it's not common sense to me

I had planned on writing a blog post about Lolita in Tehran, but after reading some of the other posts, I decided that I would like to get into this nudity/sex/love/religion/war/porn/America/the Man discussion. 

As a woman (yes, roll your eyes if you must) I am confused/frustrated with the label of 'slut' put on a woman, and 'player' put on a man. Here's where I get most irritated, the word "slut" and "whore" get thrown around in place of the word "female." I can't count on my hands the number of times I will be standing at a corner on Guadalupe, waiting for the light to change so I can cross the street, and a car will drive by and out the window comes "slut." I am standing there in jeans, converse, a t-shirt, and a cardigan. I am not sleeping around. I am not naked. I am not in anyway selling myself. I am standing there. So you cannot tell me that "slut" is only used for women that are sexual cougars. 

I must say Edgar that I am a little baffled by your idea that a woman should be monogamous but a man should spread his seed. Why must a woman automatically be attached or even trapped by the idea of monogamy? (Also, I think the idea that women can pick people up easier than a man can, is a gross misconception). Why are these assumptions just so "common sense"? Women have come a long way (education, voting, working, etc.) but why is it that people seem to be so frightened of a woman's sexuality? There are movies (genre: horror) dedicated to the fear of female sexuality (Teeth -- a vagina with teeth that eats people....I think that says a lot.)

In regards to religion, I can only speak of what I know. And that is Western Christianity. I do think that a lot of our gear towards violence and sex stems from the founding of this country (or even the finding of this land mass). Every group that ever found its way in their boats to this country were violent. Vikings, Conquistadors, Puritans, Fur Traders, etc. And how many wars has the country hosted? Whether you're pro- or anti- violence, if you are American there seems to be an inherent trait passed down that makes us geared towards violence. But look at our religion....could the Bible get more violent? Could the actions taken in the name of religion get more violent? (Another point: it's called Battle of the Sexes....why is it a battle?)

I think (which I fall victim to this too) that people get sexuality and sex confused. According to the OED 'sexuality: the quality of being sexual.' Whereas 'sex: to have sexual intercourse.'

I think it all goes back to that paradigm that we censor/hate what we fear/don't understand. Human sexuality is a beautiful-tragic-mysterious thing and I think too many people have been taught that it is ugly-vile-grotesque.