December 16, 2003

Sex vs. Communism

China�s Communist authorities recently shut down shut down a sex museum and sentenced several people to life for organizing an orgy. The Communist Party quips: "Sex Still a Dirty Word in China." (More here and here.) While underground porn and prostitution is widespread and tolerated in China�s large urban areas, any attempt to legitimize sexuality is strictly banned. Why?
The short answer is that sex is a strictly selfish action. Romantic love is a profoundly self-interested pursuit of one�s personal happiness. To quote Ayn Rand,

Love, friendship, respect, admiration are the emotional response of one man to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment given in exchange for the personal, selfish pleasure which one man derives from the virtues of another man's character. Only a brute or an altruist would claim that the appreciation of another person's virtues is an act of selflessness, that as far as one's own selfish interest and pleasure are concerned, it makes no difference whether one deals with a genius or a fool, whether one meets a hero or a thug, whether one marries an ideal woman or a slut.

In accordance with its collectivist/altruist philosophy, the Communist Party accepts two views of sex: as a somber marital duty, and (more commonly) as a lower animal instinct to be suppressed and hidden. The liberalization of China�s urban youth and the rediscovery of China�s rich sexual history is a threat to the collectivist idea that servitude to the State is the only acceptable function of life. The threat posed by the selfish pursuit of one�s happiness is the driving motivation for authoritarian regimes of all kinds to have joined organized religion in fiercely opposing public acceptance of sexuality as a natural and moral activity.


Written by David at December 16, 2003 10:03 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Hey Dave, I thought you'd be interested in this.

sharleen

Posted by: Sharleen Mondal at December 17, 2003 03:06 PM

P.S. - You should actually read the link, it lends support to some of the arguments you've been making against environmentalists. (Sorry, I should have clarified that it has nothing to do with "Sex vs. Communism.")

Posted by: Sharleen Mondal at December 17, 2003 03:09 PM

The threat posed by the selfish pursuit of one’s happiness is the driving motivation for authoritarian regimes of all kinds to have joined organized religion in fiercely opposing public acceptance of sexuality as a natural and moral activity.

Could not have said it better myself. Keep the government out of my house when two consenting adults are... consenting!

Posted by: The Other Mike S. at December 17, 2003 03:53 PM

Sharleen,
If you liked that article (and even if you didn't) you should really read this speech by Michael Crichton. It pretty much sums up my view on the environmentalist movement.

Posted by: David at December 17, 2003 05:24 PM

Dave,

I'm not really invested in this issue in terms of pushing an ideology, I'm just interested in learning about it. So I didn't like or dislike the articles, I just found them really interesting. I'd like to learn more about some of Crichton's assertions when I have some time, especially the one about second-hand smoke. Thanks for the link!

sharleen

Posted by: Sharleen Mondal at December 18, 2003 01:56 AM

David: The Crichton speech was excellent. He notes that support about many of the things (DDT stands out most in my mind) can be found elsewhere. Any idea where?

Posted by: The Other Mike S. at December 18, 2003 03:31 PM
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