Remember when Chivalry was dying.....well now dating might actually be dying with it.
Before I get into my view, let me tell you where it comes from. According to Moira Weigel at the NY Times, dinner and a movie has been replaced with Netflix and chill. This is because the economy and long work weeks leave us with little time to court and anyone who looks at this with fear or disdain, is similar to our forefathers and mothers who thought that going "going steady"(dating) was wrong.
So for anyone who isn't familiar with it(don't worry I had to google it too) "Netflix and chill" is a (sleazy and easy) way to get someone over to your house so that you can engage in...er coitus.
However Weigel forgets about an entire group of people in this new era of dating. The ones that are practically asexual, because they can't find a good date, noone wants a committed relationship and Netflix and Chill is just not ok to them. As a result they've found that going asexual is the only way to keep their sense of self and morality intact in an age where sex is being sold like fast-food.
So here's my perspective. For one, I don't like how the article is trying to normalise casual sex. I get the whole "feminist" view on it, but as a feminist myself, I still believe that there are psychological drawbacks for both parties in casual sex. Also, I'm of the feminist who believes that masculinising the woman does not a gender equal society make. Instead it is about celebrating the feminine, no longer revering it or placing double standards on women and rebuilding the classic family nucleus with a more balanced and equal repartition of power.
I do believe that we all, men and women, go through a Netflix and Chill moment and that none should be shamed for it. Maybe we just got out of a bad breakup, are busy with work or maybe we are just horny. However, if social shaming were aside, more people and in particular women, would be open to admit that becoming a spinster was not their primary goal in life and that it wasn't just Big Bad Disney movies that indoctrinated women to want commitment. Also they would admit that casual sex, just like fast food, seems like a good idea at the time and makes you feel icky the next day.
So I also have to critique Weigel's way of tying Netflix and Chill into the economy. For one this is a good analysis and very accurate, but making it "Ok" attests to the idea that as humans we are just moving parts in the system of capitalism who should blindly accept all of its drawbacks without question. Sacrificing the Family Unit,Love and close relationships for the mere reason that we "don't have time" is signing away your right to the last joys of life that are left in favour of more money. But more money for who, are you earning more or are other people? I'll leave that question open.
"Love is an Activity" says Erich Fromm(The Art of Loving) and not something we should "fall into." And the idea of turning love into a commodity based on the "market value" of the individual is not a bad idea for capitalism but a terrible idea for building families and communities, which psychologist say is an important link to happiness and well-being.I'm of the opinion that certain things like Love and Food should never be Fcked with. Look what happened with the food industry. We started messing with it, people got fat and sick and now we have to go back to "organic food." When in fact an "organic" tomato is just a normal tomato that your grandmother ate 50 years ago. I mean why is it that Romeo and Juliet is still the number one love story of our time? And why is it that we still that we still don't fully understand the science of Love?We keep wracking our brains about it, because we keep fucking with it and then expect love to just "happen."
You want love to happen? stop Netflix and Chilling. You want love to happen? Quit texting and start talking. You want it to happen? forget about Channing Tatums and Megan Fox's, you've been overstimulated. Just like with switching from artificial to natural foods, adjust your palette. The good stuff won't always taste as good as the fake junk, but it's better for you in the long run. Take a second look at the shy receptionist, or the nice guy getting your coffee. Go green for love, and search for that natural organic feeling!
here is the NY Times article:http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/opinion/sexual-freelancing-in-the-gig-economy.html?_r=0




