[extropy-chat] Heinlein for real

[Johnius]

Rick wrote:
> After reading Heinlein (Stranger..., Friday, etc.) has any of you ever
> gotten seriously enthusiastic about Polyamory? 
> Edify me in public, or sympathize off-list if you fear ridicule. 

	When I first read of such things in his books, I didn't think
	much about it really.  I thought that he was trying to be
	creative and envelop-pushing and so wrote about all kinds of
	unusual things.  I took it in stride.  I have to admit that
	I did find myself thinking about the episode where Lazarus	
	Long (I think) ended up having sex with his "daughters"
	(clones of his made female by doubling the X and tossing the Y)!

	A few years after Heinlein, a girl I was interested in turned
	me on to the idea of polyamory, and it clicked for me, 
	intellectually.  Unfortunately for me, this girl's version of 
	Poly was "deeply intimate celibacy", if you know what I mean.
	Around this time I entered a sexual relationship with another 
	girl, but it turns out she was strictly monogamous and felt 
	hurt by my telling her about my polyamorous tendencies.  Oops!
	I then got the message that Poly is much more controversial
	than I'd thought (I was such an innocent :-).  Anyway, for 
	her, I remained behaviorally monogamous.

	Later I met a fellow leading a seminar on "non-violent 
	communication", and he introduced me to a local community of
	people living the Poly lifestyle.  I went to a few of their 
	parties, but unfortunately almost all of them were significantly
	older than me and I wasn't interested in any of the women 
	there (well, except one younger one who was excellent, except
	that she too wasn't into sex, or at least sex with me. Argh!).

	And so it's been for me.  I've had a few non-Poly girlfriends,
	haven't been interested in the Poly women I've met so far,
	and yet have multiple attractions and would go Poly if I
	could!  As far as resources, check out polyamory.org, and
	of course the book _The Ethical Slut_ is a classic :-)

	Meanwhile, a few years ago I met a girl who's read almost
	every fiction book Heinlein wrote, and she was a lot of fun
	(though "just a friend") ... at least it was nice to chat 
	about his ideas with her :-)

	Best, Johnius