This is the 5th volume in our pro democracy political philosophy series. In the 4th volume, our previous essay related to "Growing Up With Authority and Love" we touch on how there is a direct link in growing up under loveless authoritarian parenting styles and incorrect indoctrination into thinking that the human race is fundamentally bad, based in sin, and later in life support for authoritarian political leadership. Authoritarian parenting is defined as a parenting style characterized by sky high levels of control and strict rules, with little room for negotiation or discussion. While authoritarian political leadership is characterized by a strong focus on obedience and respect for authority and the deplorables who aim to yield that authority with little room for dissent or democratic decision-making. Individuals who were raised in an authoritarian parenting style are locked into fully conforming to their parental asshole authority with near complete incapability to question or challenge their authority figures who emphasize obedience for that authority, regardless of whether those leaders are acting in their best interest.
In our third essay in this series, "Gender and Sexuality Balance", we also touched on the off-balanced nature of systems that do not equally value both the feminine and the masculine but instead skew heavily towards the masculine. This extends all the way up through culture, is ground zero for empire, and back through history (his story, not both her story and his story) to the centuries long con claim that the creator of the universe is only a male and not both a female and male. While most modern day organized religion is patriarchal, claiming that the creator is only a male, who has the most importance throwing the feminine to the side of less importance, many moderate religious folks are very much still pro-democratic. However, in all more extreme religious households, not only is there the incorrect claim that sky daddy is also a male but also a vengeful and mean authoritarian male - so basically your mean, macho father is also hierarchically under a mean and vengeful sky father. So if a dad was a chauvinist macho asshole, it's likely their children will be the same. Authoritarian leaders often present themselves as strong, decisive, and in control, which can be attractive to fear based persons who secretly feel powerless and lack control in their lives and need a macho father figure and patriarchal sky father to tell them what to do and think.
While a variety of factors play a role in shaping an individual's political views, and authoritarian parenting heavily relates to support for authoritarian political leaders because of the appeal to this loveless mean male hierarchy, other factors such as travel, socialization, and education also play a role. However, since the major factor missing in this hierarchy is ample love, there is another factor that is a major cause tied to the loveless aspect. Which is the way that the household treats sexual education. Which in progressive pro-democratic households is to embrace it and in regressive authoritarian households is to repress it.
Sexual repression is a state in which a person is prevented from expressing their own sexuality. It's often linked with feelings of guilt or shame being associated with sexual impulses. Defining characteristics and practices associated with sexual repression vary between societies and historical periods. The behaviors and attitudes constituting sexual repression differ across cultures, religious communities and moral systems. Sexual repression can largely be categorized as physical, mental or an amalgam of both. It thrives in authoritarian theocratic countries in which common practices include genital mutilation. Especially against, you guessed it... the feminine. Even consenting adults under these tyrannical systems believed to have engaged in behaviors contradicting dark social, imperial, religious, or cultural expectations - such as sex out of marriage, sodomy, or homosexuality, may even be punished through honor killings, persecution, or even the death penalty.
So instead of that tyrannical insanity, what is the more natural, healthy counter to this which occurs under loving parenting? Proper sexual education. When one is a baby, they learn how to eat, sleep and pee and poo. So they get those basics of their plumbing figured out. Sexual education, which when introduced, just prior to hitting puberty, is the completion of this previous education - further informing youth how the secondary aspects of their bodies systems and plumbing fully works. And then being educated about these natural instincts, being shown that these sexy liquids that start oozing out of us when we become teenagers are perfectly natural, and are openly shown how to balance these associated urges and interests in life, and have healthy expressions for them. Authoritarian households, especially repressive ones, not only do little to no education about this secondary basic natural education, they outright dismiss it as dirty and sinful and encourage the repression of it.
Now we know you love it when we talk about sex. We've had a long time essay in the works about how sexual energy is also creative energy. More on that in a future long form spoken word piece but we will touch on it a bit in this essay. So strap in here (no pun intended) as we get into this... We're going to say some things in this one that should just be considered standard mature adult conversation. Catered to you, the mature, sophisticated reader or listener.
Humans, and pretty much every other animal in the food chain, are sexual beings. We could have a whole separate evolutionary and epidemiological discussion about how the majority of mating in the animal kingdom happens quickly, not in a consummated relationship. IE, the two fish who never have met before, team up, share fluids, fertilize thousands of caviar, and then go off on their separate ways to never see each other again. Quick Quick Boom. This style of procreation in nature works well for creatures whose offspring can be independently operating from day one. But for other species, such as beavers or elephants or humans, where the offspring need to be under parental care for multiple years, that dynamic entails parents that have established monogamous relationships in order for both to be involved in protecting and raising their children. We could also have a separate evolutionary discussion about both primate and human indigenous hunter gatherer societies in smaller tribes, in which there is evidence to show that orgies were standard practice for long sections of human tribal history, in which everyone of consenting age is banging everyone else. In which not only is there more to go around, but then no one quite knows whose child is whose, so there's an incentive for the whole tribe to co-raise each child. Hence the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child. But as society scales up, the more standard practice has been that two parents, or a single parent, or some combination of parents, older siblings, and grandparents, help raise the child - with love and care.
So when a parental figure loves and cares, they want their child to be truly happy and educated. And part of having future healthy and loving relationships is to be informed about the underlying scaffolding that should be in place for future adults of consenting age to have the full extent of expression of that future loving relationship - physically. In open, pro democratic societies, which should hold both sexes of equal value, this is always in place. Because it's informing and educating about basic aspects of nature - which include foreplay, steamy sexual pleasure, and crescendoing orgasms. All of which, when done amongst consenting adults or shock horror, god forbid, when done individually by a single adult - are wonderful and a glorious part of life.
But if one is a de-spiritualized pro-authoritarian patriarchal theocrat who hates nature, and thinks people are born in sin, the opposite is thought. The 90% of religion that’s imperial crap is sexually super up tight and historically, the United States, which has a large percentage of its population that is quite religious, is thus a quite sexually repressed culture. This extends back to the Victorian era where they would have to literally cover exposed piano legs to not give the boys any arousal. And has carried into this puritanical mindset of the new American settlers, many of whom were colonialists of empire who slaughtered the native Americans. To this day, Europe is a bit more enlightened when it comes to nudity. As you're much more likely to see a topless woman on a beach in Spain. And not only does little to no one care, they mostly know it's awesome. Because they are more social, chill, free, and democratic. But since about 1/4 to 1/3rd of the US is still religiously bonkers, this constant through line of sexual repression still exists. And the lauder the volume is turned up on the religious indoctrination, the crazier these later effects end up being within those who grow into adulthood under heavy dogma - such as ultra sexually frustrated nuns that are always crabby and pissed off, or a quiverfull child who’s one of 19 kids in a bat shit crazy family that starts banging his siblings, or mega church preachers always having sex scandals, or the attitude that male to female rape within marriage is totally allowed, or Catholic preists who end up raping kids, or militias or mercenary soldiers for scumbag authoritarian armies who end up also being mass rapists. All of who would have little to no problem watching bullets spraying, because they’re ammosexuals, but shock horror at seeing that female statues bare chest or Michelangelo's David’s ween.
Most of everything in culture is secretly really about either making money or sex. Both are in a somewhat subtextual dont really say it upfront way - but especially so with sex. One example, if you haven't figured it out yet fellas, is dancing - which, like shamanism, is as old as the hills, and is a major flag wave for sex. Because there's nearly a 1-to-1 correlation with how good you are at shaking your hips dancing with how good you are in the sack. Women generally like to dance more than men, so you’ll see a group of women out on the dance floor first, and they know this. And want to see a man's dance skills - because it secretly reveals this information in finding a partner. So up tight culture has very much been about not directly speaking about sex but having undertones of it everywhere. The psychedelic philosopher Terence Mckenna once accurately said that culture “would make sex illegal if they could. But they can't, so it isn't.” But they will surely use it to sell things to you. We don’t have to tell you how much of society and culture, especially commercialism, is really all about sexual undertones. Human sexuality has had a significant impact on the marketing industry. The use of sexual imagery and themes in advertising is a common tactic used to grab attention and increase consumer interest in a product or service. This is because sexual content goes to our deep roots, urges, and natural instincts. Because we are sexual beings, and because we want that, which marketing knows, they also know that sexually related influences are highly attention-grabbing and memorable, and use it on us consciously or unconsciously as the most effective way to communicate a message and sell a product. The use of sexuality in advertising can be found across all forms of media, from print ads and television commercials to online marketing and social media campaigns.
Healthy society certainly discourages hedonistic orgies amongst under age teenagers. All getting STDs and pregnant during their pre-collegiate years. That would be bonkers in the other direction of repression if allowed. But when one naturally becomes an oily and sweaty teenager, this natural stuff they want to do, if in a more balanced dynamic which entailed being educated about birth control and allowed to have healthy, guilt free expressions for a fresh sex drive, should result in things like encouraged masturbation as a solo outlet along with development of a caring relationship prior to undertaking in sexual activity exclusively for pleasure when reaching adult age. But when none of that is allowed before some sort of strict marriage, or sometime even an arranged loveless marriage, and teenagers are instead told it's bad to do, or you shouldn't do, or is sinful to do, and birth control isn’t even mentioned or is also said to be bad from Satan, hating the thing you want to do most and repressing that natural healthy creative urge for pleasure purposes really messes with the horny teenage brain. Then fractal that out to every extreme regressively religiously indoctrinated child, and you've got 25% of a society's children that are totally mentally damaged. Basically, young adults with wet vaginas and hard boners are told by stuffy adults with ultra tight Protestant buttholes they can't physically interact for pleasure purposes. And claims that society is sinful and bad and you the child are bad and your sexual urges are wrong fucks you up in the head and makes you a future mean asshole who wants to be an authority over others.
We are far from being the first person whose come to decode this. Wilhlm Reich figured this out almost 100 years ago. He was a psychoanalyst and doctor of medicine who had a life very similar to Nicola Tesla's in which he was 100+ years ahead of his time but had a very tumultuous relationship with entrenched systems of power (the authority, more like the horny but repressed authority) which some of his work threatened. Much of that work, like his predecessor Sigmund Freud, was related to sexuality and sexual psychology. He coined a term called "orgone energy", from "orgasm" and "organism", for the notion of life energy and very much knew some of the esoteric secrets about the human orgasm. Which the religions of empire work really hard at repressing from the populace. Also like Nicola Tesla, his life is very worth looking into, as he died in very poor conditions when he should have died with high cultural and societal appreciation. Reich contended that psychoanalysis of his time had failed to address the social and political factors that contribute to emotional distress. He claimed that when an individual is sexually repressed in their youth, they develop a sense of guilt and shame about their sexuality. This guilt and shame, according to Reich, leads to a suppression of one's natural sexual impulses and desires. As a result, the individual's emotional and psychological development is hindered, which then snaps by inevitable feelings of aggression and a need for control. In addition to his work on orgone energy and its therapeutic potential, Reich made significant contributions to the field of sexology. He wrote extensively on the topic of sexual repression and its effects on mental health. He also helped to popularize the concept of "sex-economy," which posits that sexual energy is an obvious driving force in human life. Reich also found that this same orgone energy is responsible for the creative process and that the free flow of orgone energy is crucial for creativity. Reich's ideas about the connection between sexual energy and creative energy stem from his research that both are forms of bio-energy that are stored in the body. He was one of the first to propose the idea that sexual energy and creative energy are closely linked and that the repression or blockage of this energy can literally lead to a wide range of physical, emotional, and psychological problems. He also felt that the orgasm and the discharge of its energy leads to a feeling of well-being and balance when dont through healthy expression. He emphasized the importance of sexual liberation amongst consenting adults and the rejection of regressively old school up tight societal attitudes towards sex and sexuality - and especially how that relates to creative expression. Reich argued that the ultra conservative patriarchal repressed family structure, which only says sex can be used, without pleasure, to have way too many kids, plays a role in the rise of fascism because the patriarchal family creates a sense of submission and obedience making them more susceptible to fascist ideologies closely tied to the rise of authoritarianism and/or totalitarianism - so this is the extra nightmare fuel that supercharges what is already growing up under a mean authority which lacks love - and that is no guilt free sexual release valve.
He stated such in one of his accomplishments - which is his book titled "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" which he wrote in the early 1930's - which is a psychoanalytic examination of the rise of fascism in Germany and other European countries during the early 20th century. A definition of Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social patriarchal hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. Like we always say to seek balance, as communism is the most extreme form of off balanced left-wing politics, where most everything is totalitarian government run and/or based, fascism is the most extreme form of off balanced right wing politics, where everything is under a complete totalitarian dictatorial mafia style corrupt corportized and often theocratic regime. Mussolini, took the name of his party from the Latin word fasces, which referred to a bundle of elm or birch rods. There’s a deeper story for another time as to why there are fasces symbols of these bundles of rods on each side of the American flag behind the congressional podium in congress in Washington D.C. but the premise of Reich’s book is that fascists and authoritarians actually come into power through previous decades of political and ideologically-oriented sexual repression on a society level in mass - the mass psychology of sexual repression.
The book also very much mirrors what we have previously been highlighting here, which is not only that sexual repression in one's youth could lead to a number of emotional and psychological problems, but also includes the support of Fascism in adulthood. Reich argued that the suppression of sexuality, again, the natural and healthy aspect of human life, also contributes towards anxiety and aggression, which in turn make individuals more susceptible to ultra terrible fascist ideologies which hate others. Because as we've been decoding, orgasmic energy, designed to be used for love, can instead be negatively transmuted into hate. And since fascism always says get the dirty poor foreigners and other minorities out of our country and lies about restoring order and control in the face of oftentimes perceived chaos and instability of a population that is emotionally and psychologically damaged, Reich highlighted that this emotional state created by sexual repression makes gullible individuals more susceptible to such appeals because they are targeted towards those who have feelings of powerlessness, insecurity, and resentment. These feelings are exacerbated by the economic and social conditions of the time, such as unemployment, poverty, and a sense of alienation. Reich contended that these feelings lead gullible repressed individuals to seek a sense of belonging and security in fascist ideologies, which supposedly offer a sense of unity and power through the submission to a supposed strong leader, even though in reality these asshole leaders are weak cowards who have only managed to fail upwards, and instead of their mentally damaged supporters seeing the dictator as the obvious problem, their supporters pent up sexual repression hate mirrors it backwards onto the the scapegoating of certain other groups which the dictator commands. And those will always be those not in their cult and often on a lower totem of the "socio-economic hierarchy." Since most everything in modern culture is not just about sex but money, we'll be heading over to how that socio-economic hierarchy is structured and what type of its structuring is the most democratic in the next essay or two in this series.