IN Irlanda nu a existat sex inainte de televiziune – acest celebru citat politic din anii 1960 rezuma nepotrivirea dintre dezbaterile publice si comportamentul privat al oamenilor.
Sexul este doar unul dintre subiectele pe care le abordez in noua mea carte Your Place or Mine? Comunitate si apartine in Irlanda secolului XXI. Alaturi de alte aspecte ale identitatilor noastre, cum ar fi etnia si nationalitatea, ea face parte din tapiseria noastra, in continua schimbare de-a lungul vietii.
De-a lungul secolului XX, Biserica Catolica a dominat viata culturala irlandeza. Era obsedat de controlul comportamentului sexual. Sexul a fost doar pentru procreare, pentru a produce urmatoarea generatie de credinciosi. Ideea ca ar putea fi o sursa de placere sau distractie a fost reprimata si condamnata. Sexul a fost echivalat cu pacatul si pacatul echivalat cu sexul. Moralitatea este legata numai de regiunea de sub centura.
In ciuda aparentei preocupari a Bisericii cu fibra morala a turmei sale, stim acum ca ipocrizia si secretul erau la ordinea zilei. Casa de carti a Bisericii s-a prabusit. Anumite nume de loc – Letterfrack, Artane, Goldenbridge – trimit acum un fior pe coloanele noastre vertebrale. Dupa cum ne aminteste sociologul Tom Inglis, „unii dintre ei [preoti si episcopi] faceau sex si copii, in timp ce altii faceau relatii sexuale cu copii”. Chiar si cei care nu o faceau ei insisi aproape sigur stiau ca altii sunt si nu au facut nimic pentru a-l expune.
In ciuda stapanirii Bisericii, ar fi mult prea simplist sa presupunem ca oamenii au respectat intotdeauna regulile lor. Desigur ca nu. Odata ce tinerii sunt condusi de hormonii lor sa isi puna mana unul pe celalalt, o vor face – indiferent ce. Sexul este o forta imens puternic.
Dupa cum spune istoricul Diarmuid Ferriter in studiul sau enciclopedic, Ocazii ale pacatului: „In decursul unui secol in care a existat un etos, opresiune si vigilenta catolic, nu a lipsit nici un comportament sexual clandestin si ilicit.” Istoricii au descoperit, de exemplu, ca multe mii de femei irlandeze au lucrat ca prostituate intre 1800 si 1940. Deci, nici o societate nu are doar un set de caracteristici – ca traditional, catolic si represiv – la un moment dat; exista intotdeauna o provocare, sfidare si rezistenta din partea unor membri ai societatii.
Ce stim despre practicile sexuale reale ale oamenilor din Irlanda secolului XXI? Nu prea mult. Nu este un subiect cu care multi cercetatori sociali doresc sa se dea jos si sa se murdareasca. Cu toate acestea, Durex Global Sex Survey a fost realizat in 2005. Au intervievat 317.000 de persoane din 41 de tari, inclusiv Irlanda. Urmatoarele sunt cateva dintre concluziile sale:
* Varsta medie in care irlandezii au facut sex pentru prima data a fost de 17,3 ani, ceea ce este concomitent cu media globala. Cea mai tanara varsta a fost in Islanda (15,6 ani), iar cea mai veche a fost India (19,8 ani).
* Numarul mediu de parteneri sexuali in Irlanda a fost de 11,1, in timp ce cel mai mare a fost in Turcia (14,5). Cel mai mic numar a fost in India (3), iar media globala a fost de 9.
* Persoanele nepasatoare fac sex in medie de 97 de ori pe an, aproape de media globala de 103 ori. Grecii o fac cel mai mult, de 138 de ori, iar japonezii o fac cel mai putin, la 45 de ori.
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* 58% dintre irlandezii au facut sex neprotejat, comparativ cu media globala de 47%.
* 12% dintre irlandezi au avut o aventura conjugala in plus; 62% au avut un stand de o noapte; iar 20% au avut o experienta gay.
Toata aceasta activitate sexuala este o munca grea. In timp ce a existat intotdeauna mai multa presiune asupra femeilor decat asupra barbatilor pentru a parea atractive din punct de vedere sexual, in aceste zile exista o presiune neordinata asupra femeilor tinere.
„Libertatea” de a-si exprima sexualitatea este deschisa la un pret, atat metaforic, cat si literal.
The standard expectations for young women nowadays are heavily determined by “because you’re worth it” consumerism and dumbed-down celebrity culture, and it takes courage to resist this. They have to be unnaturally thin (or at least feeling eternally guilty if they are not), coated in fake tan, impeccably made up, waxed to within an inch of their lives and wearing extraordinarily high heels. When they walk in these heels, they often look a bit like a newborn giraffe taking its first steps, weak and helpless. It might be boring, but I just like to be able to run if I need to, especially late at night!
Looking like this, in the style of ‘pole-dancer chic’, is not instead of being smart — women still have to be smarter than men to get promoted because of their possession of that pesky piece of kit called a womb. And I suspect that the sexual game is still not a level playing field for young women and men — girls are still called ‘sluts’ if they behave promiscuously, whereas boys are accorded much more social and sexual freedom.
Irish society has become much more sexually liberal since the 1990s. Sexual imagery is everywhere, hard porn is available on the internet 24/7, condoms are more publicly displayed than cigarettes in supermarkets, and some would say we have reached a kind of sexual ‘end of history’. While it is still by no means a free-for-all, more sexual kit is certainly for sale — boosted recently by Fifty Shades of Grey! So we went from banning Ulysses and The Tailor and Ansty to Ann Summers stores and lap-dancing clubs on our high streets in a fairly short space of time. Homosexuality was legalised in 1993, a form of civil partnership is now possible for gay people, but we still have some way to go on achieving women’s right to choose regarding abortion. Conservative forces still succeed in maintaining women’s status as second-class citizens on that issue.
There is still relatively little open, mature discussion of sexual matters in Irish society, indicating an ongoing tension between traditional and liberal attitudes. It is more often pathologised in terms of the ‘problems’ of promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, fertility problems or erectile dysfunction, than celebrated as an important, and potentially even fabulous and liberating, part of a healthy person’s everyday life.
* Ethel Crowley is a sociologist and author. Her new book, Your Place or Mine? Community and Belonging in 21st Century Ireland (Dublin, Orpen Press) is out now.
