Nevertheless, the fact is that pornography's status as a taboo is rapidly
disappearing in our societies. It has become part of the mainstream Western
culture. In Asia too, it is getting approved and embraced by the day. From the
"fuckshops", massage parlors and karaoke bars of Southeast Asia, pornography
and illicit sex have seeped into people's normal life. Who would have thought
that our times' leading writers would wield their powerful pens to defend
pornography? Recently, famous novelist Salman Rushdie wrote in defense of
pornography. Now pornography is being equated with openness in a society.
Acceptance of pornography has become the zeitgeist of our times.
We all know that the aim of sex was procreation. But soon humans discovered the
pleasure aspect of copulation. Since then, things have never been the same. The
boundaries of sexual morality have been shifting and changing rapidly. What was
immoral and abnormal yesterday has become moral and normal today. Masturbation
and premarital sex were once considered taboos. Now they have become largely
accepted social norms. With the advent of better contraceptive medications, no
one bats an eyelid as long as premarital sex does not involve sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs). And to enhance the masturbatory pleasures of men,
cybersex has exploded on the scene as never before.
If contraceptives changed the landscape of sexuality in the last century, along
with feminist ideas of sexual liberation, Viagra and its clones caused another
paradigm shift. They redefined the concept of sex. The blue sex pill was
introduced when US drug companies found out that half the adult male population
suffered from erectile dysfunction. Figures for Europe and Asia were not very
different.
After Viagra, sex became liberated from the cage of physical age. Sex was no
more the sole privilege of the young. Now sexually active people over 50, who
seem to be having the most sex these days, are considered normal in society.
What have aided to this phenomenon are factors such as higher life-expectancy
rates, exceptionally good medical standards, high divorce rates, and early
retirement. No wonder the majority of sex tourists in Thailand are above 50 and
the majority of Singaporeans taking ferries to neighboring Batam and Bintan are
aged and retired folks in search of cheap sex.
When the male of the species has got so much for himself, how could the females
be far behind? After all, we are living in the age of sexual equality. Since a
female version of Viagra won't work (they already have vibrators), many drug
manufacturers are looking into female performance enhancers. They could be in
the form of patches and drugs to enhance vaginal lubrication and sensitivity.
According to a report, a US surgeon has already patented a pacemaker-sized
device that triggers an orgasm when implanted under the skin. Soon women will
have devices to get orgasm on demand, whenever and wherever desired.
Not only can people enhance the quotient of their sexual pleasure or choose
from a variety of sexual orientations, they can now even change their bodies
and gender. Many Asians are running to the beauty surgeons to have their
breasts removed or added or have new genitals constructed. Hormone therapy is
also available to bring about desired changes.
So what is the next level of the game?
I guess simulated sex, cheap and free of STDs, is the next big thing. The
IT-savvy Asians anyway love cyberporn. In future, the emerging technology of
haptics, or the telecommunication of sensation using a computer interface, will
enable them to live their sexual fantasies in virtual reality. Also, there are
upcoming technologies like teledildonics, which is a virtual-reality
application that allows users to have sex interactively with other users who
may be miles away, or across the globe. It is currently in its infancy, but
poised to take the world by storm in the next few years.
But the biggest question is: What will happen to intimacy and love, the prized
bond between a male and female? Beyond the technology-aided momentary
gratification, intimacy and love will always determine the quality of human
relationships.
Zafar Anjum is a Singapore-journalist and contributor to Asian Sex Gazette.
Copyright 2005, Asian Sex Gazette. All rights reserved, not be be reposted or
republished without permission.
