Stories of conflict: Popular music and one night stands
Much of the popular music that I listen to is art. It may show a perspective often foreign to me: abuse, a yearning to seduce a girlfriend, romantic jealousy, or some sort of conflict. Most art and literature has conflict and thus it is easy to see how popular art has conflict. Recently, I’ve began to realize that some people can relate to the music and that is why it is popular. From a young age, these stories of conflict were just that “stories.” Myths that artists and writers dreamed up–after all I have taken artistic license and thought up many conflicts in my poetry. Some people may not only view it as an object to digest, critique, and learn about a different perspective. This person has conflict in his or her life similar to the content of the song. Women have actually been seduced in the back of cars and men have actually been cheated on by their girlfriends.
A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers said that she was attending the second shotgun wedding of a high school friend at the age of 26. I scoffed and said, “You know there are ways to prevent that.” She replied, “Yeah, get on the pill” when I was referring to abstaining from sex entirely. Is that such a foreign attitude to the masses? I’m not being sarcastic here.
I can respect non-religious couples for not marrying and intending on having long term committed relationship. Why have a religious service if you aren’t religious? What I can’t imagine is wanting to have sex without intimacy–with someone you don’t want a long term relationship with. How can you be attracted to someone that you don’t want a committed relationship with?
I’ve always seen one night stands were accidents, a bi-product of drinking, drugs, or venting for stress (e.g.- “I’m going to distract myself from my problems with this guy”). I can understand (albeit, not condone) how someone can want to view pornography can be for educational purposes–curiosity while they are still sexual virgins. But why would you want to after you have began having sex? I guess that maybe there are people that want unattached sex. That attitude seems highly irrational and it’s hard to imagine that it’s anything more than just fun and pleasurable.
Further Reading on Marriage
- The forgetful husband's night out with Google calendar
- James family update for February 2008
- Irish bar with guys from my Sunday school