One of my favorite Showtime series is the american adaptation of the original British series “Shameless”. As with Showtimes treatment of Queer as Folk, the american version is a bit more lurid, a bit grittier, and a whole lot of fun to watch.
One of the characters, Carl, possibly 11, or 12 made a statement in the show the other night. “Half the world has a penis, so why does everyone get so upset when they see one.”
I suppose that statement could apply to genitals in general, especially if the audience is primarily American. We Americans seem to be easily offended should we get a glimpse of anothers genitals, and go to great, often hysterically funny lengths to prevent others from getting a glimpse of our own. Have you ever watched someone changing into/out of a bathing suit under a towel?
While not specifically mentioned in an earlier post I made, we Americans go to great lengths to make laws to attempt to prevent ourselves from getting an accidental glimpse of anothers genitals.
I’m not a scientist, so I can’t address why our behaviour has evolved to such ludicrous levels. I subscribe to the theory of evolution, so I fully believe that 10,000 years ago when we were still fairly primitive, living in large groups, working together to fend off predators and gather enough food to keep from starving that getting a glimpse of a penis was one of the things that did not make our heart race with fear. We did not go racing to the tribal elders with a complaint about having seen a flash of a body part that fully half of the tribe probably weilded.
In fact, from what little I understand, the reproductive act was likely carried out with no regard to privacy. It was just something that happened, was accepted as a part of normal life, and no one thought another thought about it.
Heck, I even remember as a kid when they repeated the story of Adam and Eve in church, all of the pictures always depicted them with fig leaves, or an “after the fall” scenario.
Why did we never get to see pictures of them before they fell out of grace? It sort of leaves you with a mixed message doesn’t it? Be good people and no one will paint your picture, but the minute you take a bite of that apple and have to cover up all the good parts, here comes all the painters in the land.
Religion is probably what began our problem with genitals. The Catholic church started it I suppose, and then the Puritans took it to a whole new level, and since we Americans got started from a flock of Puritans landing on a rock, I guess that’s why today, the mere sight of a penis sends people into a tizzy.
I think its just plain silly. I believe that if our society didn’t elevate genitals into this mysterious stratosphere of the forbidden fruit, we’d probably have far fewer incidents of rape, less teen pregancy, and more money in our pockets because we’d have better self images.
I’m certainly not saying that we should all be nudists. Great balls of fire! Most of us look much better with clothes on. 
But I do think we can raise our kids to have better body images by making “genitals” a non event. After all, like noses, or arms or a right foot, all of us have one or more of them, and there really isn’t much of a mystery about what they do or how we use one, or even how we came about having them.
There are appropriate places for the public display of a penis. At the beach. Or swimming anywhere. Why do we go swimming with clothes on? We don’t have special clothing to go into the shower do we?
Half of us have a penis. It shouldn’t cause little old ladies to go into a faint if one is seen. I’m just saying.