I
believe that the ‘hook-up’ culture on college campuses has not changed, but our
view of it has. Are young adults today
having more sex than young adults 30 years ago? I do not believe so, but I do
believe that sex has become a much more prevalent subject in the minds of
today’s youth.
Humans undeniably
have a sex drive, but Dr. Monto’s study showed no major changes in sexual activity levels over the time
period that his study was conducted. The one variable that appears to make the
difference is how public our private lives now are. Compared to 30 years ago, our
generation has more media outlets. Outlets such as television and social
networks have become less censored in what they say and what they show.
Compared to our parents’ and grandparents’ eras, we are more comfortable with
the idea of pre-marital sex, even with multiple partners. Whether we choose to
partake in sexual relationships is, of course, still our choice.
My parents and I
never really had ‘the talk’. Between high school sexual education classes and
constantly hearing about sex on TV and in music, I got the gist of it. Teen TV
shows covered topics ranging from unplanned pregnancy and STDs to the
embarrassment of a boy buying his first box of condoms. I decided that sex was
a part of today’s culture and did not question it. My friends had different
views on the subject. Some were very traditional and wanted to wait until
marriage. Some had already had sex or were planning to. When I started college,
I heard of people hooking up. Growing up with the media’s treatment of sex, I
have become desensitized to whatever taboos have been placed on it in the past.
Other
than private lives gone public, I believe that we all make a choice whether we
want to have sex or not. At times, casual relationships are more convenient
than serious relationships. The New York
Times article opened with a description of a female student who just wanted
a casual partner to spend time with when she had time to spend. In my opinion,
there is nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with having a
serious relationship, regardless of whether sex is part of that relationship. Sex
is much more public today, yes. However, our choices our still just that: our
choices.
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