BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Saturday, June 05, 2004
CASUAL TEEN SEX: THE ABRIDGED
VERSION. I've been too busy this week reading about
Judith
Miller's sex life and
Alexandra
Polier's non-sex life to
have set aside enough time to wade through the New York Times
Magazine's big cover story last week on teenagers'
sex lives. But since I've
already had to fumble through several conversations about this, I set
aside some time this morning, and read all 7400 words of
it.
Written by freelancer Benoit
Denizet-Lewis, the article - which brings new meaning to terms like
"friends with benefits" and "hooking up" - is a ripping good read.
After all, it's about sex. But if you haven't read it yet, you
probably never will. So in the best tradition of Slate's
"series-savers," I will bring you up to speed:
1. Teenagers are still having
casual sex.
2. The Internet makes it
easier.
3. Most adults think this is bad. A
few think this is good.
As magazine feature-writing,
Denizet-Lewis's story is first rate. As sociology, it's highly
suspect. Other than the technological advances that ease the
logistics of casual teen sex, there is nothing in here that is
persuasive on the matter of things being much different from what
they were 20, 30, or 40 years ago. In fact, Denizet-Lewis is too
honest to claim otherwise, although there is much huffing and puffing
designed to make you think things have changed dramatically.
If you were getting it then, you'd
probably be getting it today, too. And if - like, I suspect, most of
us - you weren't getting any then, things probably wouldn't be
much different in 2004.
posted at 10:38 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
