The Not-So-Great Gatsby
May 17, 2013
When it comes to sex, love and romance, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has been misinforming and misleading readers of all ages since 1925. Nick and his girlfriend Jordan, Tom and Daisy, Myrtle and George--none of the couples feel anything approaching love. Sexual Futurist sees the book (mandatory reading for millions of high school students) and the absolutely luscious and amazingly sexy film as well worth the time it takes to enjoy them. The problem is that the real lesson--that narcissists who are preoccupied with image are incapable of love--is hardly discussed. Yes, there are the distracting themes of fresh starts, betrayal, decadence, and class warfare--all good stuff and very sexy. (Look for the shirt scene!) Fitzgerald himself described his book as "the sustained imagination of a sincere and yet radiant world." In other words, he fell for his own schlock. Fitzgerald admires Gatsby (via his avatar Nick Carraway) as "better than all of them put together." Thus the book is narcissism gushing over narcissism, a wheel within a wheel of disconnected loneliness. Fitzgerald's illusion is based on the irrational belief that to be in love is to love. Everyone seems to be in love with someone...but no one...
He Doesn’t Look Like a Superhero But…
May 8, 2013
It's true that Sexual Futurist is often critical of religion's handling of sexual issues. So when religion provides an example of tolerance and respect in the face of intolerance and fear we like to break out the champagne. This week libations were brought to us by Father Edward Salmon, head of the all boys McQuaid Jesuit High School, who addressed the fear concerning two gay male youths requesting permission to enter as a couple into a school sponsored dance. Some parishioners opposed the idea. They spread angry, hateful messages to the gay couple. The Father addressed their anger in a letter to the parents of students attending the school. He quoted passages from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops calling “…on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment." The Father concluded, “If our two brothers who have asked to attend the Junior Ball wish to do so, they will be welcomed.” Religion often provides examples of intolerance...
The Elephants in the Room
May 7, 2013
Cosmic vandals recently hosed down the entire planet with sexual lunacy. At least, that's how it seems when one reads the news: Deputy House of Commons Speaker Nigel Evans denies rape and sexual assault allegations relating to two men. US Air Force officer in charge of rape prevention arrested--for attempting to rape a women. Three Cleveland Women Missing Almost a Decade Found Alive--three sexually motivated brothers arrested. From child rape stories coming out of India to local stories about attempts at (scarey!) sexual education the world is awash in sexual ignorance and dysfunction. For most readers of the daily news these events shock, confuse and horrify. For every one of these stories about the famous there are untold thousands of true family-destroying stories that get lost in the news cycle. But for sexual futurists these stories represent a welcome first flight into our species' social evolution. We as a species are finally starting to look at what is happening sexually. Years ago we often repressed such stories reasoning that we were protecting women and their reputations. And raping men? Who was ever going to talk about that! With each report of these sexual train wrecks we are becoming...