Is today's culture too sexual?

[gambin]

atreyu said:

Both these ancient sculptures are very sexual.

where the ancient romans and greeks too sexual?Maybe not during there time but certianly during medieval age.

It depends though on how it is portrayed.

To me, those statues can be interpretted as sexual. But if it is sexual it is more erotic than pornographic. Margaret Atwood once wrote an essay that describes in detail the differences between erotica and pornography. I hope that some of you are interested...I'd like to post that article and share that viewpoint.

[Atreyu]

so i guess the topic should be is todays culture too pornographic.

[Atreyu]

pollusan said:

atreyu said:

compare America to European countrys namely northern countries and the answer is no.

Interesting. Would you mind elaborating though, or giving examples. I\'ve seen some Italian variety shows, and they tend to be quite sexual and southern Europeans are somewhat stereotyped as being more lewd or lusty than their northern counterparts. Is your statement undermining the stereotype?

one example is netherlands. you know that place called amsterdam

[gambin]

atreyu said:

one example is netherlands. you know that place called amsterdam

another example is u.s.a. you know that place called las vegas (lost wages)

[Atreyu]

pollusan said:

atreyu said:

one example is netherlands. you know that place called amsterdam

another example is u.s.a. you know that place called las vegas (lost wages)

you asked for an example and i pointed one out.

las vegas is not a good example.

another thing i should mention is the homosexual freedom you have more of in northern european countries than any other place on earth.

so is culture too sexual my answer is no.people in america made a big deal of jacksons boob while in europe people wouldnt give a a second thought.

oh btw the southern stereo type is more of romance than lets say dominatrix stuff which is more central northern than southern.

[Platypus]

atreyu said:

Both these ancient sculptures are very sexual.

where the ancient romans and greeks too sexual?Maybe not during there time but certianly during medieval age.

No

we perceive things after 2000 years of monotheistic religion, which tell us whats right and whats wrong.

those sculptures are pre Christian. and in Christian art up to 19th century, nudity appears mainly in classical subjects. (its difficult to find a naked virgin mary)

The mentality of the Ancient worlds was much different,
nevertheless the representation of Nudity was rare in egyptian art.

In greek art, Nudity was fundamental. Why?

Ancient greeks invented democracy, but Greek aristocrats also displayd a strong elitist and anti-democratic trend, this is called something like 'Kalokagatia'
men had to be modeled on an ideal:
be Brave, be loyal, be healthy, be Good looking, be athletic etc.

this was opposed to any physical labour> Slaves

This 'mens sana in corpore sano' attitude was gloryfied in Art with the representation of the Nude.

Romans were more conservative than Greeks, though Nudity was inherited because Roman art is largely of Greek origin.

In short the sculptures above were not intended as Erotic images, but as a representation of the ideal: after all the greeks invented the Olimpic games in which the partecipants were naked.

[Test Tube Babies Unite]

To say there was no element of Eroticism is crazy

ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa072099.htm

[Jack Reed]

atreyu said:

pollusan said:

people in america made a big deal of jacksons boob while in europe people wouldnt give a a second thought.

Word! Americans acted like kids would be warped for life if they caught a glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast. Yet, nobody says peep when kids see death and destruction on a regular basis. It's no wonder that some people think that we're a country of bloodthirsty puritans.

[Jack Reed]

atreyu said:

Both these ancient sculptures are very sexual.

where the ancient romans and greeks too sexual?Maybe not during there time but certianly during medieval age.

I'm confused by your statement. I thought that many of the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans were libertines, who engaged in all kinds of perversions. Weren't these "pagan practices" condemned by the establishment during the medieval era? Maybe I misunderstood you.

[Platypus]

the perception of Sex was different. if Christianity antagonised Pagan sexuality was for a reason.
All of the Roman orgy theory is largerly a 19th century invention. (for example Caligula was killed because of his attempt to absolutism and his egocentricity and not because he was a pervert madman' )
Ancient Sex was much more natural and public: In Greek towns, Brothels were organised by the state. in the upper classes a sexual-educational relation was encoureged in young Men. While In Europe in the days of Oscar Wilde Homosexuality was illegal.

But the fact is that in Greece, 'Eros' was a natural force, 'cosmic' and hence public. Plato wrote about this subject.

In the Midlle Ages people certainly had sex, but just look at Boccaccio or Chaucer were there is plenty of sex, practiced in secrecy often with comical results. Victorian London was full of prostitues and therefore there was a large sexual activity, but on the other side Victorian society was incredibly moral. The ancient worlds were free of this Hypocrisy

[Jack Reed]

platypus said:

the perception of Sex was different. if Christianity antagonised Pagan sexuality was for a reason.
All of the Roman orgy theory is largerly a 19th century invention. (for example Caligula was killed because of his attempt to absolutism and his egocentricity and not because he was a pervert madman' )
Ancient Sex was much more natural and public: In Greek towns, Brothels were organised by the state. in the upper classes a sexual-educational relation was encoureged in young Men. While In Europe in the days of Oscar Wilde Homosexuality was illegal.

But the fact is that in Greece, 'Eros' was a natural force, 'cosmic' and hence public. Plato wrote about this subject.

In the Midlle Ages people certainly had sex, but just look at Boccaccio or Chaucer were there is plenty of sex, practiced in secrecy often with comical results. Victorian London was full of prostitues and therefore there was a large sexual activity, but on the other side Victorian society was incredibly moral. The ancient worlds were free of this Hypocrisy

That's interesting. I read different info from different sources. Most of them claimed that the ancient civilizations were more culturally libertine. Your post might lead me to other sources with different takes on history. The medieval culture and Renaissance culture were officially more sexually conservative, from my understanding of them. However, there were many instances of hedonistic behavior. This was even true among the clergy, some of whom were very worldly. Just look at the Borgias.