Tuesday, August 30, 2011

On Pat Buchanan and the Sexual Awakening of Chauncey DeVega



What a catchy title? And what an image...

I have a random question for those of you willing to indulge me for a second.

I very infrequently post on Daily Kos in their diaries section. I do this with shorter pieces or those that could go viral. It is also just good habit to spread work around to bring in different eyes and opinions.

Today, I shared my essay on Pat Buchanan and how the right is playing the black folks be taking white folks' jobs cut the federal government meme. The responses were not on the point and questions I offered. Rather, the comments were focused on the following passage in said piece:

The equivalent to Buchanan's screed would be having sex with a 13 year old teenager who read one of Ann Hooper's sex guides and had no practical field experience with the yoni: He knew all the points to hit; but the young Lothario lacked technique---groping and heated penetration that was frustrating to the degree that it titillated. But it was mighty enthusiastic!

Apparently, I am a perv and deviant for 1) suggesting that 13 year old teenage boys read sex guides and 2) that they want to practice said skills with the objects of their affection/affection/penile throbbings and 3) for using a sexual metaphor to talk about politics.

I know that my writing style is not for everyone. I can move from being deadly serious to darkly satirical on a dime--and often in the same piece. I also have no shame at sharing how as a young lad I would hump the bed Ghostface style as I brought myself to titanic rapture.

I also am not afraid to tell a story about how I once turned down a fun random post local bar roll in the hay with a hot in the pants for Chauncey DeVega's black genius white sister over President Lincoln's views on social equality between the races.

And no, I am not making that one up. We were ready to go to pleasure town and the conversation took an odd turn. You will have to read my autobiography one day to get all of the details (assuming a press will ever publish it).

Ultimately, I try to be real with all of you. I don't think that "punditry" or news analysis has to be boring and always so dry. Mix it up and have fun with it. Most importantly, I make a conscious effort to not take myself that seriously.

[On a related note, there could be a general discomfort with some of the readers at Daily Kos with issues of race more generally. I have heard that from folks, but I am not familiar enough with the site to know for sure]

I am all for corrections and suggestions about style, i.e. how such an allusion could be distracting to readers. But, I remain confused with how some folks could be so tender as to become upset by the thought that young people are sexual beings.

So my friends, was/am I a sex freak ghetto nerd because I read books on how to do the deed? Are those disturbed by a reference to teen sexuality suffering from a sex negative ethos? Is there something odd about me--being critically self-reflective for a moment--that as a function of upbringing and personality type I just don't get all the prudery and religious guilt about going to Space Mountain?

I believe it was either Gore Vidal or George Chauncey who said that Americans are fascinated with sex but remain profoundly immature about sexuality. Those remain wise words.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your site because of your writing style and in my honest opinion, I don't feel you need to hold back with anything. The truth can make people feel uncomfortable. I'm a woman and I'm nosey by nature; you could give more hints/clues as to who you really are :)

You wrote a post a long time ago about interracial dating and not understanding the qualms people have with it. After reading that post, I wondered if you had any deal breakers...lol thanks for sharing your personal story.

Oh Crap said...

Oh dear, Kos. Well, you tried. Pearls/swine.

Anonymous said...

So much of what is going on on the Kos site and everywhere else on the Internet is paid Koch/Murdoch/RNC trolls who are attempting to control, intimidate, confuse & misdirect the Left & Right alike and one of their favorite memes is denial of the existence of racism in this society. You would be a natural target. In truth there is really no telling if those who criticized you on that site were actually Lefties or the paid Social Engineering trolls who swarm the site. Please don't let anyone anywhere dissuade you or exercise editorial veto-power over ANY of your writing! You are a welcomed Godsend of a bright and shining light in your field. Your bold writing on Teaparty racism and their embarrassing brainwashed buckdancing Uncle Tom Front Men and etc are keeping a lot of us sane and delayed for the time being in our hoisting of H.L. Mencken's black flag signalling the arrival of the time of throat slitting. I always look forward to moar! Keep Up The Great Work!

Anarchist Black/White Rose

Anonymous said...

PS:
Hell no, you were no sex-freak ghetto nerd for reading or practicing with how-to sex manuals! Every 13 year old boy (and truth be told girl) are absolutely OBSESSED with sexuality--with it occupying about 80% of their consciousness, awake and asleep. As always, some paler people will be terrified at the thought of African American sexuality primarily out of some primal fear we might have body parts or sexual drives that might put theirs to shame. I say FUCK 'EM ALL! LMAO! xD ;)

Anarchist Black/White Rose

chaunceydevega said...

@Anon. Deal breakers? No food in the bed. Just nasty. And it can cause gas or stomach upset. Talk about ruining the moment.

@OhCrap. That is what I heard. Sensitive self-important types?

@Anon. I didn't think of the obvious here, could the idea of a person of color's sexuality, especially a black teenagers hit on something in the collective White subconscious. I have seen those professional trolls. Someone needs to do some good research on how the Right is using them online. I wonder if they are a type of automated spam or actually people repeating the same talking points.

Frank said...

I saw nothing pervy about your comment when I read it.

I certainly read "marriage manuals" (as they were called back then) as soon as I could get my hands on them, because I could get no answers to my questions from my parents. I still remember my father running from the room when I asked him how the sperm got to the egg. (They were otherwise excellent parents.)

I think that Americans are whacko crazy when the subject of sex comes up in connection with anything more serious than a Kardashian. They use "think of the children!" as a way of avoiding any kind of same discussion.

I have decided generally that "think of the children!" is often code for "I have serious hang-ups."

Oh Crap said...

@CD - With me, some of it is just technological/generational. I've never been part of that community, mainly because I didn't like the format. I've always had my own blogs, so never went for the Kos/LiveJournal/FDL-style diary model blogs.

It's old-school, but I've always been drawn more to the message board model for political stuff.

The other reason is, yeah, the types. For instance, I've also never been part of Democratic Underground or the even older Indymedia MBs, because of the types (many of whom I know graduated from DU to Kos)...self-important knowitalls, political amateurs, political for the first time, online for the first time.

I call it the How to Get Your Butt Kicked Out of SNCC model of activism. lol

Yeah, I can be pretty judgmental when it comes to this stuff; didn't mean to go on and on about it. But it's only because you run into the same old crud, regardless of the format or the membership. Same old white race rage, same old social retardation that plagues our politics generation after generation.

Kyle Barger said...

"So my friends, was/am I a sex freak ghetto nerd because I read books on how to do the deed?" Yes, because you read a book. Any book, on any topic. Talk about messed up.

(and yes, I do appreciate your dark satire.)