07-09-2019, 10:01 AM
(12-16-2017, 04:26 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Dustin Hoffman was apparently doing this when Carter was President -- back in the Boom Awakening.I shall now attempt a breakdown in response to this post, paragraph by paragraph:
The Sexual Revolution was an unmitigated disaster for children. That's when male homosexuality expressed itself as the now-disgraced NAMbLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association)... not to say that little girls weren't prey for men, too. The repudiation of predatory sexuality proceeded sporadically and with practical reversals through the degenerate Culture Wars when such behavior was likely to be covered up if there was no dead body with signs of sexual misconduct lying around. Bureaucratic organizations covered up sexual harassment with insurance settlements that made the cost of doing business needlessly expensive.
Child sexual abuse was never really legal during the Boom Awakening, but it was easy to get away with. If one turned out profitable films as did Roman Polanski, one could get away with great misconduct. And let's not forget the First Fornicator, Bill Clinton.
The times are changing, and they are changing fast. Sure, we have same-sex marriage -- sure, because mainstream gays and lesbians threw the perverts in front of the bus. Not that that was wrong. Homosexuality is no more a choice than (pardon the repetition) Asperger's syndrome. I have no use for violence against gays and lesbians, having been mistaken for a homosexual and threatened with a beating. Aside from same-sex marriage and acceptance of transgender rights, we are entering a more repressive time for sexuality.
I doubt that we will quite return to arranged marriages, but there is good reason for dating sites that function in many ways like Yenta* in Fiddler on the Roof. There might be good reason to consider dates involving co-workers, as people get to know co-workers very well. Just avoid dangerous obsession.
The message coming out of the entertainment, news, and political sectors so clearly now may be less visible in academia and Corporate America... sexual harassment is no longer a prerogative of power. The idea that sexual harassment and exploitation demonstrate the reality of alpha males (mostly) may be repudiated. It is happening fast. Rapidly-moving events and trends show the quickening pace of a Crisis Era.
*Maybe I could have used an encounter with someone of the type back in the late '70s or early '80s. I needed to get involved with someone who would push me some and be able to say NO to me when I became a crashing bore. Probably some feminist... but any woman who got mixed up with me would have become a feminist if she wasn/t one to begin with.
During the time Carter was President, while many considered him boring and ineffective, sexual dalliances became almost normal behavior albeit not near the extent of becoming an "anything goes" world.
I happen to be one person who misses much of the euphoria of the sexual revolution days and hope that sometimes before my days come to an end we can go back to the spirit of having fund again. Right now there is a movement to at least decriminalize if not totally legalize sex work, and if successful could prove a boom to some rural counties in states other than Nevada which has already done so. It could also make it more affordable to the masses. Right now average cost of a personal escort is from 300 to 500 dollars per hour, totally out of reach of all but the top 9 or 10 percent income wise. Am I in the extreme minority as one who misses the fervor of those freer, more swinging times?
Underage sex was already being cracked down upon more even by the last 2T. A perfect example of how we had lost our innocent was with a song titled "You're Sixteen". When the original version by Johnny Burnette topped the charts in the early 1960s it was considered an innocent song of admiration for one's girlfriend. But by the time Ringo Star did the remake of it a decade later there was all this warning that if you mess with someone that age you could go to jail. Such talk was for the most part absent when the original version was on the charts.
As for Paragraph 4, I also have been mistaken for a homo, and had the word "fag" shouted out to me a few times. Was once even propositioned by a gay hooker. Told him he had the wrong person. I too am an Aspie, but I had a different approach than you did. If I were ever going to write an autobiography the title would probably be "Ladies' Man Dreams". Am even considering creating a separate thread with this title. I long held the dream of being this man who could have a different woman on his arm nearly every night. Even with Aspergers I still managed a mock version of such during the 1970s and 1980s, when there were plenty of low budget dating services around. I did get my share of dates through these services. However, there were a significant number of cancellations and many of said dating situation were of the "one and done" variety. I did not do well, however, in social clubs. I was primarily a member of two of them and felt like I was pretty much a black sheep at both. I was called on the carpet for actions such as putting my arm around some of the women even though other men not in a steady relationship with said women seemed to be able to get away with it. Such made me feel misunderstood, and yet I did not want to isolate myself until many, many years later. You seem to have indicated on posts here that this was the route you took when you became aware of your condition. Remember, Aspergers didn't become official until 1994. And it was five years after that before I learned why I did not have a normal growing up experience. Back then those who for some reason didn't fit in with the larger society were sent to languish in boarding schools as children and later in places such as sanitariums as adults. The former was my domain for so many years that once I finally did get the opportunity pleasure became my number one priority. Probably would still be today except that I could never afford the price tag for it. I am now wondering if it is possible to look at the situation another way and be able to find some middle ground that allows everyone to move forward with their feelings and dignity intact. I don't believe anyone can become a successful ladies' man in his 70s. Do you? And do you feel that the very term "ladies' man" is more derogatory than it once was? And does it take the trifecta of lots of money, killer good looks and designer clothes to get the job done?