[ExI] [exl] Effect of National Geographic on Sexuality?

[SR Ballard]

What are we doing today and considering ethically acceptable which will be considered scandalous in the future? - spike

Well, basically everything? As the particular parlance today goes, “your fave is problematic. Everything is problematic”

Your fave is problematic is such a common idea that there are entire blogs devoted to it, such as: http://yourfaveisproblematic.tumblr.com/

And “everything is problematic” goes very, very deep. You name it, I can find a call out post on it, probably with receipts and everything.

https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2014/11/everything-problematic/

As far as concrete examples? We can see some general trends.

-spanking is becoming increasingly illegal
-groping and other similar types of sexual harassment are more unacceptable and prosecuted
-single punches / slaps / kicks are now a huge deal, sometimes ending in intense legal disputes
-casual touching is less common

So likely, casual touching will move into a more unacceptable direction. You might go to shake someone’s hand in 100 years and he might try to take you to court for sexual harassment. 

- Anarchists have been trying to say (for years now) that children are the ‘next frontier’ when it comes to gaining rights and removing hierarchy. Just as how women were freed from men, children should be freed from their parents. 

For this one, I’m more mixed? I’m not sure how this would play out. But perhaps your comments about the autonomy (or lack theirof) of children might be seen as unacceptable.

In a similar vein, people are more and more defending the right of little children to decide how they act and how they dress. You might appall someone by picking an outfit for a child, or refusing to buy an outfit for them, or by attempting to correct their ‘bad’ behavior. Which ties in with above I suppose. 

-gender neutral words are on the way out in polite usage (police officer instead of policeman)
-increased social acceptance of people being openly trans
-rise of MOGAI https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3fterm=MOGAI&amp=true
-more androgynous visual style

This confusing heap of trends may lead to big problems— where people identify in a role or gender -you- haven’t ever heard of, and the stakes are very high if you mis-identify someone.

This might lead to a highly formalized introductory culture, like the one currently developing in activist circles. Or it might lead the other way and referring to them in a gendered way at all is completely taboo. 

-tattoos have become common
-the meaning of symbols changes overtime
-body piercing are more common
-“which one is the gay ear” and other piercing related signals to sexuality

The meaning of symbols, and body modifications change over time. A perfectly innocent swastika became a symbol of violent hatred. Imagine having been into Hinduism, and getting a tattoo in the late 1920s and waking up in 1945...

So those who have tattoos or body piercings (even if they get them removed/altered after coming to) might cause confusion or anger. 

-decline in marriage
-decline in dating
-decline in sex

Even as our nation becomes more open about sex and sexuality, there seems to be less of it. Your ideas of dating, courting, partnership, marriage, and sex will likely be seen as extremely passé and even offensively so. 

Attempts to imagine myself in 1920’s relationship culture probably end as well as an attempt to fit into 2120’s relationship culture. In fact, the gap will probably be wider there. 

Additionally, I think attitudes about work and money will be significantly different as well, but of course, in what way. 

I’m loathe to say, “If present trends continue” because, well, they usually don’t. 

SR Ballard

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