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As an LJ blogger, one of the most common questions I get is, “How come you never blogged anything about the University Fucksaw demo? Cos that seems right up yr alley.”
It’s probably because I was on one of my insane deadlines when the story broke, and also because it’s one of those stories that warrants some breathing space, because you can pretty much bet that the media stories will be primarily concerned with the ZOMG aspect of it at the expense of certain details that might explain the whole thing.
For those of you who don’t know the basic story:
Which, in a way, is part of the problem. There’s a lot about sex that doesn’t get taught – most of it beyond the reproductive angle and (if yr lucky) how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and STDs (besides not actually having sex). You won’t hear a lot about G-spots or buttsecks or squirting or threesome etiquette or even how to give really good head, let alone tips on where to find people with the same sexual fetishes as you, or even just assuring you that liking (say) risky public sex or CFNM roleplaying scenarios doesn’t make you any weirder than Mr & Mrs Straight Vanilla Wedlocked Monogamy.
Yes, I know, it’s legally impossible to teach such things to anyone under 18. But the furor over the Northwestern Fucksaw illustrates how difficult it still is even for consenting adults to explore their sexuality openly and getting the most bang for their buck (so to speak) without Decent Society coming down on them for it.
And that’s if yr straight. It’s even more difficult if yr L/G/B/T.
Granted, there’s something to be said for preserving the mystery and finding out for yrself. And there’s also something to be said for leaving some fantasies unrealized. On the other hand, the current operational model – which requires people to overcome years of embedded fear, guilt and peer pressure to even understand their own filthy desires, let alone tap into them – isn’t exactly healthy.
Which is my meandering way of saying I fully support live sex demos as teaching tools, as long they’re opt-in and done professionally. There should be more of them, actually. With audience participation. Hands-on learning, you might say.
FUN FACT: When they said “fucksaw”, I thought they meant this thing (as seen on Howard Stern, and this link is about as NSFW as it gets).
Class dismissed,
This is dF
=============================
EDITED TO ADD [11 MAY 2011]: The professor's class has been canceled and he is now under investigation. Let that be a lesson to anyone who dares give practical sex lessons with consenting adults.
It’s probably because I was on one of my insane deadlines when the story broke, and also because it’s one of those stories that warrants some breathing space, because you can pretty much bet that the media stories will be primarily concerned with the ZOMG aspect of it at the expense of certain details that might explain the whole thing.
For those of you who don’t know the basic story:
- Northwestern University professor teaches Human Sexuality class.
- Professor stages after-class demonstration of a woman using a sex toy known as a “fucksaw”.
- Someone alerts the media.
- The story goes nationwide because ZOMG LIVE FUCKSAW DEMO!
- The fucksaw demo was actually part of an overall two-hour discussion/Q&A on BDSM and fetish featuring two couples who are actively part of that scene.
- The session was completely voluntary – students weren’t required to attend.
- The ones who did attend were given plenty of advance warning that they were going to see some live sexplay.
- The fucksaw demo was intended to demonstrate the difference between a clitoral orgasm and a g-spot orgasm.
Which, in a way, is part of the problem. There’s a lot about sex that doesn’t get taught – most of it beyond the reproductive angle and (if yr lucky) how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and STDs (besides not actually having sex). You won’t hear a lot about G-spots or buttsecks or squirting or threesome etiquette or even how to give really good head, let alone tips on where to find people with the same sexual fetishes as you, or even just assuring you that liking (say) risky public sex or CFNM roleplaying scenarios doesn’t make you any weirder than Mr & Mrs Straight Vanilla Wedlocked Monogamy.
Yes, I know, it’s legally impossible to teach such things to anyone under 18. But the furor over the Northwestern Fucksaw illustrates how difficult it still is even for consenting adults to explore their sexuality openly and getting the most bang for their buck (so to speak) without Decent Society coming down on them for it.
And that’s if yr straight. It’s even more difficult if yr L/G/B/T.
Granted, there’s something to be said for preserving the mystery and finding out for yrself. And there’s also something to be said for leaving some fantasies unrealized. On the other hand, the current operational model – which requires people to overcome years of embedded fear, guilt and peer pressure to even understand their own filthy desires, let alone tap into them – isn’t exactly healthy.
Which is my meandering way of saying I fully support live sex demos as teaching tools, as long they’re opt-in and done professionally. There should be more of them, actually. With audience participation. Hands-on learning, you might say.
FUN FACT: When they said “fucksaw”, I thought they meant this thing (as seen on Howard Stern, and this link is about as NSFW as it gets).
Class dismissed,
This is dF
=============================
EDITED TO ADD [11 MAY 2011]: The professor's class has been canceled and he is now under investigation. Let that be a lesson to anyone who dares give practical sex lessons with consenting adults.
