Li Yinhe talks about sex

Chapter 35 How to Treat Homosexuality Properly
Homosexuality does not harm others, nor does it have a direct impact on society, like alcoholism or free love.It is neither crime and evil nor mental illness, but a way of life that belongs to a few.

Perhaps the most influential thought in changing people's misconceptions about homosexuality is Foucault.His thoughts and works not only updated people's views on homosexuality, but also occupied a very important position in the history of human thought.Foucault discussed a wide range of practices in the history of human sexual activities, which is to expel the sexual forms that cannot withstand the test of reproductive economy from reality, not to allow the existence of non-reproductive sex, to exclude imprudent pleasure, to reduce or exclude Non-reproductive sex. "Homosexual orientation is at the top of the list of excluded non-reproductive sexual behaviors.

Foucault made a profound study on the history of sexual development in the West, and believes that the current rejection of homosexuality in Western society is neither ancient nor consistent, but has only become serious in the past 100 years.The concept of homosexuality and "perversion" in today's society is only a little over 100 years old.Homosexuality as a noun was coined late in the second half of the 19th century and it wasn't until 1869 that the German term homosexuality was coined in this sense.Thanks to the development of science, especially occupational neurology, homosexual behavior was pathologized in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and those who practiced it became deviants, perverts, perversions, in other words, until then, they called "homosexuals".

Foucault spent the most space in his "History of Sexuality" to discuss, and his most novel and striking point of view is the discovery and elaboration of the huge difference between the Greek concept of sex and the modern Western concept of sex.He pointed out that the concept of homosexuality in Greek society was very different from modern times.The Greeks did not see love of the same sex and love of the opposite sex as opposites, as two mutually exclusive alternatives, two fundamentally different types of behaviour.From the point of view of ethics, that which distinguishes the abstinent and self-controlled man from the pleasure-seeker is less important than that which distinguishes the multitude of the most desirable kinds of pleasure. much more important.In other words, the distinction between abstinence and indulgence was far more important to the ancient Greeks than the distinction between homosexuality and heterosexuality.This is very similar to the Eastern tradition, but very different from the Western concept of modernity.Foucault said that preference for boys or girls was considered at the time only as a characteristic of character, not as a characteristic of two types of people with different sexual orientations; categories; manly men do not see themselves as different from men who pursue women; the Greeks never thought that a man might need a very different kind of personality in order to love another man. nature; what he needs is not so much another nature as another style.

Foucault's excavation and elaboration of the ancient Greeks and their sexual customs focuses on their aesthetic characteristics: "According to their way of thinking, the reason why people may have desires for men or women is just a natural plant. There is a desire in the human heart for 'beautiful' persons, regardless of gender." An aesthetic understanding of homosexual eroticism like Foucault's has found much resonance.For example, Levinson points out that, among the ancient Greeks, sex belonged to the realm of aesthetics.That is, the ancient Greeks were attracted to all things beautiful, whether it belonged to men or women.They don't pay attention to the gender of the object, only whether it is beautiful or not.They make no distinction between male and female, believing that there are no absolute boundaries, nothing that is attractive to one gender but not the other.Thus, there is also no sharp line between heterosexual and homosexual attraction.Attraction is not based on genital distinctions, but on secret aesthetic principles.Subjects can easily switch from male to female and can be considered neutral in terms of sexual role identity.In fact, Freud also expressed similar thoughts. He once pointed out: "The most striking difference between the ancient and modern erotic life is that the ancients valued the instinct itself, while we emphasize the importance of the object too much. The ancients regarded the instinct as everything The source, even at the expense of elevating the inferior sexual object; we despise the instinctive activity itself, and we can condone its activity only when confronted with a beautiful object."

In Foucault's treatment of homosexuality, the situation in ancient Greece and Rome is often compared to that of Eastern societies as the antithesis of the modern situation in the West.Sir Richard Bolton, who was the first to observe and report on Eastern homosexuality, believed that homosexual activities were quite common in China, Japan, Turkey, the countries of the South Sea Islands, and the American residents before Columbus discovered the New World, with local characteristics, and most of them were regarded as It is regarded as a "small unspoken fault".Homosexuality prevails, he argues, because masculinity and femininity are often confused in these cultures. Some Western observers who visited China in the 30s had a similar impression: Chinese public opinion was completely indifferent to homosexuality, and it did not care about it at all, since it seemed to be able to please the dominant partner in the partner, while the other partner was voluntary. , then it will not cause any damage.

In Western society, due to the evolution of social customs and behavior norms, as well as the influence of the above-mentioned ideas, a brand-new sexual concept is emerging, that is, to value people more, and to value beauty itself rather than gender.A completely new view of homosexuality quickly spread among the public.The keynote of this view is that homosexuality does not harm others, and its social impact is not as direct as that of alcoholism or free love.It is neither crime and evil nor mental illness, but a way of life that belongs to a few.

For nearly a century, homosexuality has been regarded as a scourge in the West and is not tolerated by society.For example, in the United Kingdom, there are many celebrities who are not given due evaluation because they are homosexuals, such as Gide, Foster, and Wolfe. Many people can only suppress their homosexuality, or express their homosexuality only among a few acquaintances. complete personality.Not only is homosexuality dangerous, but even someone like Russell can get in trouble for his generally favorable attitude toward sex.The spread of the views of liberal thinkers and the gay rights movement that began in the 60s dramatically changed people's views on homosexuality, resulting in a greater tolerance for the sexual orientation of this unusual minority.A study of 321 straight people showed that they were far more tolerant of homosexuality than many gay people themselves and their legislators.Not only are most of them not against homosexuality, but they support the abolition of various sanctions against homosexuality.People with this tolerance are characterized by being young, irreligious, having gay friends, etc.It can be said that in more and more regions and societies, people are becoming more and more tolerant, which is a basic trend.

In a 1977 survey in the United States, only 43% accepted homosexuality; 47% still insisted that it was "morally wrong"; the remaining 10% did not express their opinion.In a 1983 poll, 65% of people believed that homosexuals should have equal employment opportunities, and 32% agreed that homosexuality should be treated as an alternative lifestyle.According to a survey in 1996, 84% of the respondents supported homosexuals having equal rights in employment; 80% of the people believed that homosexuals should be treated equally in terms of residence; however, on the issue of legalization of gay marriage Still 58% of the people are against it, mainly because it violates their religious beliefs. Forty-five percent of those polled said they were less likely to support a political candidate who supports gay rights, but a quarter said they would be more supportive of a candidate with such a stance. A survey in 45 showed that the majority of French teenagers had an uncertain attitude towards homosexuality, and the answers were mostly "don't know", "neither for nor against", "I have no such experience", etc. Those who have opinions Mostly acceptance.When it comes to homosexuality, moral condemnation has largely disappeared.

As can be seen from the previous survey results, public attitudes towards homosexuality have become more tolerant over time.However, although people's attitudes towards homosexuality have undergone tremendous changes, and homosexuals' evaluation of themselves has also undergone great changes, it is undeniable that many people still maintain a negative attitude towards homosexuality.Especially after the discovery of the fact that homosexuals are high-risk groups for AIDS, people's aversion to homosexuality has rebounded.Buchanan, an assistant to former US President Reagan, wrote in the newspaper: "Poor homosexuals, they have declared war on nature, and now nature is taking terrible revenge." The international symposium actually said: "AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuals." In 1983, an American pastor even suggested that homosexuals should be kept together and isolated like sick animals.In some newspapers and magazines in our country, some people associate homosexuality with drug abuse, prostitution, and gambling, and call it "social public nuisance", "immoral filth" and "spiritual garbage".It can be seen that people's aversion and hatred for homosexuality is far from being eliminated, and "homophobia" is still a strong enemy of reason, and it can only be finally overcome through the joint, long-term and unremitting efforts of homosexuals and the general public.

(End of this chapter)