It’s Just Sex?
"It's just sex. Just get over it….," Ret. Airman 1st Class Jessica Hinves stated on the PBS NEWSHOUR, May 23, 2013 as she recalled the disturbing language her colleagues used in response to her pursuit of charges against her rapist. To comprehend such callous reactions to something as painful as sexual assault, it is necessary to understand different attitudes toward sex. Exploring the various modes of thoughts, or mindsets, on sex can help explain why individuals make various decisions when it comes to having sex, why individuals react differently to the sexual behavior of others, and why individuals respond differently to sexually rooted wrongs committed against them.
To begin, sexual assaults are not simply about the physical act of sex; but rather, these criminal acts steal the ability of victims to choose while violating these victims' sense of security in one of the most personal aspects of their lives. This is why even a prostitute, who sells sex as a commodity, can be psychologically damaged by rape. As such, the harm in sexual crimes stems from the victims' loss of security and confidence in society's ability to shield them from those who harmed them.
Consequently, how people view sex matters. Under certain mindsets, the act of sex is largely trivialized as an impulse to be acted upon. In variations of this extreme, sex is allowable as a casual event under certain rules or conditions, such as a set number of dates or a feeling of security, without regard to emotion. On the other end of the spectrum, individuals only engage in sex based on emotional and social factors, i.e. in love, engaged, married, and/or in long-term relationships. Obviously, various attitudes that fall between these extremes exist while a person's mindset can change over time.
Furthermore, sex in many respects has become more economical in nature to a growing number of people. Where feminists once fought prostitution and the trivialization of sex in order to prevent the mistreatment of women as second-class citizens, there are groups of liberal thinkers that view the sex industry as a legitimate means for women to empower themselves. Under such perspectives, prostitution and stripping are empowering so long as the objectification of individuals is consensual, mutual, or solely targeting males. For those who share this mindset, sex has become a commodity that is to be treated solely as a legal arrangement. Frankly, viewing sex and relationships in this manner trivializes all personally and socially destructive events from breakups/divorce to sexual assault.
Consequently, these mindsets can lead to a situation where rape in the military is viewed as just sex. Instead of viewing the victims of these terrible acts of violence as victims of crimes, they are seen as no different than someone whose house has been vandalized by pranksters looking for a good time. Broadening our focus beyond sexual assault, the behavior of cheaters and manipulations, who view sex as a trivial matter, cause harm to those who view sex as more than just sex, because they do not consider the impact of their actions on others. It is important for these people and those who enable their bad behavior to recognize the harm that is done when others view sex as more than just sex.
To begin, sexual assaults are not simply about the physical act of sex; but rather, these criminal acts steal the ability of victims to choose while violating these victims' sense of security in one of the most personal aspects of their lives. This is why even a prostitute, who sells sex as a commodity, can be psychologically damaged by rape. As such, the harm in sexual crimes stems from the victims' loss of security and confidence in society's ability to shield them from those who harmed them.
Consequently, how people view sex matters. Under certain mindsets, the act of sex is largely trivialized as an impulse to be acted upon. In variations of this extreme, sex is allowable as a casual event under certain rules or conditions, such as a set number of dates or a feeling of security, without regard to emotion. On the other end of the spectrum, individuals only engage in sex based on emotional and social factors, i.e. in love, engaged, married, and/or in long-term relationships. Obviously, various attitudes that fall between these extremes exist while a person's mindset can change over time.
Furthermore, sex in many respects has become more economical in nature to a growing number of people. Where feminists once fought prostitution and the trivialization of sex in order to prevent the mistreatment of women as second-class citizens, there are groups of liberal thinkers that view the sex industry as a legitimate means for women to empower themselves. Under such perspectives, prostitution and stripping are empowering so long as the objectification of individuals is consensual, mutual, or solely targeting males. For those who share this mindset, sex has become a commodity that is to be treated solely as a legal arrangement. Frankly, viewing sex and relationships in this manner trivializes all personally and socially destructive events from breakups/divorce to sexual assault.
Consequently, these mindsets can lead to a situation where rape in the military is viewed as just sex. Instead of viewing the victims of these terrible acts of violence as victims of crimes, they are seen as no different than someone whose house has been vandalized by pranksters looking for a good time. Broadening our focus beyond sexual assault, the behavior of cheaters and manipulations, who view sex as a trivial matter, cause harm to those who view sex as more than just sex, because they do not consider the impact of their actions on others. It is important for these people and those who enable their bad behavior to recognize the harm that is done when others view sex as more than just sex.
