 |
| Ross Douthout in today's New York Times Op-Ed calls it Hefnerism . (Hugh Hefner and some of his Playboy harem above). Thirty-eight years ago I wrote about this madness in Holy Smoke at Yale Divinity School. See "Sex at Yale" below. (Use ctrl + to enlarge text). PK |
The culture’s attitude is Hefnerism, basically, if less baldly chauvinistic
than the original Playboy philosophy. Sexual fulfillment is treated as the
source and summit of a life well lived, the thing without which nobody (from a
carefree college student to a Cialis-taking senior) can be truly happy,
enviable or free.
Meanwhile,
social alternatives to sexual partnerships are disfavored or in decline:
Virginity is for weirdos and losers, celibate life is either a form of
unhealthy repression or a smoke screen for deviancy, the kind of intense
friendships celebrated by past civilizations are associated with closeted
homosexuality, and the steady shrinking of extended families has reduced many
people’s access to the familial forms of platonic intimacy.Ross Douthout
NYT June 1, 2014
