Sexuality
I have noticed that almost all the books we have read have a tendency to play with the use and connotation of sexuality in society. Common morality concerning homosexuality, bisexuality, monogamy, etc. are all grounds for manipulation and experimentation. The book/movie for this week continued that trend and introduced the new concept of human-nonhuman sexual contact.
In particular, I percieved the manipulation of sexuality and sexual roles in He, She, and It, which I guess is not surprising considering the title. The method of imbuing sexuality and sexual capabilities onto nonhuman creatures, such as Joseph and Yod, provided a new dimension for shaking up common beliefs about sexuality. The use of stimmies, and net-based flirtations were also important elements of divorcing sex and sexuality from any role in forming an interpersonal bond between people. There was also a sense of transient sexuality depending on the environment, with different multis idolizing different sexual proclivities.
I also think that the role of sex was different because of the different emphasis on conception, and the different biological situation surrounding conception. "Like every other girl in Tikva, [Shira] had been given an implant at puberty to prevent pregnancy" (42), and this is a vital difference in the attitude towards sexuality, I believe. In that society, a male and female do not need to take any proactive steps to prevent conception. Rather, they would need to do something to cause conception, perhaps even engage in expensive fertility treatments, since radiation has rendered many infertile. Without the danger of unwanted pregnancies, the entire meaning and implication of sex changes, and individuals are able to be more free with their sexuality, because they are more free from the consequences. This is also true of cyborg and stimmie sex.
I believe that the desire to play with sexuality and sexual mores is an irresistable one for science fiction writers. We have seen it in all the books we read: the free homo and hetero-sexual pairing in The Dispossessed, the lunar marraige customs of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, the concubines and wives of Dune and the pregnancy permits of The Gods Themselves. I have also seen it in other, less serious, science fiction, for example the orgasm machine in Woody Allen's Sleeper. Because sex and sexuality are important parts of human lives even when they are kept underground by the society, and because they have changed greatly over the course of history, I think the temptation to try altering them again is strong. However, it is interesting to observe that all these works (arguably, except Dune) suggest a freeing of sexual mores and the emergence of a less prudish, less monogamistic society. If they are experimenting with a fundamental part of human society, why do they all foresee the same changes?
posted by lennearb @ 2:21 AM
<< Home