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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 5, 2025

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Also, I'm curious for your thoughts on the polyamory debate? I actually considered tagging you but didn't want to call you out hah.

Well, now that you're asking, my current opinion on Polyamory is very 2007:

Labels are for soup cans

Any attempt to create new rules for human sexuality seems to me to ultimately turn into an attempt to create opportunities to rules lawyer around human sexuality. A certain class of person tries to use the creation of a community or a movement around human sexuality to find opportunities to badger people into having sex with them even if they don't want to. Free love, polyamory, parts of the gay rights movement, much of the trans rights movement.

I never really had any interest in the community aspects of polyamory, or the whole lifestyle/polycule thing, for that reason. It mostly seemed like an elaborate way for people to take advantage of each other. There was a time in college I enjoyed reading stuff like Dan Savage or Sex at Dawn, and I don't think much of the theoretical case can be easily brushed aside, but I was never a true believer in the concept.

For me and my wife, bringing a girl home for a threesome occasionally was a lot of fun, but is now largely a hobby we no longer have time for, like golf or backpacking. Our adventures in bringing in an extra girl were fun, formed excellent memories and long lasting friendships, and lead to remarkably little drama. I highly recommend it if you get the chance, much like the Grand Canyon, it's one of the few things in life that doesn't disappoint.

I do have to laugh and think of Solon's advice to Croesus when I read these rose-tinted takes on the joys of lifelong monogamy in posts dunking on the plyggies.

Have your wife never asked you to bring a boy home for a change?

No. She's never been interested in that, for a variety of reasons.

For me and my wife, bringing a girl home for a threesome occasionally was a lot of fun

I really did not expect to hear something like this from you.

Hmm you make it sound so nice, but idk man. I still have a lot of trouble squaring the religious proscription toward monogamy with casual sex with an extramarital partner.

Why are you recommending extramarital sex right after invoking your religious affiliation?

Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

"My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many."

Okay that was pretty great.