image by TheRudeSisterS
Inhibited
When most of us hear terms like “radical”, “subversive,” or “seditious,” what immediately comes to mind are mindless lunatics trying to blow up buildings and slaughtering people in the streets with their automatic weapons. Some people are less dramatic in their definitions, but all of them are wrong regardless. While the latter terms share similar qualities, the former does not. The qualities all three share, however, are atypical thinking and meticulous planning; these are the prerequisites for any successful endeavor. I’d like to think that Neuerotica is all three in its own way. This isn’t to say that all of the ideas comprising Neuerotica come solely from me. In fact, one of our central ideas, central to Neuerotica’s mission, dates back more than a century. What I have done here is pull the disparate elements from philosophers, artists, neuroscientists, and musicians into a cohesive whole, establishing Neuerotica’s legitimacy, and turning the philosophical into the pragmatic.
In this twelve-chapter introduction, you’ll learn about the process of building Neuerotica’s philosophical and virtual infrastructure. In this chapter, I’ll speak about what is probably the second most incongruous aspect of our e-magazine, namely the “erotic” in “Neuerotica”.
George Clinton, founder of P-Funk bands Parliament, Funkadelic, the Brides of Funkenstein, and about a dozen more, once said in an interview about the funk genre:
“Funk is the antithesis of everything that [is] sterile, one-dimensional, monochromatic, arhythmic, and otherwise against freedom of bodily expression.”
Similarly, Neuerotica was designed to be the antithesis of the anti-intellectual, conservative, evangelical, and right-wing warmongering patriarchs who wield racism, misogyny, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, the exploitation of the poor, and sexual repression like a sledgehammer in their efforts to lay waste to the pleasures of life, and subjugate the greater part of humanity’s will and freedoms (pardon the run-on sentence). Interviewing and running articles on musicians, fashion designers, and artists is our primary function, but the political and social issues covered in our editorials are equally important. I didn’t want Neuerotica to merely serve as a promotional entity; I wanted it to feel like a community as well, since many of the artists we feature come from marginalized communities. I felt it necessary to represent them in both art and politics, informing artists and fans alike.
We’re an e-magazine; a space for underground pop creatives to receive better recognition than they would from other platforms. They are responsible for inspiring the creation of Neuerotica and for our socialist ideals (which will be explained toward the end of this chapter). These musicians and artists are producing some of the most subversive, revolutionary, and unapologetically uninhibited works in the modern era. They focus on the creative rather than the technical and are free of any corporate influence; no suits in their soup. Our society is fortunate to have such creatives as Namilia (fashion), Ayesha Erotica (music), and Skyler Grey (art). These are some of the avant-garde creatives helping push back the tide of mediocrity and the culture of artifice.
While hyperpop lyrics tend to be hyper-sexual, when I speak of uninhibited art, I’m not merely referring to it in the sexual context. Self-control and inhibition are often conflated, but the latter means control by an outside agent. To have self-control means to regulate one's actions for one's benefit, such as reducing carbohydrate intake when trying to lose weight. Inhibitions are caused by external factors that shame others into relinquishing their autonomy. No true artist desires restraints upon their art. Generally speaking, inhibitions are psychological chains, barriers that hamper our expressions, experiences, and our ability to fully enjoy pleasure from any activity. It can render us impotent, immobile, or both. Inhibitions repress our harmless desires for fear of society’s ridicule, judgment, and, in some instances, punishment. Underground pop music, art, and fashion may or may not acknowledge the shade thrown their way, but they couldn’t care less about it, regardless (in fact, there are times when the recording artists turn it into fodder for a new song).
That said, uninhibited sexual desires contribute greatly to a healthy society, and underground, avant-garde artists tend to unleash that essential energy, inseminate that goodness into the ether and nourishing both people and the environment.
A Measure of Pleasure
For a capitalist society to function, it requires control over both the body and the mind. This is achieved by shaping how individuals view and interact with one another. The first step is “othering,” the attribution of false cultural and personality narratives, conceived by the ruling class, to a particular group, thereby prompting persons outside that group to treat its members differently. This sows suspicion, distrust, and discord among people who would otherwise establish an amicable relationship in which everyone is treated with respect, regardless of their differences. This othering isn’t limited to differences in skin color, culture, or society; it is used to alienate people on the basis of sex, socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, intellect, and sexual orientation. It creates a barrier that impedes social interconnectedness, thereby facilitating the ruling class's control. The more distrust between groups of people, the less the likelihood that a nation’s citizens will rise up against tyrants.
The 1975 film “Shivers”, written and directed by David Cronenberg (his first film), literally sent shivers down the spines of its audience and authorities worldwide. It revolved around an apartment complex where a mad scientist has released a worm-like parasite that infects the residents, causing them to lose their inhibitions and have feral intercourse with their neighbors. The film was heavily censored in some countries and banned in others, and it wasn’t solely because of the sex scenes.
What authorities found truly threatening wasn’t just the gore or nudity, but Cronenberg’s subversive suggestion that repression, not expression, was society’s real disease; the parasites liberate their hosts from social constraints, turning a luxury apartment building into a communal orgy. For a post-sexual revolution, pre-AIDS culture still negotiating new boundaries, this vision struck a nerve with both progressives and conservatives. source
Cronenberg understood the significance and impact of uninhibited behavior on humans and society. What the church, the state, the oligarchs, and their slavish followers call “morality” (an instrument of control) is an artificial construct imposed on the rest of society to manipulate the bodies and minds of the populace through their “standards” and laws, thereby inhibiting natural human behavior. We are conditioned to fear the repercussions for using our own bodies in ways that are forbidden by “God” or the state. These actions range from particular sex acts, getting an abortion, to questioning authority. Is art, however, capable of freeing us from these chains?
The arts possess inspirational and motivational qualities; there’s a sense of freedom when we create or engage with a particular art form. Our spiritual chains fallaway, and we allow ourselves to get lost in a world where anything is possible. The release of our inhibitions empowers us, and art is often the catalyst. It is possible, I believe, that among the arts, music is more effective at freeing us from our inhibitions, sexual or otherwise.
All of the arts have the same effects as sex on the human mind and body, as an inspirator and motivator. I’m not saying that music is superior to other forms of art; what I’m saying is that it does seem to be better at influencing emotions and has a greater impact on the human brain.
Harvard Medicine’s executive communications manager in the HMS Office of Communications and External Relations, Allison Eck, in an article entitled How Music Resonates in the Brain: Scientists tune in to the brain’s emotional response to music, writes:
Music… lights up nearly all of the brain — including the hippocampus and amygdala, which activate emotional responses to music through memory; the limbic system, which governs pleasure, motivation, and reward; and the body’s motor system.
People use music for various human activities, such as commuting, working, and even mourning. We also use music to set the mood for sexual intercourse. Art and sex have a relationship unlike any other pairing of activities connected to art. They form a system of reciprocity where uninhibited sex can influence the quality of one’s art, and unrestrained art can inspire great sex, with music bding thr number one contender.
The benefits of uninhibited sex to the healthy functioning of civilization cannot be overstated. In its role as the propagator of our species and the most pleasurable physical experience one can have, it is essential.
Until I began researching the introduction, I had never heard of ‘the paradox of hedonism’. I couldn’t imagine debating the importance of pleasure (or the level of its importance) to human life. That’s a debate I don’t see myself ever participating in. There are numerous types of pleasure, but, in my opinion, the most pleasurable of all tactile experiences has to be sex. I’m sure there are outliers who feel otherwise, but I believe that most of us would agree. Had it not been for the introduction of shame (the seed of inhibition) into human society, we would likely be looking at a different world today. On average, most of us only have sex 53-54 times per year, and out of 365 days, and that’s a depressing statistic.
In her summation in an article published in the magazine Psychology Today, Nan J. Wise, Ph.D., remarks:
“We live in a world that often pathologizes pleasure or treats it as indulgent, frivolous, or even shameful. But neuroscience tells a different story. Pleasure—especially sexual pleasure—is essential to optimal brain function, emotional health, and overall well-being. It’s not selfish. It’s not silly. It’s survival.
When we reclaim our right to pleasure, we reclaim our connection to our bodies, our emotions, and each other. We become more present, more compassionate, and more resilient. We remember that joy is not a reward for suffering—it’s a vital sign of health.”
Women understand more than anyone that society’s rigid rules and oppressive laws dictate what you can do with your body. Most of us aren’t having quality sex and not as much as they could or should under a system that demands that your body serves it, and you get whatever is left after grueling work hours. Some would disagree with what I’m saying, believing that sex is better after a hard day’s (or week’s) work. But, as Dr. Wise says in her quote, sex shouldn’t be used as a mechanism of reward. Our lives are short, and slaving away to enrich others to the detriment of our physical, mental, and sexual health is not living life to the fullest.
background photograph by Miguel Angel Frausto
The Shame Game
Erotic art dates back at least 35,000 years; in ancient times and later indigenous societies, it was part of their spiritual beliefs and practices. In ancient times, there was no “sacred and profane” dichotomy when it came to sex; it was all sacred. Back then, love and lust were simply two different types of feelings, whereas today, they are considered diametric opposites. Love is considered “pure”, while lust is looked at as something to be ashamed of. Shame has a long and convoluted history that I won’t get into here for the obvious reason, but not all shame is negative. You may feel shame for breaking a promise to a good friend, which is healthy; it means that you have a moral compass. Having a moral compass means that you’re caring and treat others the way you want to be treated. There are types of morality, but the only one that matters is the one based on kindness, respect, and self-accountability; and there is no shame in any of these human qualities.
Shame is at the root of our inhibitions, and while they may have originated with the church, their so-called moral standards are enforced by the state, which deems certain social and sexual activities verboten. The primary objective of both institutions is to accumulate wealth and power, and they achieve this by enacting laws prohibiting citizens from using their own bodies as they see fit. Contrary to what anyone may think, shame is a powerful influencer. The fatuous elements in a society are quick to succumb to such mental conditioning until they give up on making decisions for their own well-being. When we are asked what religion or church we “belong” to, it implies that we are property of the institution. Nowhere is it more evident than in Christian wedding ceremonies, where we are asked if we promise “to have and to hold” each other. We live in a patriarchal society, and it’s obvious that the one to be had and held is the woman. After all, men in Western society have been taught that a woman is a man’s property. Though church weddings are merely a tradition, most of us are shamed into having one, and depending on which church one belongs to, the church can insist on it or ban the offending couple.
Being shamed by others because you fail to adhere to society’s arbitrary rules and laws that restrict or forbid you from engaging in acts that are perfectly natural and of no harm to anyone is unhealthy. Shame is the catalyst of inhibition. While they may not have started it, Abrahamic religions are the purveyors of shame, and the state reinforces their beliefs by enacting laws based on the moral standards of the church. Despite the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, numerous such laws existed in the past, and some remain on the books today. The church wasn’t the one administering punishment; rather, it was the state through law enforcement. In this way, both institutions are responsible for imposing their will on the citizenry, thereby reducing them to property to be disposed of at will.
background image by Buffalor5
Sex Radicals
It has been commonly said that everything is political, and (as illustrated in the previous section) that certainly includes sex. Nowhere is that more certain than here in the United States of America. If you’ll recall, at the beginning of this chapter, I asked, “How does the release of our inhibitions benefit society, how is it related to revolutionary action, and what does it and socialism have to do with Neuerotica?” In her introduction to Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality, the late Ann Snitow writes:
While later generations of Marxian scientific socialists saw sex as secondary, derivative of the real relationships of production, many of the earliest socialist theorists and movements took sexual matters very seriously. The French Charles Fourier (1772–1837), for instance, one of the earliest utopian socialists, saw passionate attractions as germinal to the egalitarian, extra-familial bonds he envisioned. It was Fourier, for instance, who first perceived the connection, popular with subsequent sex radicals, between sexual monogamy and the acquisitive mentality fostered by private property.
In 2021, I began dating someone who was polyamorous, a term I was unfamiliar with. I was intrigued when she told me because it reminded me of an article I read several years ago about two women who agreed to share the same man. He had children with both women, and rather than fight over it, they discussed how they would handle the situation. To make a long story short, the man, the two women, and their children became a family. They lived in the same home and pooled their resources, which helped them manage their needs. I came away from that article realizing that the traditional family might soon be a thing of the past; in fact, it would be necessary.
Throughout our history, many spousal and familial relationships have been shaped by the availability of one sex or the scarcity of resources and labor. Even today, polyandry and polygamy are practiced by cultures in Asia, Africa, and amongst Native Americans. While the marital and sexual practices of these cultures work well within their own societies, that doesn’t mean they’ll succeed in the Western world. We should, however, take into consideration the interests of young people who have no desire to build a traditional family. Young people are discussing sexuality, romantic relationships, and families in the same discussions on socialism. Whether or not they’re aware of it, they consider these elements intertwined, the way early socialists did. These conversations prompted me to link their art to their social and political concerns through an editorial section that wouldn’t be prominent and wouldn’t interfere with the magazine's tone
There’s been debate amongst socialists over whether marital and sexual matters should take second place to other efforts to establish a socialist society. I believe these issues are equally important to those efforts for all the reasons mentioned earlier in this chapter. The home is where social movements begin, or rather, the necessity for a healthy household. We’re concerned with how we’ll pay our bills, mortgages, car notes, and so forth. They all require employment where the pay is fair, worker safety is a priority, and quality health insurance is provided. The absence of these factors can contribute to an unstable household, and so we organize to make changes that will improve our lives at home. Stable households are essential to society as a whole, and as we work towards building a better society, having fewer distractions can help immensely.
Evolution isn’t a process limited to life on our planet; the universe itself operates on that principle. Change is a necessity for the continuance of all life. Organisms that don’t evolve will die, and that applies to civilizations as well. The nuclear family of the 1950s and 1960s died as a result of industrialization and technology altering the way we lived our lives; this is a process that will continue into the future. If socialists are going to change society for the better, our views on marital, familial, and sexual relationships need to evolve. At what point will socialism make these matters a priority, if not now?
(For more information on the subject, I suggest reading Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality)
background image by killerorcaai
