Impacts of the sexual revolution

 

    ” It is interesting to note that the “sexual revolution” was sometimes portrayed as a communal utopia, whereas in fact it was simply another stage in the historical rise of individualism. As the lovely word “household” suggests, the couple and the family would be the last bastion of primitive communism in liberal society. The sexual revolution was to destroy these intermediary communities, the last to separate the individual from the market. The destruction continues to this day.”       –Michel Houellebecq-

The world is over flowing now with right demands, it has turned into a wide square where the residents of it became protestants asking for their rights, each asking for the right that he/she lacks, and demanding to practice that right. That global revolution is affecting everyone on this earth due to globalization, but a certain problem starts to rise, or what politicians call the follow-revolution acts, when the rights demanded in a certain region doesn’t fit the rest of the world. The revolution we are talking about here is the sexual revolution; it started in the 1960s in America and western Europe, although many say that it is the second one, as the first happened in the 1920s after World War I, but I think that 1960s fits well for the term, because during the 1960s all the follow revolution acts and movements started to appear. Feminism, homosexuality, pornography, public nudity and freedom of abortion are all considered acts that followed the sexual revolution, along with movements like counterculture, women’s and gay rights movements that all followed the sexual revolution and are considered also a part of it. The secret doesn’t lay in the rights but in the impacts of practicing them, so what are the effects of the sexual revolution and how did it change the world? That is what I am going to discuss.

The sexual revolution wasn’t just about the freedom of having an intercourse with a counterpart but it extended to include every aspect of life, and as much as many people may regard it as an act of liberation and that it made the world a better place, some others, including me, see that the disadvantages and the side effects had damaged many valuable things and beliefs of the world, that it even played in the normal cycle of life creating a great sense of imbalance in the way of living. For example, the right of public nudity opened the door for pornography and adult movie industry in the late 1960s throughout the 1970s up till now, for example the Blue Movie in 1969 that was the first movie displaying erotic scenes that would have never been published before that. And then this industry started nourishing and growing that it has now actors and actresses, and is taken seriously by critics, and it also has awards like “AVN Awards”, which is considered the “Oscars” for pornographic movies. But what in it comes to the impacts of the right of public nudity or publishing adult movies, many people around the world are suffering from porn addiction that can destroy their lives as it appeared in the movie “cyber seduction: his secret life “, and such widespread movies that can be found in minutes created a crisis in the regions of the world that doesn’t have the liberty of practicing the “sex without marriage right” such as the middle east, therefore; marriage rates started decreasing and the unmarried girls rates started going up, because the men find what they can have in a marriage based relationship in the media easily.

The other movement that appeared and is actually getting widely acclaimed nowadays is the gay rights movement; that 2015 is labeled as the “gay rights year” with the rainbow flags and clothes and many awards dedicating their night shows to the movement like the MTV Music Awards. With all due respect to homosexual people and their life style, the huge amount of expenses and money that is spent to support the gay rights weren’t that necessary in the year 2015, when many other crises and issues were rising and reaching a peak like the displacement crisis in Syria and the unending famine in South Africa. These issues deserved the same and more amount of attention from the world, because the gay people were already practicing their rights freely, especially after President Obama became the President of the United States in 2008, and he is known to be a huge supporter of rights including the gay people rights. The other thing about homosexuality is that it is strictly forbidden in most of the sacred religions, and is regarded as an abomination of nature, because it defies the normal cycle of life which is reproduction and continuing to build the earth; and that is considered the main purpose of creating life and human beings in the first place. Although homosexuals say that it is their nature and that they can’t change it, people argue saying that everyone is created with an inner demon and a certain point of conflict and that they must resist in order to preserve the order of nature, just like how a person persists anger, lying and the desire to go all bad and destroy everything. But despite what many anti-homosexuality supporters say, it is happening now and increasing in many ways like; it is appearing now in countries that didn’t support it before like India and some regions in the Far East, also; it is becoming a choice rather than a human nature that one can persist. For instance, if a girl doesn’t feel comfy in a relation with a guy, she can start dating girls without the desire to actually do so. As I previously mentioned, with all due respect, it is not about the right, it is about the impact. And homosexuality is becoming a culture that imposes itself above traditions, beliefs and religions, and no right should have that immense amount of power over the entire human race. So, refusing the homosexuality in a certain society in a respectful manner is not an act of racism, but it is a right. Because rights are not just about saying yes and agreeing, it is sometimes about saying no and defying.

The sexual revolution is believed to have coincided with feminism and Women rights’ movement, and that maybe true when it comes to time, as they both started in about the same time and started gaining attention and nourishing at the same time too. But in my point of view, they do not support each other; maybe from the side that they are both rights and that a woman can have a free sexual life yes, but when it comes to how the sexual revolution made women more empowered, I don’t think so. I actually believe that they contradict; Feminism is all about empowering women and respecting them, before the women rights movement, women were treated badly and as second best to men, but after it they started gaining more power and are able to work freely, have the right to vote and going through elections; all these things made them more respected and regarded as first best, equal to men. But isn’t all of it about respecting a woman’s mind, and seeing her as more than just a body? The sexual revolution actually opened the door to men to regard girls as just bodies without considering their minds, because it paved the way for opened relations and the term “friends with benefits” which is all about body relations. Thus; girls started going for wearing less clothes and less thinking, most of the girls’ worlds now revolve around beauty and plastic surgeries to look better and more presentable in men’s eyes, while the girls with more clothes and more brains on them are labeled as nerds and old fashioned. And these entire thoughts act against feminism and side with the sexual revolution which make them stand on two facing lines not on one extended line. And when it comes to its impacts, there is an issue of sexual harassment starting to take a rise around the world now and both sexes are blaming the other one; men say that girls are “showing too much”, and girls say that it is their right to wear what they see fit. The second most important impact is;  girls and women now refuse to have kids and start families till a late age like late 30s and mid 40s,  and with the help of birth control pills and freedom of abortion, it is threatening the growth rate in many countries around the world like western Europe, while the Far East and Middle East where the sexual revolution is not heavily highlighted; the population is increasing really fast, which make them win when it comes to continuing the life cycle and preserve the place of their race on earth for a longer time.

In conclusion, Rights is a very delicate topic, and people should be aware when demanding for their right and while practicing it. The world is a place that you share with billions of people and even if you would never meet every single one of them, you should be aware that due to globalization that whatever rights you practice or movement you support or even a case you adopt will have its impacts on the entire world and effect millions of lives, so choose your side wisely and always respect the other parties. The world is big enough for everyone.

P.S: This article is written with all the respect to every sex, race, sexual taste, color, people, policy and region in this world. It is a mere discussion and an expression of personal opinion and point of view. Thanks…