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The Facets of Human Sexuality
Manage episode 407326701 series 3562134
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Like all (wannabe) academics, Chris and Derek like their categories, terms, problems, etc super well-defined. This is another whole episode dedicated to explaining all aspects of human sexuality from genetic/assigned, identity, expression, orientation, tastes and beyond. "Isn't this what you did in the last episode?" No, we continue from where we left off in episode 2. This is good stuff. I promise.
Again with the Correction: The book Perv by Jesse Bering is cited numerous times. He, in turn, cites research done likely in the 1990s about fetishes and kinks regarding a perceived difference between men and women. It appeared to the researchers that men locked into their kink or fetish "thing" at a young age and never really deviated for their entire lives. A man who has a foot fetish at 12-years-old will still fetishize feet at 90. It was like the man's brain was concrete in this respect.
The researchers found life-long obsession on a "thing" to be less common among women. They speculated a woman's mind was more "plastic" allowing for a variety of interests over their lives. The authors offered no explanation for why men and women would be different in this respect.
In the intervening weeks, nay, months since this recording was made, I (Derek) have grown increasingly skeptical about this conclusion. Given the vintage of the study, it is entirely probable the researchers' biasses tainted the way the question was asked. Also, this would have been at a time when it was less acceptable for a woman to be kinky especially in an overt way. It is highly probable kinky women over the past millennia were taught to repress their own interests, taking on (or faking) interest in whatever their man was into. Millennia of reinforced survival behavior doesn't disappear overnight.
It seems more likely that gender plays little or no part in kink/fetish development, how strong they are, or if a person's taste changes over the course of their life. Rather it is entirely probable that when asked about strong proclivities and interests, women of the era would not have expressed their tastes as boldly either consciously or subconsciously.
As such, I am stepping back from thinking men's brains are "concrete" and women's brains are "plastic," especially in this context, but also, and of course, in any context.
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