Letters: Apr. 30, 1984

Sex '80s-Style

To the Editors:

As a cautious middle-aged man, I have been patiently biding my time until the sexual revolution became so prevalent that I could join without embarrassment to myself or my family [SEXES, April 9]. Shucks, now it is over. My predicament illustrates how "he who hesitates is lost."

Felix A. Gaudin

New Orleans

Freud warned that sexual reforms like those we have witnessed might make matters worse. In 1912 he foretold: "In times in which there were no difficulties standing in the way of sexual satisfaction, such as perhaps during the decline of ancient civilizations, love became worthless and life empty, and strong reaction-formations were required to restore the indispensable emotional value of love."

Lawrence Shornack

Greensboro, N.C.

In Eden, the site of the original revolution, Adam and Eve found it was the same old tale when they turned over a new leaf. Boring.

Ed Anthony

Naples, Fla.

Christianity has been teaching about sex, commitment and intimacy for centuries. I am glad an exhausted society has finally come to agree with the church.

(The Rev.) Donald F. DeGroat

Hackensack, N.J.

I am a 24-year-old male virgin and proud of it. The catchword for the '80s may be intimacy, but I wonder what ever happened to good old-fashioned love and sacrifice. We should concentrate on loving one another without attaching carnality to every relationship.

Eric E. Erdmanis

Havertown, Pa.

So the baby boomers have rediscovered the traditional values of fidelity, obligation and marriage. In the meantime, those of us who grew up in the '50s are left to deal with the broken marriages and lives that resulted when the commitment of a long-term marriage did not measure up to the promises of the Me generation.

Ruth Litke

St. Cloud, Minn.

I am dismayed to learn that the revolution is over. Having missed it, I would be most grateful if you would announce a new one in the near future.

Bruce R. Vogel

San Mateo, Calif.

Sex causes more disappointment than glorious realization. Sex and religion are burdens to mankind because of their inability to fulfill their enticing promises.

Howard W. Klippert

East Aurora, N. Y.

A revolution need not be ongoing to have effected change. What we considered yesterday to be outrageous behavior is no longer criticized or even noticed. Indeed, we have embraced the revolution as everyday life.

Steven J. Mongin

Green Bay, Wis.

I can tell you when the sexual revolution began: Oct. 29, 1960, at 4:20 p.m.—20 minutes after I got married!

Jim Greene

Whitestone, N. Y.

Capital Problem

Anyone who loves both Israel and America should consider the consequences of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem at this time [NATION, April 9]. This symbolic act would only serve to provoke P.L.O. terrorism against Americans who live, work or travel in Muslim countries.

Bernard L. Neville

Hattiesburg, Miss.