The Hell?

Wow. When I wrote that Republicans don't like sex, I never imagined I'd read something so explicit (via Matthew Yglesias)

Thus how shallow an understanding of sexuality is embodied in our current clamoring for "safe sex." Sex is by its nature unsafe. All interpersonal relations are necessarily risky and serious ones especially so. And to give oneself to another, body and soul, is hardly playing it safe. Sexuality is at its core profoundly "unsafe," and it is only thanks to contraception that we are encouraged to forget its inherent "dangers." These go beyond the hazards of venereal disease, which are always a reminder and a symbol of the high stakes involved, and beyond the risks of pregnancy and the pains and dangers of childbirth to the mother. To repeat, sexuality itself means mortality — equally for both man and woman. Whether we know it or not, when we are sexually active we are voting with our genitalia for our own demise. "Safe sex" is the self-delusion of shallow souls.

Boy. Where to begin?

First, I don't know what kinky shit Mr. Kass is in to, and I don't wanna know. What the hell is he doing in bed that every thing he does with his wife makes him think he's going to die?

Secondly, Mr. Kass seems to be under the illusion that if he doesn't have sex, he won't die. Look at the wording: "when we are sexually active we are voting with our genitalia for our own demise." I'm thinking Mr. Kass missed a few days at sunday school. Specifically, the ones where they taught that everybody dies. Period. Full stop. Even Jesus died, and rather painfully at that. Christians may console themselves with the story of resurrection, but remember the price - crucifixion may be one of the most painful forms of execution in human history.

My point is that given the inevitability of our deaths, it's hard to see what effect sex is going to have on our life expectancy. Never mind the studies that show regular sex being good for you. Leon Kass would have you believe that any sex - protected, heterosexual monogamous sex included - leads to death. It's hard to see why someone would write this unless they were petrified (perhaps an unfortunate choice of words) of their own sexuality.

It's reasonable to be afraid of death. It's even understandable to be afraid of sex, I suppose - certainly Noth American culture seems profoundly anti-sexual at times. But to conflate the two and produce this... mess is simply bizarre. Kass's article reads like the Platonic Ideal of Freudian repression. Kass is afraid of death, and afraid of his own sexuality, and the two neuroses are so wrapped up in his little mind that he produces this piece of garbage.

The only other thing I'll say is I hope other conservatives aren't this conflicted. But it would explain a lot.