“Whenever a taboo is broken, something good happens, something vitalizing. Taboos after all are only hangovers, the product of diseased minds, you might say, of fearsome people who hadn’t the courage to live and who under the guise of morality and religion have imposed these things upon us.” ~ Henry Miller
The older I get, the more I deplore the fact that I was born a century too early. When I was growing up, taboos were a fact of life and few people bothered to question their validity. “Decent people” couldn’t and would not talk about certain subjects. They were things that must be accepted without questioning they said. That was also the standard answer of the religious establishment to any inquiry.
Taboos were sustained by ignorance, and the powers that be tried to keep the masses uneducated as long as possible… especially the women. But through education came salvation and today taboos are being debunked one by one… for everybody’s benefit.
This mighty movement has been spearheaded by women. Today they are educated, vocal and fearless. They are a far cry from yesterday’s generation. They are not the timid, innocent little things that had to be shielded and protected at any cost. Men have half-heartedly followed the movement, but the heavy lifting is still done by women… bless their little determined souls.
Today no subject is taboo. If you go to YouTube, you can see and hear women talking at length about the greatest taboo of them all: SEX. And they spare no detail.
If you are a newbie in the game of love, they will set you straight. Forget the sexual education that you received in high school. The practical details about all common sexual practices are there for all to hear and see. Today a teenager knows more about sex than his parents.
There are still a few enduring taboos like personal finances, political and religious opinions, but most of the others are dead or dying. The old stigma about living together and having a baby outside of marriage has long been buried. Today everybody (especially celebrities) does it and nobody raises an eyebrow.
Being gay or being anything other than heterosexual is now old shoe. Closets are emptying faster than toilet bowls and most of us are yawning at this occurrence.
Guys used to make the first move… they don’t have to, anymore. Girls now don’t hesitate to put the make on anybody they set their eyes on. And why not?
Tattoos were for a long time the exclusive domain of men and it did not help a girl’s reputation to get inked. Forget about that ancient notion. Women are now covered with tattoos from head to toes (including the parts not usually seen). It is OK by me, but a girl tattooed like a French Foreign legionnaire is not my cup of tea.
And so it goes… tattoos are now biting the dust faster than old campaign slogans and they won’t be missed. Unfortunately, some taboos are like vampires…when one dies a new one takes his place… like the new anti-vaccination charade.
Keep a wooden stake handy and if you come across a new taboo, don’t hesitate… plant the stake through its heart.
Taboos are bad for you. Get rid of all of them and let the sunshine in!
Alain