The Horizontal Monster-Mash

“The only interesting things in life: sex and death” --Thomas Artaud, 20th Century Playwright

Sex is a very interesting concept. It seems to have much more power then people give it credit for. It is the one issue that not only divides people’s opinions, but divides people themselves (interesting effect for an act that is meant to be the ultimate togetherness). It has every title under the sun attached to it; from ‘terrible’ and ‘horrible’ to ‘wonderful’ and ‘pleasurable’. Freud says that all people think about is it; all symbolism is sex. It divides, yet binds. It confuses, yet clarifies. All roads lead to sex, just as all roads lead AWAY from sex. It makes the strongest man a coward, and the most cowardly the strongest. It causes pain, fear, humiliation, power, pleasure, depression, laughter, tears and everything aforementioned (plus every OTHER emotion).

Where to start with sex. I guess it has to be the public conception of it. This can come from two things:

- Hollywood concept: To Hollywood, sex is the beautiful (and titillating) act of togetherness. Full of heart, and of passion. Artistic and loud, with no repercussions. Hollywood made sex big; made it the ‘must have’ of the 20th century.
- Modern Literature concept: Embarrassing and painful (both physically and mentally). An uncomfortable, mechanical-like process that takes us back to primitive times. The loss of pride. Most modern literature has to do with depressed teenagers I reckon, and this is mostly the stance that people find more real (because its painful, and people define reality as pain wether its true or not).

This churns out teenagers that either find sex lucrative, interesting or something to be worried about. This churns out middle-ages people who worry about the state of the world now that this issue is met at all.

I think the power sex has is underrated. Now that im reading Orwell’s 1984 again (my favourite book of all time) I can now truly understand sex’s influence. Sex is the root of all desire, because it is the root of all pleasure. It is the goal, the purpose of life (what nobler cause is there then to procreate?) and its level of togetherness created the emotion of love in the first place (wether people believe they’re on the same level or not).

Sex is power, because whoever controls sex controls desire. And whoever controls desire controls the very workings of the human mind. When you know what someone wants and how to give it to them, how can you be stopped? Big Brother (from 1984) took away this connection between ‘desire and sex’, and placed that connection into ‘desire and love of the Party’. The taking away of desire takes away hope (what else is there to hope for but pleasure?) and dreams (we dream about what we desire; nightmares are only twisted versions of this). With nothing to live for, nothing to hope for, nothing to dream for; humans are shells, ready to work for the only love left in the world (love of the Party).

But back to sex as a topic. Now im not exactly going to get any doctorates or masters for my studies in the field of ‘sexual experience’, I’ll be the first to admit that. But I do know that sex is one of the only things left in life that is truly an individual interpretation. I’ve read books where people have gotten to sex, and gone “this whole process is stupid, I feel nothing for it”. I found that strange at first, having only the Hollywood Concept. Then as a gained the Modern Lit Concept, I started seeing sex just as they said; as an ungainly-looking procedure.

Now? I don’t know. It’s a really weird thing; not awkward enough to laugh at, not pleasurable enough to go crazy about, not painful/hurtful enough to complain about. I guess sex is the last stripping away of puberty. It is laying yourself bare in front of somebody else; heart, soul and body. Its giving yourself to somebody. It IS loss of pride; but you are losing pride TOGETHER. It takes two to tango, and most Modern Lit Concepts miss that. It’s also awkward and sometimes uncomfortable, which is what most Hollywoods miss lol.

I guess what im getting down to, is that when you have sex; make it with the right person. Remember that pride is lost from all sides, from BOTH parties. That’s the most important thing.