>(Phil thinks a dose of countervailing criticism is needed at this
>juncture, in the midst of the uniform SoS2:7:Congratulation &
>Approbation. :) Phil takes an intentionally extreme stance. Phil dons
>his asbestos suit.)
>
Dude, asbestos suit or not, you really asked for it. I won't go full out since it mostly seems to be covered already, but really...

>No, *this* is where I will be narrow-minded and object: (2)
>Most of these characters having sex are *teenagers*, well under
>the age of 18. And unmarried, to boot. --Yes yes, I know real-world
>US statistics indicate kids as young as 12 are engaging in carnal
>relations, and there's precedent in anime, but I nonetheless carry
>this silly old-fashioned notion that fiction should *set an
>example*. Even if it's artificial. Even if the story's audience
>isn't the people who *need* the example. <shrug> It's the
>thought that counts.
>
OK, obviously you have lived a very sheltered life and never hung out with people your own age (assuming you're over the age of 12). Sex is a part of life. Not only that, but sex is a much greater part of childrens' lives than any American adult is willing to admit. You realize that this is one of the few contries out there that considers sex to be a taboo subject, right? Most of the rest of the world laughs at American "sex scandals". (The best example I know of is the Monica Lewinski affair - IIRC, at least one foreign official said that in their country if the head of state wasn't having at least one affair, the people would worry about him!)

Kids have sex. Period. Unfortunately it's people like you who don't believe in talking about it that are causing the real problems. Imagine a world where kids could feel free to talk about sex, ask questions about sex, and get help in dealing with sex. You know what would happen? Teen pregnancy rates would plumment. Kids who are having to deal with situations like Date Rape by hiding it would be less likely to suffer in silence, assuming they weren't able to prevent the rape in the first place. Teenagers would have one less thing to stress over than they already have just for being teenagers.

Yes, you've hit one of my buttons - deal. Just remember when it comes time for you to fumblingly talk to your kids about sex - the biggest cause of your discomfort is the fact that your parents weren't comfortable talking to you, and sex wasn't something you could talk about openly. Then see how you feel...

><uncle>ONE MORE THING!</uncle> --I have another objection, an
>idiosyncracy you could call it, against: (3) Sex in the stories I
>read: specifically, anything describing before, after, and especially
>-- and thank the Muses that EPU doesn't do *this* -- during.
>(I can name SF pro-authors who are horrible horrible offenders.) By
>the end of "SoS2:7:Ceremony & Celebration", Kate and Juri have
>apparently consummated their relationship. That just creeps me out.
>Honestly. Couldn't they do it *between* stories? And for
>balance, yes, the first encounters in UF1 creeped me out too. For
>reference: the scene in "Hopelessly Lost" when Gryph forces himself to
>drink coffee to dispel the image of Zoner with Sylia.
>
Um... Gryphon has never been explicit during sex scenes, and yet he's also treated them as an important part of the story (see above about life). The fact that he's not afraid to write about the emotional impact of characters sexual relationships just proves he's a lot more open-minded about sex than you are - in spite of his self-professed Puritanical background. If you don't want to read it, don't read it - just don't ask for help understanding things that you skipped. Over the years I've learned one thing about Gryphon's evolved writing style - if he writes it, he thinks it's important, and therefore I should probably read it if I want to know whats going on.

My suggestion is that you get some open-minded friends (at least on the issue of sex), hang out with them for a while, and hope your mind gets opened up a bit more. There's a lot of things out there that I personally have no desire to get involved with, but it doesn't mean I'm not willing to think about them in proper context.

Offsides

It says a lot about this country that Sex is considered taboo, while murder and death gets regular coverage on the evening news.
-- Me
#include <sex.h>