Cultural differences?

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Here is the designation for the Community Board on which this subject was posted

Community Board
Join our moderators in a discussion forum for any topic, Disney or otherwise. Swap stories, information, ask questions...just be friendly

So it seems the community board is pretty much just a discussion board for pretty much anything. Also when I just looked at said community board only 5 out of 50 of the topics on the front page were about Disney and most of those were about the Tigger incident. Now if for some reason she posted this on another of the sub boards (for example...Restaurants) and it got moved I apologize, but I found it on the Community Board so the topic should very much be welcomed.

thank you!!!

you would think since they have such a high post count - they would have known this!

 

[Mrs.Toad]

To the woman (women) who say there is nothing sexual about a breast - that is total bunk. Aside from the fact that men of many cultures find them appealing, do you not get any sort of arousal when they are touched/fondled? I know I certainly do. Some women can even orgasm from nipular-stimulation. But, I forgot, they are just lumps of fat designed to feed babies.

Some people can orgasm from dreams, does that make the brain a sexual organ? Many men are aroused when their nipples are stimulated as well, but we don't hide theirs as extensively as we do women's, why is that?

Likewise, the mouths of both men and women can be very sexual, yet we don't cover them up, and most Americans find cultures that do so to be unnecessarily modest.

I wouldn't quite say that there is "nothing" sexual about a breast, but there is certainly nothing sexual about it when it's being used to feed a baby, and I love what pansmermaidzlagoon said about it...

grown ups should be able to tell the difference.

 

[Todd&Copper]

Yeah, grown-ups can tell the difference, but teenage and pre-teen boys can't. Just because you are "culturally aware" and more open-minded that others doesn't mean all of the United States is.
And, I recall in anthropology class ages ago learnign about some south Pacific indigenous people for whom breasts are not erotic, but a woman's thighs were, so they went around topless but covered their legs down to their knees. Are we more or less open minded than they are?

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I don't think the standard should be that of a teen or pre-teen boy, who could easily find something sexual about a toilet paper roll or an apple pie.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yeah, grown-ups can tell the difference, but teenage and pre-teen boys can't. Just because you are "culturally aware" and more open-minded that others doesn't mean all of the United States is.
And, I recall in anthropology class ages ago learnign about some south Pacific indigenous people for whom breasts are not erotic, but a woman's thighs were, so they went around topless but covered their legs down to their knees. Are we more or less open minded than they are?

Well if you educate the teen boys as to the alternative use for breasts it wouldn't be a big freakin' deal to some.

I doubt for where teh OP is from that they are looking at that photo and treating it like a free subscription to playboy.

 

[Catananche]

This talk of teenage boys reminds me of a study that a Swedish colleague told me about: a decade or two ago, there was a survey of teenage boys in Sweden asking the question "If your girlfriend got pregnant would you want her to breastfeed or bottlefeed the baby?". Most of the boys said bottlefeed. That survey was repeated fairly recently, and now the majority of the boys said they would want their girlfriends to breastfeed.

I suppose it goes to show that cultural attitudes are not static.

 

[punkin]

This talk of teenage boys reminds me of a study that a Swedish colleague told me about: a decade or two ago, there was a survey of teenage boys in Sweden asking the question "If your girlfriend got pregnant would you want her to breastfeed or bottlefeed the baby?". Most of the boys said bottlefeed. That survey was repeated fairly recently, and now the majority of the boys said they would want their girlfriends to breastfeed.

I suppose it goes to show that cultural attitudes are not static.

Very good point. Attitudes change and hopefully in 20 years in this country we will catch up.

 

[JennyMominRI]

This maybe TMI, but I'll go ahead. I get more stimulation from DH carassing the back of my knees than I do from my breasts. Seriously. Not ALL women have that response. And that is fine and natural.

Same here..I can think of at least 10 places that are more stimulating to me.

 

[Freyja]

This talk of teenage boys reminds me of a study that a Swedish colleague told me about: a decade or two ago, there was a survey of teenage boys in Sweden asking the question "If your girlfriend got pregnant would you want her to breastfeed or bottlefeed the baby?". Most of the boys said bottlefeed. That survey was repeated fairly recently, and now the majority of the boys said they would want their girlfriends to breastfeed.

I suppose it goes to show that cultural attitudes are not static.

Very interesting study and outcome!

 

[tar heel]

I couldn't help myself -- I looked up "nipular" b/c I had never heard it before. Turns out it's not a word.

ETA: I'm not picking on the poster who said it -- I'm just enjoying this thread and got a kick out of the word usage.

 

[Hercules10]

I couldn't help myself -- I looked up "nipular" b/c I had never heard it before. Turns out it's not a word.

Is to a word...It's a weather term for when it gets reeeally cold!

 

[poohandwendy]

For the record, as an American, I do think our society is repressed and prudish. And I do think it is a negative thing. IMHO, it has caused more taboo related sex crimes and sexual dysfunction than anything.

There is somthing very wrong with a society that sells sex as the great taboo on a regular basis but condemns non discreet breastfeeding.

 

[autumnbaby9]

When my child was breastfeeding and got hungry the last thing on my mind was who was watching. If they had a problem with seeing a B@@B then they could look the other way. Why should I have had to go to the trouble to pumb breastmilk (which I found painfull by the way) carry ice to keep it cool and then have my baby have to wait for it to warm up to the right temp before they could eat (you can't microwave breadtmilk).

I had one lady get really irate at me when I refused to cover my baby with a blanket when it was 112 degrees outside. I wasn't willing to suffocate my baby to preserve someone elses sense of modisty.

While the breast may also be a sexual object it was first and formost meant as a way to feed young (hence why animals breastfeed also).

 

[basas]

Very good point. Attitudes change and hopefully in 20 years in this country we will catch up.

How exactly are we 'behind'? I think the entire point of the thread was to show there were cultural differences between North America and Europe. What makes one more 'open minded' or 'ahead' than the other? They're just different.

 

[Freyja]

How exactly are we 'behind'? I think the entire point of the thread was to show there were cultural differences between North America and Europe. What makes one more 'open minded' or 'ahead' than the other? They're just different.

I think that when people use the worde "behind" or "ahead" they must be referring to the fact that in Europe things have evolved from being as they are now in the US to how they are now in Europe.

 

[basas]

I think that when people use the worde "behind" or "ahead" they must be referring to the fact that in Europe things have evolved from being as they are now in the US to how they are now in Europe.

Well personally I hope we don't go that route. I don't believe that because we have different values here that North America is 'behind', 'overly reserved', or 'closed minded'. As far as I'm concerned, things are just different and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I think that when people use the worde "behind" or "ahead" they must be referring to the fact that in Europe things have evolved from being as they are now in the US to how they are now in Europe.

Yes, and considering how many Americans think of Arab cultures as light-years "behind" ours, they should have no problem being 20 years "behind" Europe.

 

[Freyja]

Yes, and considering how many Americans think of Arab cultures as light-years "behind" ours, they should have no problem being 20 years "behind" Europe.

Well, I´m not even going to go there

 

[Fitswimmer]

Whether or not a breast is seen when women are breastfeeding is the least of our problems with how women are objectified as sex objects in this country. I don't think that our society is modest enough! The image of women in this country is horrifying. Have you been to a shopping mall lately and taken a look at our teenage girls walking around with sayings written on their butts?? Language about sex on television and the radio is more explicit than ever, and don't even get me started about the music and a good deal of it is completely demeaning to women and reduces sex to a response to an animal urge. I listen and watch a lot of it-but I'm an adult. If I had kids, I sure wouldn't want them soaking up the values about sex and the image of women being promulgated.


Does anyone know if sex crimes against women have increased or decreased since the sexual revolution? Sometimes I really think it backfired.

 

[cardaway]

Yes, and considering how many Americans think of Arab cultures as light-years "behind" ours...

Funny how people don't have any problem saying others are behind us, but say we are behind others...

When it comes to sex, yes, I believe our culture is ahead of some but clearly behind much of Europe. It's actually kind of embarrassing IMO.