Those familiar with Aldous Huxley’s Brave New
World recognize the weird ubiquity of sex in its horrid
dystopia, as described in the Wikipedia summary:
Recreational sex is an integral part of society.
According to the World State, sex is a social activity, rather than
a means of reproduction (sex is encouraged from early childhood).
The few women who can reproduce are conditioned to use birth
control (a “Malthusian belt”, resembling a cartridge
belt holding “the regulation supply of contraceptives”, is a popular fashion accessory). The
maxim “everyone belongs to everyone else” is repeated often, and
the idea of a “family” is considered pornographic; sexual
competition and emotional, romantic relationships are rendered
obsolete because they are no longer needed. Marriage, natural
birth, parenthood, and pregnancy are considered too obscene to be
mentioned in casual conversation. Thus, society has developed a new
idea of reproductive comprehension.
Spending time alone is considered an outrageous waste of time
and money, and wanting to be an individual is horrifying.
Well, at the Netroots Nation annual summit last week in
Providence, Rhode Island, the Brave New World appeared to have
arrived, as I described in
this column just out today (please do follow the link):
What first grabbed attention was the apparent obsession with and
overemphasis on all things sexual, as if all of life and certainly
most of politics stem from some of the tawdrier realms of
adolescent angst. Exhibits throughout the Providence Convention
Center went out of their way to include sexual references, often of
alternative varieties. (The now-familiar LGBT acronym - lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and trans-gender - has now grown into LGBTIQ, with
the latter two standing for “intersex” and “questioning.”) Tote
bags full of political tracts, paraphernalia, and all sorts of
doo-dads were available everywhere - sometimes next to big bins
full of free condoms in bright wrappings reading, in bold letters,
“I Love Safe Sex.”
And there’s lots more from
where that passage came from.
All of that — and Van Jones, too!
Addendum: Why was U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown
slumming with these people? Would he like to explain to his Ohio
constituents why he was kowtowing to such outrageous left
wingers?