[lbo-talk] meanwhile, on the masturbation front

[Michael Pugliese]

In his exhaustive study Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation, 
UC Berkeley professor (Thomas) Laqueur traces the surprising origin of 
those quaint myths about the dangers of autoeroticism that have plagued 
generations of teenagers; argues that, prior to the early 18th century, 
such behavior was rarely considered an ethical or medical phenomenon; and 
chronicles the late-20th-century reversal that recast masturbation as a 
liberating, even revolutionary, act. In the process, he makes a compelling 
case that despite years of contrary evidence and widespread demystification 
(think of the "master of my domain" episode of Seinfeld), we have yet to 
shake the notion that by spanking the monkey we're asking for a spanking. 
<URL: http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0318/holcomb.php >

On Fri, 2 May 2003 14:17:50 -0400, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:


> In case you didn't know it, May is Masturbation Month, and May 18 will be 
> the fifth annual Masturbate-a-Thon. For further details, visit 
> <http://www.babeland.com/salon/mthon_frame.html>.
>
> Doug