Michael_Stones
Member
Annus Mirabilis (A poem by Phillip Larkin)
Sexual intercourse began
In nineteen sixty-three
(which was rather late for me) -
Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban
And the Beatles' first LP.
Up to then there'd only been
A sort of bargaining,
A wrangle for the ring,
A shame that started at sixteen
And spread to everything.
Then all at once the quarrel sank:
Everyone felt the same,
And every life became
A brilliant breaking of the bank,
A quite unlosable game.
So life was never better than
In nineteen sixty-three
(Though just too late for me) -
Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban
And the Beatles' first LP.
How times have changed. While preparing an article on research on romantic love across the life span, Tom Wolfe’s essay on hooking up by young people provided part of the background. Using a baseball analogy, Wolfe wrote that by the end of the last millennium "first base" meant deep kissing (‘tonsil hockey’), groping, and fondling; "second base" meant oral sex; "third base" meant going all the way; and "home plate" meant learning each other's names. Subsequent sociological studies by Kathleen Bogle and others established that hooking up (i.e., sexual behavior without commitment) had largely replaced traditional dating in campus settings. The picture below is a first stab at capturing some of the essence of hooking up. I’m sure others among you can take it further and do it better.
Cheers, Mike.
Sexual intercourse began
In nineteen sixty-three
(which was rather late for me) -
Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban
And the Beatles' first LP.
Up to then there'd only been
A sort of bargaining,
A wrangle for the ring,
A shame that started at sixteen
And spread to everything.
Then all at once the quarrel sank:
Everyone felt the same,
And every life became
A brilliant breaking of the bank,
A quite unlosable game.
So life was never better than
In nineteen sixty-three
(Though just too late for me) -
Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban
And the Beatles' first LP.
How times have changed. While preparing an article on research on romantic love across the life span, Tom Wolfe’s essay on hooking up by young people provided part of the background. Using a baseball analogy, Wolfe wrote that by the end of the last millennium "first base" meant deep kissing (‘tonsil hockey’), groping, and fondling; "second base" meant oral sex; "third base" meant going all the way; and "home plate" meant learning each other's names. Subsequent sociological studies by Kathleen Bogle and others established that hooking up (i.e., sexual behavior without commitment) had largely replaced traditional dating in campus settings. The picture below is a first stab at capturing some of the essence of hooking up. I’m sure others among you can take it further and do it better.
Cheers, Mike.
