the whole thing.
Casual sex is considered as against general norms in many cultures. The authors of ‘Same Sex Intimacies’ say that if the participants are gay or lesbians, they are not considered worthy to be included in the society. Though a few have legally accepted them and such marriages, the general tendency, especially in orthodox or conservative countries is to avoid them. Even heterosexual people are seen as unequal to others. Sex between them is against believed to be against nature. Naturally, a case of casual sex among such people is looked down as inferior. An example is quoted in a work by Jefrey Weeks, Brian Heaphy and Catherin Donovan. The case is about Jenny, who is a lesbian in her late forties. She says there was a lack of support in her community, when she was in her twenties and at a time when she wanted a kind of sex that was not deep and serious. (Weeks, Heaphy and Dnovan, 142).
The survey report explains the motivations for casual sex as physical, psychological and negative ones. It is found that the motivations vary from one person to another. In a survey conducted, respondents gave different psychological reasons for it. Some said that they engage in sex for merely the physical pleasure of it. Some of them thought it made them more attractive to the other sex. Many others said they felt better after sex. There were respondents who said that not having sex for a couple of months would make them feel deprived and uncomfortable. These include are included under the physical and psychological motivations for the participants. There are occasionally negative motivations behind it. In the survey, it was found most of the respondents did not care if they were to contract an STD or they will get HIV virus. The survey showed that most of them were aware of the health consequences, but still preferred it. Believing that there is only remote chance of being pregnant is also considered as a negative motivation. (Levinson and Jaccard, 1).
In order to study its structure in the society, it is essential to know how it affects individuals and the society and whether it is right or wrong. The consequences of casual sex are what determine whether it is right or wrong. It is not possible to say that casual sex always leads to unacceptable consequences. Casual sex is most commonly followed by certain subgroups in the society. Whether the consequences are undesirable depends on whether it is done in a background where casual sex is a norm or not. What can be said is it is better to avoid anything that is not acceptable to a majority of the society, because humans are social beings. A person might enjoy playing a game and he might wish for a company. People will not find it unacceptable because playing a game with a stranger or a new companion has no negative stigma attached to it. The case with sex is different. Since it considered sacred by many communities, it might not be agreeable to everyone, especially the conservative sections of the society. When living in a society, with different cultures, it is better to follow commonly accepted rules.
The consequences of casual sex are not acceptable or do not look positive to a majority of the society. A serious problem of it is that there is a greater chance of getting diseases, which can be avoided by not engaging immorally in it. Carrie. L. Lukas, in her book ‘The politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism’ say that very often girls who engage in casual sex regret it afterwards. (The politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism, 19). The emotional attachment and love which makes sex sacred is lost when the participants are strangers and not in love. They might not even see each other in the rest of their lifetime. In ‘The Philosophy of Sex,’ Soble and Power maintain that teenagers engaging in sex for money, is another problem in the society. Girls, who are highly fashion-crazy come forward to earn pocket money without the knowledge of their parents. Since it’s a business, they don’t bother about who their partner is. Whether they get money or not, casual sex sometimes leads to problems because protection is taken in all cases. At least in some cases, girls become pregnant as a result of such acts, which make them depressed. They get into trouble when their families come to know of it. There have been cases in which the girls have committed suicide in order to escape from the troubles and the bad name they would get in future. It is also believed that indulging in casual sex will make its participants take things lightly. They will not be able to make serious sex once they make it a habit to indulge in casual sex.
However, critics also say that if the necessary precautions are taken, pregnancies and transmission of diseases can be avoided. They say it is no reason to call it immoral, because those are just medical problems which can be cured. In some countries, it is not considered as much against culture as it is in many religious and conservative countries. Deborah L. Rhode says in the book ‘Speaking of Sex’ that, according to most societies, girls are discriminated more than boys for engaging in casual sex. (Speaking of Sex, 175). The reason for this is girls suffer than boys in case of consequences like pregnancies. Boys do not have worry about life-long consequences like girls do. Also, according to cultures, women consider sex as a more emotional act than men. Women are considered in many societies as someone to be looked upon and respected. Traditions speak of sex as what woman gives in return for man’s love. This general concept or notion cannot be easily erased or changed from the people’s minds. Naturally, people tend to blame girls more than boys, when they indulge in activities, which are not commonly acceptable. So, the rate of girls taking part in casual sex is comparatively lower than that of boys.
It is not right to say that activities like casual sex are against culture. Culture is shaped in a society by its members. How they behave, what they believe and what values they hold on to, form the culture of that particular society. This does not mean that people must forget and avoid their traditions or customs. Culture is different all that. It only indicates the way in which the people of a society dress, work, eat and talk. It can include people of different religions, traditions and customs. As commonly thought of, it is not the other way round, in which people say, someone does not follow the culture. What is generally followed becomes the culture and the most commonly followed culture can be called the popular culture. It need not have practices of high standard. It is what the people follow for the love of it. However, if a particular activity or practice is not accepted by a society, it means it is not popular or followed by many. In such cases, it is to be dropped or the person will be categorized as anti-social.
The culture of yesterday is no more followed today. The society changes, so do the attitudes towards culture. The conservative yester generation will gradually stop resisting the changes, when the new trends cover up the older ones. As the youth of today are independent in their thinking and attitudes, it is impossible to take them back to older cultural beliefs and practices. The eventual advancements in medical field will reduce the chances of getting sexually transferred diseases. Soon there will be more effective and easier ways to prevent pregnancy. Besides, the increasing tension and busy life will demand for different ways of relaxation. Apart from these, the youngsters who get influenced by friends find it tempting to live a different life similar to the popular ones among youth. Future can expect more people engaging in casual sex, practicing new activities and following new trends, which they hold on to as the right values. Whether, it is right or wrong, casual sex changes the culture of a society and the meaning of sex drastically.
Works Cited
Griswold, Wendy. Cultures and Societies in a Changing World.
Levinson, Ruth Andrea and Jaccard, James. ‘Older Adolescents’ engagement in casual sex: impact of risk perception and psychosocial motivations. Luann Beamer in Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 24, 1995.
Ritzer, George. Mc. Donaldization of Society. Sexuality in the time of AIDS. 2004.
Soble, Alan., and Power, Nicholas. The philosophy of ex. Speaking of Sex. 1999.
The politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism. 2006.
Weeks, Jefrey., Heaphy, Brian and Dnovan, Catherin. Same Sex Intimacies.