Cultures Can Teach Us About Essay

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For example, the sexual revolution in Iran was part of a larger cultural movement that encouraged the challenge of a large number of social changes. "This social movement encompasses behaviours such as pushing the envelope on Islamic dress, sexual behaviours, heterosocializing, driving around in cars playing loud illegal music, partying, drinking, dancing and so on -- to include basically, young people doing what they were not supposed to do under Islamic law" (Mahdavi, 2012, p.35).

In fact, the link between how a society approaches sex and that society's overall approaches towards human rights is interesting to note. Generally, the more liberal a society and the more protective of individual freedoms, the more permissive that society's approach will be towards sexuality, particularly female sexuality. In fact, when a totalitarian regime has been challenged, there seems to be a swing in the other direction, with an embrace of human rights, including rights related to sexual expression. For example, "in 1996, two years after the apartheid regime ended, South Africa adopted one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, enshrining non-discrimination on the basis of gender as well as sexual orientation" (Hunter, 2012, p.66). This suggests that a society's norms about sexual behavior provide insight into that society's beliefs about human rights as a whole.

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Therefore, studying how other cultures approach sexuality can lead to insight into what a society's beliefs about sexuality say about that society. For example, Americans pride themselves on their emphasis of freedom and liberty, but have embraced a host of restrictions about sexual behavior. These restrictions go beyond cultural norms and into legal prohibitions against certain sexual behaviors, which may belie a culture that is less concerned with freedom than they would otherwise maintain.

Conclusion

Studying other cultures can teach a person a lot about sexuality because cultural norms are intertwined with sexual behavior. It is well established that what is considered acceptable and appropriate sexual behavior varies significantly according to cultural rules. In fact, although there are some sexual taboos and norms seem to cross cultural lines, such as the prohibition against incest, the different ways that the societies define those behaviors are so varied that very few things emerge as consistent prohibitions. Instead, this tremendous variety in what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behavior provides insight into the huge range of normal human sexual behavior. Knowing that there is a tremendous range in normal sexual behavior can help people, especially those whose behavior is considered abnormal, understand that their behavior may not be deviant......

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