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So we've got another thread in the OT tonight that people are misreading incestuous overtones in. A man marrying two sisters in not incest, but let me present a different scenario: say a man does marry his sister.
What are the repurcussions of that? Should such relationships be tolerated by society? I've heard a number of arguments for and against such an awkward pairing, and I think I can honestly weigh in on the "pro" side of the argument by discrediting a number of the arguments levelled against incest.
Note: In the context of this discussion, let's assume incest is a sexual relationship between two consenting adults. Brother/sister, cousin/cousin, even parent/adult child - why not.
Argument 1 - "Incest is gross"
I can't really explain this one away in the minds of many people because, frankly, there's nothing that can be done for it. People will feel the way they feel, it's instinctual. I can however point out a common bit of hypocricy when it comes to what we see as gross or perverse, and what we do not. Many people view homosexual or interracial relationships as gross. We call them bigoted but are they not simply acting on their gut instinct in the same way someone might judge a couple engaging in incest? I ask myself "why is it okay to judge one sexual behavior but not the other, when both involve consenting adults?" I believe that being truly tolerant should extend to incest so long as there's no coersion involved.
Argument 2 - "Incest leads to fucked up babies"
This is probably the most widely-used argument against incest from rational detractors. They figure that the odds of complications go up from the result of an incestuous pairing, so it should be discouraged and/or outlawed. In my view, however, there are a great many things that a pregnant woman is legally allowed to do that can and probably will harm her future child. A pregnant woman can smoke, drink, and drive a car without any fear of legal repercussion, but an incestuous couple can't marry because they might have deformed offspring? And that's assuming they even want to have kids in the first place. There seems to be a disconnect here.
Argument 3 - "Incest can involve elements of coercion"
Usually, when you hear about incest, it's a parent or adult relative coercing a minor to have sex. This can extend to adults because most people are of the opinion that "why would to sleep with a close relative if you weren't being forced to?". My response to this commonly-raised point is that coercion could just as easily be an element of any relationship, regardless of the circumstances. We see an incestuous couple and assume one of them is being held in place by fear, but rarely does this thought cross our head regarding non-incestuous couples. Does this handwave all the coerced incest in the world? No. What it does is illuminate the double-standard.
...
I'm not in an incestuous relationship, and I'm not particularly turned-on by the idea, either. But if I had a sister, and we had a mutual desire to enter into a sexual relationship with one another? I would, and I wouldn't see the harm in it.
tl;dr I'm not into incest but I don't get the moral outrage over it. The arguments against it could be levelled against just about any other situation. Thoughts?
What are the repurcussions of that? Should such relationships be tolerated by society? I've heard a number of arguments for and against such an awkward pairing, and I think I can honestly weigh in on the "pro" side of the argument by discrediting a number of the arguments levelled against incest.
Note: In the context of this discussion, let's assume incest is a sexual relationship between two consenting adults. Brother/sister, cousin/cousin, even parent/adult child - why not.
Argument 1 - "Incest is gross"
I can't really explain this one away in the minds of many people because, frankly, there's nothing that can be done for it. People will feel the way they feel, it's instinctual. I can however point out a common bit of hypocricy when it comes to what we see as gross or perverse, and what we do not. Many people view homosexual or interracial relationships as gross. We call them bigoted but are they not simply acting on their gut instinct in the same way someone might judge a couple engaging in incest? I ask myself "why is it okay to judge one sexual behavior but not the other, when both involve consenting adults?" I believe that being truly tolerant should extend to incest so long as there's no coersion involved.
Argument 2 - "Incest leads to fucked up babies"
This is probably the most widely-used argument against incest from rational detractors. They figure that the odds of complications go up from the result of an incestuous pairing, so it should be discouraged and/or outlawed. In my view, however, there are a great many things that a pregnant woman is legally allowed to do that can and probably will harm her future child. A pregnant woman can smoke, drink, and drive a car without any fear of legal repercussion, but an incestuous couple can't marry because they might have deformed offspring? And that's assuming they even want to have kids in the first place. There seems to be a disconnect here.
Argument 3 - "Incest can involve elements of coercion"
Usually, when you hear about incest, it's a parent or adult relative coercing a minor to have sex. This can extend to adults because most people are of the opinion that "why would to sleep with a close relative if you weren't being forced to?". My response to this commonly-raised point is that coercion could just as easily be an element of any relationship, regardless of the circumstances. We see an incestuous couple and assume one of them is being held in place by fear, but rarely does this thought cross our head regarding non-incestuous couples. Does this handwave all the coerced incest in the world? No. What it does is illuminate the double-standard.
...
I'm not in an incestuous relationship, and I'm not particularly turned-on by the idea, either. But if I had a sister, and we had a mutual desire to enter into a sexual relationship with one another? I would, and I wouldn't see the harm in it.
tl;dr I'm not into incest but I don't get the moral outrage over it. The arguments against it could be levelled against just about any other situation. Thoughts?
