The Real Jean-Luc Picard

porcelain-horse-horselain:

 Not a god damn thing.

causbelli:

God, this photo bugs me so much. Our generation is pretty kickass when it comes to accepting people and ignoring societal bullshit and blahblahwhatever. Yeah, there’s still a long way to go, but it really is amazing, when you think about it, how much better we are on average with that stuff than our parents.

So the implication that this situation depicted is inherently a bad thing, or a sad thing, and seeing how many people reblog it as if to agree, bugs me. Just because a man has had more sexual encounters than his partner—male or female—should have no bearing on the particular engagement in sex with that partner. Why is this photo trying to convey a sense of tragedy, and shame? I’ve noticed that in films and such, when a woman has had sex with multiple partners, she’s portrayed as sexually free and independent, but when it’s a man, he’s a horndog and a player and he has to be reformed through monogamous twue wove.

Before anyone bitches at me—yes, there is a double standard in our society. Yes, this double standard usually plays in favor of men. But also yes, those men are often demonized for fitting that double standard. And it bugs me that there is this double-standard, but it also bugs me that, on this website in particular, so many people are continuing to play into it and keeping it going. Fuck the double standard. Be true in your feelings with someone and nothing else should matter.

If the man and woman in this photo are consenting adults who have control of their faculties, if they love each other, if they care about each other, or if they simply are looking to have a pleasurable experience together, then notches on the belt are of no consequence.

A reading from the vlog of John Green:

“‘Do you think it matters how many people someone’s slept with?’ No—and it really bothers me that women are held to a different standard on this front than men. Also, it’s such a weird thing to care about; like imagine if I started eating Cheerios for breakfast—would Cheerios be like ‘I’M THE FORTY-EIGHTH CEREAL YOU’VE TRIED EATING? I DON’T FEEL SPECIAL!’ Well then, screw you, Cheerios. I can’t go into the past and un-eat all those cereals, but that doesn’t mean I don’t genuinely enjoy your whole-grain crunch.”