This week's cover story in the Catholic Newspaper is about the commercializing of Sex. It is a topic we see frequently; as an American have taken it for granted, as a Catholic do not believe it is for our good. There was a very good interview by a woman professor working for the promotion of equality of the sexes in the pages of the cover story.
She mentions that we have come to a point where it is difficult to tell what is commercializing of sex and what isn't. It has worked itself into all the facets of our life. We see it in the mass media under the guise of news , drama , games and even under the appearance of getting to understand a different culture: the naked sushi of a Japanese program where rice cakes topped with raw fish were being eaten off a woman's naked body.
She makes a very strong point that in the capitalistic system if you can make money selling a commodity then someone will. If there is something that will incite us than there will be people that will be attracted by curiosity. What's the problem?
Sex is the body. We can't separate sex from the personality. A person is the combination of heart mind and body. When we separate sex from the person we divide the person and we bring division into our lives. When this happens our person also becomes commercialized, we are a commodity. Sexual violence follows etc. We break the genuineness of our sexuality and do harm to our personality.
When society makes personalities into a commodity we become a shell. We have to prevent our bodies from being sold as a commodity. People who have a concern for what is happening to the sacredness of sex should bind together to change the thinking of our society. Those who are making money with the selling of sex, hopefully, will be sensitized to what is happening in their treatment of sex.
When our bodies can be sold as a tool for making money than there is no limit to what can be done. We have seen it with woman and we are seeing it appearing with men and there is nothing to stop it from going to children. This destroys the intimacy, the joy and happiness that belongs to sex.
When sex has become a tool for making money a commodity, there is no limit to where this attachment to money will take us.
