You should have been watching Rome. Then you could have all this debate about whether you mind slaves watching you have sex :)
Serious point 1: It's not all of humanity that doesn't want to be watched having sex, is it? I don't mean there are aberrant individuals from a general trend, but that there might be (I think there are or have been, not counting porn films or situations where the person watching is often a lower of different status as with the slave example) societies in which it's perfectly acceptable to have sex in front on someone not joining in. So if it's not applicable to *all* of humanity, then maybe there's something to sort out before you get to sapient aliens...[1]
[1] A (human): Would you excuse me and C? We're about the have sex. B (human): Oh, go ahead. In my culture it's OK if you watch people having sex. A and C (both human): ... D (alien who suddenly turns up): Can I watch too? A: Aargh, go away and come back in a hundred years when we've worked out whether it's OK for anyone to watch other people having sex!
Serious point 2: Who can watch what all depends on who has the power in society :)
Without meaning to barge in with classical references (again)...
Date: 2007-07-31 05:18 pm (UTC)You should have been watching Rome. Then you could have all this debate about whether you mind slaves watching you have sex :)
Serious point 1: It's not all of humanity that doesn't want to be watched having sex, is it? I don't mean there are aberrant individuals from a general trend, but that there might be (I think there are or have been, not counting porn films or situations where the person watching is often a lower of different status as with the slave example) societies in which it's perfectly acceptable to have sex in front on someone not joining in. So if it's not applicable to *all* of humanity, then maybe there's something to sort out before you get to sapient aliens...[1]
[1] A (human): Would you excuse me and C? We're about the have sex.
B (human): Oh, go ahead. In my culture it's OK if you watch people having sex.
A and C (both human): ...
D (alien who suddenly turns up): Can I watch too?
A: Aargh, go away and come back in a hundred years when we've worked out whether it's OK for anyone to watch other people having sex!
Serious point 2: Who can watch what all depends on who has the power in society :)