Li Yinhe talks about sex

Chapter 17 Analysis of Western Sexual Revolution (1)
One of the ideas of the sexual revolution was the emphasis on individual rights.

From the perspective of the Western world, before the 20s, it was a period of conservative sexual tradition; in the 50s, a round of sexual revolution began; in the 20s, when conservatives came to power and the discovery of AIDS led to a sexual counter-revolution; In the 50s, a new sexual revolution began.Among the two sexual revolutions that Western societies have experienced, the first is more quantitative, characterized by a large increase in the average frequency of sexual activity among people; the second is qualitative, characterized by pluralistic and safe sex .The process of sexual change in China is 20 years behind that in the West, and sometimes in the opposite direction.When the West entered the conservative era in the 80s, China began to enter the period of sexual revolution due to the reform and opening up, and this trend is now intensifying.

The two sexual revolutions in the West, especially the first sexual revolution, have a remarkable feature, that is, the speed of change is very rapid, which is amazing: such a drastic change in sexual patterns within one generation is unprecedented .The sexual revolution in China since the 80s has similar characteristics.Just take premarital sex as an example: from 80% in the late 18s to 24% to [-]% now, it only took more than ten years.The speed of change is astounding.A survey of the sexual history of heterosexuals aged [-]-[-] in the United States shows that American sexual relations have undergone surprising changes compared with traditional society: girls already believe that they have the right to engage in sexual activities including sexual intercourse at an appropriate age, Diversification of types of sexual activity, higher sexual expectations of both men and women after marriage than in previous generations, etc.These phenomena are subversive for those who live in this situation, especially women.

The period named "sexual revolution" in the West almost covered the period from the mid-50s to the mid-70s, more precisely, the 1965 years from 1975 to 10.This period of time in Western society has been recognized as a period of rapid changes in sexual concepts and behaviors, and this change has been called the sexual revolution.During the sexual revolution, sex became public; from the sexual provocative gestures of rock stars to the proliferation of sex-trading venues in many large cities in Western powers, there was a diversification away from traditional sexual norms; Attitudes to premarital and extramarital sex, cohabitation and homosexuality are more or less gradually tolerant; countries have approved no-fault divorce; premarital sex is universal; family planning is launched on a large scale; women participate in the work, equal pay with men, and men share housework; the gay liberation movement; the beginning of a wave of sexual legislation reform in Western Europe; the astonishing development of new sexual subcultures, especially gay subcultures; unprecedented levels of talking, writing, and viewing of sex; many people especially affected by sex Those who are oppressed and exploited gain valuable living space.

Feminism, gay politics, and issues raised by sexual minorities have entered mainstream culture through fashion, performance, sexual techniques, political strategy, and moral debate.There are five most obvious signs of the sexual revolution: the first is the public expression of sex; the second is the massive increase in premarital sex; the third is the emergence of homosexuality; improvement of laws.

The most important difference between the period of the sexual revolution and the previous period was not in sexual behavior, but in the degree of openness of sexual expression in public.Where it used to be considered inappropriate to talk about sex, there is now an entire industry and business offering pornography to the public.This has several implications.First, it allows serious writers and artists to fully explore and express subjects without fear of censorship.Second, sex has become a major modus operandi in the entertainment and business worlds.Even in a country like China with anti-obscenity laws, the popularity of obscene and pornographic materials is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.Young people hold a clear and positive attitude towards premarital sex, but the dominant norm among them is "affirmation based on emotion" rather than unconditional indulgence.Contraception for most adults has become a common practice in countries all over the world, although in some countries with strong religious beliefs, induced abortion still causes a lot of controversy, and there are even extreme actions of bombing abortion clinics.

Homosexual behavior has existed since the beginning of mankind.The gay liberation movement was born on June 1965, 6, in a riot in a gay bar in New York City, USA. Ten years later, America has the largest and best organized gay minority in the world.But homosexuality continues to be stigmatized and discriminated against, and acceptance of homosexuality is still a slow process.

Women's liberation and sexual revolution are mutually causal.One of the mistakes that the predecessors often made on the issue of sexual morality is to apply double standards to both men and women, thinking that women should be more chastity than men.However, the economic status independent of men brought about by women's widespread participation in social labor, as well as the equality between men and women advocated by mainstream ideology, will inevitably lead to changes in women's sexual concepts, the most important of which is the promotion of sexual autonomy.In traditional societies, women's sexuality was associated with the fear of pregnancy and death, but today's sexuality is being separated from the ancient birth and kinship.

Among the various targeted changes, legislative changes are common in all countries.Countries such as the Netherlands, West Germany, Sweden, and Denmark lifted laws controlling homosexuality, abortion, and pornography, and profound legislative changes occurred in the United Kingdom in the 60s. The secularization of the law contributed to the change.The struggle that has emerged in the United States revolves around the Constitution.Countries have taken different approaches to the shift from moralist legislation to more liberal ones, with rights being the exclusive rallying cry in the United States and the demand for proper jurisdiction over private and public conduct in the United Kingdom.Changes in legislation in these two countries became emblematic of social change.

The causes of the sexual revolution are complex.The great social changes brought about by the Second World War affected the family and society’s sexual concept; The production of more and newer consumer goods has become a standard social expectation, and the satisfaction of sexual needs has also been tacitly accepted; a large number of women have entered the workforce, and the inequality in job opportunities and remuneration in front of women has become more obvious and unbearable , the feminist movement was able to launch a revolution against gender roles; the emergence of the counterculture of the young generation represented by the "Beat Generation" made most young people refuse to accept the official and most adult sexual concepts and norms; the use of contraception Widespread use has created the possibility of a separation of sex and reproduction, leading to a new look at social norms about sexuality.

An underlying cause of the sexual revolution may be the population explosion.Modern technology put an end to the need for large numbers of human labor, atomic power and technological advances put an end to the need for armies won by numbers, and population no longer served any positive purpose other than consumption.The separation of sexual and procreative motives greatly reduces the necessity of marriage, greatly reduces the necessity of sexual chastity, and greatly increases the degree of freedom of sex.Coupled with the popularization of contraceptive technology, the restrictions on sexual freedom have inevitably fallen to the lowest point.

The sexual revolution is about women's emancipation.From the perspective of women's liberation, the sexual revolution is of great significance.As the meaning of having children has become less important than it used to be, women are also demanding to do something else with their lives, and even if they wanted to, they are no longer constantly giving birth from puberty to menopause like women in traditional societies. The possibility of children and raising children has disappeared, and the traditional values ​​of a good wife and mother have to be changed.Economic independence and spiritual freedom have become the values ​​of new women.The bolder ones will demand sexual freedom.

(End of this chapter)