Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog

July 24, 2018 · 5:37 am

Biotechnology And The Future Of Gender

With each passing year, it seems gender-driven conflicts are becoming more and more heated and less and less rational. Every time I bring them up, which is distressingly often, I feel like I have to walk through a minefield while juggling chainsaws. I know it doesn’t take much to start a controversy these days and I’d rather not add fuel to that fire.

The current state of gender conflict is pretty intense. I expect it to get worse before it gets better, but I don’t want to dwell on that too much for the moment. Instead, I’d like to do what I often do when I discuss emerging technology and contemplate the future. Moreover, I want to focus on the potential for a better future between the genders.

Yes, I realize the situation is pretty hectic now. I also don’t deny that trends in feminism and the associated backlash make it difficult to be optimistic. I’m still going to try because I believe we’re getting close to a point where the barriers that hinder a truly egalitarian society will eventually fall. It’s just a matter of developing the right tools.

Chief among those tools are those emerging in the field of biotechnology. It’s a subject I’ve highlighted before, primarily in terms of its potential to treat disease and provide better contraception. Those kinds of advances are just stepping stones, though. The true potential of biotechnology goes much further.

With respect to gender, I think most won’t deny that there’s room for improvement in terms of the current dynamic. Whether you’re a man, woman, or something in between, most people don’t have to think too hard to surmise imperfections in the current system. I’ve mentioned a few, but they’re worth scrutinizing.

If you’re a woman, those imperfections take a fairly direct toll and not just in terms of being the gender that bears children. Beyond the burdens that facet of womanhood has incurred historical, there are still some fairly substantial gaps between women and men today. Regardless of whether or not you’re a feminist, the data is pretty clear. Women are not on a level playing field with men.

If you’re a man, that’s just as true. Men may not bear children, but they also bear plenty of burdens. They are expected to fight in bloody wars, making up 97 percent of all war deaths. They work harder, more dangerous jobs that disproportionately kill them. They’re also expected to be okay with having their genitals mutilated as babies. By those metrics, men are not on a level playing field, either.

Things get even more unequal when you put transgender issues into the mix and I’m not just talking about which bathrooms they have to use. Transgender individuals face a unique brand of issues, ranging from housing discrimination to healthcare access. Regardless of how you feel about transgender issues, and some question whether it’s even real, these people are struggling under the current dynamic.

It’s a dynamic that, for most of human history, has been heavily influenced by the limits of biology. Like it or not, we’re very much at the mercy of what evolution has wrought. Even if you’re among the crowd who thinks gender is entirely socially constructed, it’s impossible to get around hard biology, at least for now.

The hard data is fairly clear. Human beings are sexually dimorphic, which means there are intrinsic physical differences between men and women. Since one gender bears children while the other doesn’t, that kind of has to be the case. Considering how well our species has thrived over the past several thousand years, you could make the case that these dynamics have worked fairly well.

However, there’s still room for improvement. In the tradition of the Doug Stanhope principle, it’s worth asking a simple question about our current gender situation. If the current dynamic didn’t exist, would you invent it that way? If you were working from scratch, would you create a species in which half the population had to bear children for nine months while the other half had part of their genitals hanging outside their bodies?

I’m not saying the human body, in its current form, isn’t a beautiful work of nature, but there’s no denying its flaws. As long as those flaws remain in place, the amount of progress we can make towards a truly egalitarian society will be limited. With the emergence of biotechnology, though, there may come a time when we may not be subject to those constraints.

When you get right down to the differences in muscle mass and endurance, much of it is driven by genetics. There’s only so much we can do with hormones and supplements, as female body builders have shown, before genetics comes into play. We’re only just starting to hack some of those genes, but there’s still room for refinement.

That refinement will come as the technology matures, just as we’ve seen with refinements to in vitro fertilization and LASIK eye surgery. It won’t happen all at once, but there may come a point when we have a sufficient understanding of the human genome and how to change it at the genetic level with tools like CRISPR.

Once we have that knowledge, then there’s no reason why we couldn’t modify individual genomes to a point where men and women are completely equal in terms of strength, stamina, and overall physicality. In that situation, there’s no reason why a woman couldn’t carry out the same physically demanding tasks as men.

For the mental side, though, that may end up being trickier. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the brain in general, let alone the innate differences between men and women. Most current research seems to suggest there are some differences, but the extent of those differences aren’t really clear. There’s evidence that there could be even more differences in the brains of transgender individuals.

Even if those differences are biologically innate, they can still be manipulated with the right tool. Some of those tools are already in development in the form of brain implants, such as those being developed by Neuralink. Whether it’s problem solving or emotional intelligence, there’s no reason why any gender-based difference can’t be resolved with a properly-calibrated implant.

Put all these advances together and the future of gender may render our current conflicts obsolete. I believe that if it is the goal of society to create a truly egalitarian structure for men, women, and everything in between, then the necessary tools to do so will make that possible at some point. The only question is whether or not that will actually be the goal.

I can’t speak for everyone who has ever argued for a certain gender-based issue. Being a man, I don’t deny that my perspectives on gender are limited by my experiences. However, if we’re going by what has worked best from an evolutionary perspective, a species that can effectively cooperate, communicate, and share knowledge has a huge advantage.

Reducing gender disparity at a genetic and physical level has plenty of benefits on paper. Add artificial wombs to the mix, effectively removing the burden of child-rearing from half the population, and suddenly our entire species is on a level playing field. That opens the door to entirely new manifestations of gender, as we know it.

I can’t predict what form that will take. Once we start manipulating our genes and our looks, by default, then the line between what is feminine and what is masculine may blur. While I don’t think it will disappear entirely, I think there will be some adjustments. It may even lead to entirely new gender-driven conflicts in the short term.

In the long run, though, I think the future of gender will arc towards greater equality overall. There may come a time where every individual born has the same physical and mental potential, regardless of their gender. Women will be as physically strong as men. Men will be able to multi-task like women. They may still look distinct, but their abilities will be truly equal.

A society full of those individuals will require an entirely new dynamic, one built around a host of new tools that we’re just starting to develop. It could just as easily go in the opposite direction with various gender gaps widening as a result of those tools. However, I believe that the benefits of equality will win out, albeit for purely pragmatic reasons. A future with that level of equality will likely result in the greatest potential for everyone.

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Filed under futurism, gender issues, human nature, Marriage and Relationships, sex in society, sexuality

Tagged as anti-feminism, artificial uterus, artificial womb, biology, biotechnology, egalitarian, egalitarianism, feminism, gender, gender equality, gender inequality, gender issues, gender roles, human relationships, men, men's issues, men's rights, Radical Feminism, relationships, Singularity, technological singularity, technology, transgender, Transgender Issues, transhumanism

July 23, 2018 · 5:31 am

Why We Should Accept James Gunn’s Apology And Support His Re-Hiring

In the spirit of honesty and transparency, I’m going to admit something that should surprise no one.

I, Jack Fisher, have said horrible, offensive things in the past. For that, I sincerely apologize.

I’ll give everyone a moment to recoil in shock. Now, I’ll turn off the sarcasm and get serious because this is an issue I’ve already done plenty to belabor. People say offensive things. People write offensive things. I know I have, given some of the sensitive topics I’ve covered.

I’m certainly not alone. These days, it’s hard to go more than a day without reading something horribly offensive on social media. Not all of the offense warrants the same outrage, though. Some comments are just trolling. Some trigger reactions that lead to actual crimes. Not all offensive speech warrants immense outrage is what I’m saying.

That brings me to James Gunn, the man who made movies about a talking raccoon, a talking tree, and the goofy guy from “Parks and Recreation” that went onto make over $1.6 billion at the box office. His star really rose fast after the unexpected success of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” He’s credited with taking the Marvel Cinematic Universe to cosmic heights. He has accomplished a lot in the past four years.

Now, he’s been fired. He’ll have no part in “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.” The circumstances, context, and fallout from this huge turn of events is astonishing, but for all the wrong reasons.

The particulars here are striking. Mr. Gunn was not fired because he committed a serious crime or got embroiled in a disturbing scandal. He got fired because someone who didn’t agree with his political views dug up some old social media posts from 10 years ago that were lewd, offensive, and downright disgusting.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Gunn apologized for it immediately. He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t whine about fake news. He didn’t claim his account was hacked. He took ownership of the things he said and apologized.

Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.

It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.

In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.

For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.

Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.

It still wasn’t enough, though. He still got fired and there’s a very good chance that the career he worked so hard for has been damaged beyond repair. It’s all because of horrible things he said 10 years ago. That’s worth emphasizing because the person someone is now and the person they were 10 years ago can be very different.

People grow, develop, and change over the course of their lives. I certainly have. In that time, people will say and do things that they don’t realize will have major consequences 10 years down the line. We can’t even know what kind of person we’ll be a week from now, let alone 10 years.

We’re going to do and say dumb things. That’s just a part of being human. However, now that the internet and social media document these things, our worst moments and most ill-advised decisions are there for all to see. We can no longer trust people to just forget. In Mr. Gunn’s case, someone went out of their way to dig up these horrible comments and that continues a dangerous precedent.

That precedent was already set with Rosanne Barr and this effectively raises the stakes. Now, even when you don’t blame sleep medications and give a sincere apology, you can still lose everything you’ve worked for. All it takes is someone with enough free time, resources, and hatred to do it. For celebrities, these are dangerous and unforgiving times, indeed.

Now, I know it’s hard to feel sympathy for celebrities, who live in big mansions, get preferential treatment wherever they go, and never have to worry about their next mortgage payment. Mr. Gunn is probably going to be okay thanks to the millions he’s already made. At the same time, though, what does undermining his career accomplish?

It doesn’t undo the things he said. It doesn’t undo any of the offense people felt. If anything, it sends a message to aspiring celebrities that anything they say and do will be used against them in the future. Even if that makes some people more careful about what they say online, it doesn’t change the fact that people will say and do dumb things every now and then.

It’s a no-win situation. If you can’t make excuses or offer a sincere apology, then what is the recourse? What was Mr. Gunn’s alternative? Short of going back in time and punching himself in the throat, there was nothing he could’ve done. How is that fair? How is that even logical?

On some levels, I don’t blame Marvel Studios and Disney for cutting ties with Mr. Gunn. They’re a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate that is very sensitive to the value of their brand. They’re also a private entity and not a government so the first amendment does not necessarily apply to them. They can fire whoever they want for whatever reason they want.

Even so, there doesn’t appear to be much effort to accept Mr. Gunn’s apology. While some have expressed understanding, there isn’t much effort in terms of undoing the damage. It’s as though this is the new normal. This is what happens to anyone who dares to let their stupidity end up on the internet. There’s no forgiveness. There are no second chances, either. If you mess up once, you’re finished and your career is over.

Think about the larger implications of that situation. If that’s how we’re going to deal with people who say offensive things, then where’s the real incentive for people to learn from their mistakes? Why would anyone even try to apologize or show regret if the end result is the same?

That’s not to say the situation is hopeless. There is already a Change.org petition to urge Marvel and Disney to rehire Mr. Gunn. As of this writing, it has over 150,000 signatures. Whether that’s enough remains to be seen and the fact that something like that is necessary to accept someone’s apology is still saying a lot.

I already worry that the next time a well-known celebrity says or does something offensive, they won’t even bother with apologizing. Why would they if it’s just going to sink their career or require a petition to keep it going? What kind of excuses will they resort to and how much more damaging will they be?

Accepting apologies aren’t just good values to live by. They’re critical to helping people grow as human beings. I believe Mr. Gunn meant it when he apologized, but I worry that he and other celebrities like him will come to see it as an empty gesture that won’t save their careers.

There are plenty of cases where accepting someone’s apology just isn’t warranted, especially if they have a history of saying and doing terrible things. Mr. Gunn is not such a case. If ever there was a time to set a precedent for accepting someone’s sincere apology, this is it. Even if it’s too late for Mr. Gunn, it’s still a precedent worth setting.

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Filed under Celebrities and Celebrity Culture, censorship, Current Events, human nature, media issues, psychology, superhero movies

Tagged as apology, being offensive, celebrities, celebrity culture, celebrity scandals, censorship, conservative, Disney, Facebook, forgiveness, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, James Gunn, Kevin Feige, liberal, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, offensive, psychology, Racism, Roseanne, sex, sexism, social justice, social justice warrior, social media, social psychology, Twitter

July 22, 2018 · 12:06 am

Jack Fisher’s Sexy Sunday Thoughts: San Diego Comic Con 2018 Edition

Another year has come and so too has San Diego Comic Con. For die-hard comic book fans like me, it’s like Christmas with sexier costumes. Between the news about my favorite comics, fresh movie trailers, and the greatest cos-players in the world, it’s basically my Woodstock. While I’ve made numerous trips to the New York Comic Con, one of the items on my bucket list is to go to San Diego one year.

I wasn’t able to make it out this time. I’m hoping that when I become a best-selling writer, I’ll have the money, time, and resources to make the trip. I’ll even try to make an elaborate costume, whether it’s one of the X-men or Wonder Woman. I don’t know when that moment will come, but for now I’m content to just follow the big news, admire the cos-players, and discuss the best and sexiest moments.

The middle of summer is awesome enough between hot weather, trips to the beach, and valid reasons for sleeping naked. Adding San Diego Comic Con to the mix is just an extra thick layer of frosting on top. I can think of no better summer event for which to dedicate my Sexy Sunday Thoughts. Whether you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego or just like browsing the internet while dressed as a superhero, this is for you. Enjoy!

“There’s no right way to finding out you enjoy having your nipples pinched.”

“A G-spot only exists for those determined to find it and willing to share the journey.”

“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but a cucumbers tends to have some pretty specific implications.”

“You can’t say you’re in love without knowing the distinct scent of your lover’s genitals.”

“To argue with someone after great sex is akin to sleeping after a long nap.”

“Children are a joy because they’re the literal manifestation of orgasms.”

“Yelling the name of a deity during sex is the only prayer all faiths share.”

To those who got to addend the San Diego Comic Con this year, I envy you and I hope you had an excellent time. I hope to join you one year. Until then, keep making those costumes as sexy and awesome as possible. For events like this, you guys are the real heroes.

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Filed under Sexy Sunday Thoughts

Tagged as comedy, crude humor, crude jokes, funny, funny jokes, humor, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, jokes, raunchy, raunchy comedy, raunchy jokes, sex, sex comedy, sex humor, sex jokes, sexy, sexy comedy, sexy humor, sexy jokes, Sexy Shower Thoughts, Sexy Sunday Thoughts, shower thoughts

July 21, 2018 · 6:47 am

“The Motivator” A Sexy Short Story

The following is a sexy short story I wrote involving job interviews, confidence, and a beautiful woman who helps with both. Enjoy!

“You can do this, Mike. You can do this. You’re ready! You couldn’t be more ready if you tried.”

Michael Young said those words again and again as he paced restlessly in a small conference room. In just under an hour, he was scheduled for an interview that might very well determine the course of his life. He’d been busting his ass, working long hours and late nights at this company for nine years. After all that time and toil, the opportunity he’d been hoping for came along.

Six weeks ago, a new senior executive position opened in a newly-formed department. Whoever got that job wouldn’t just be taking over for some old employee who retired. They would be in a position to forge a bold new path for themselves and the company. It wouldn’t just be a promotion. It would be a clean slate with which to build a career to call his own.

Michael had been searching for that opportunity since he graduated college, having gone into debt and lived in crappy shared apartments for nearly six years. He only recently began driving a car that was less than 10 years old. Just paying off his debts wasn’t enough, though. Michael aspired to something more.

“This is what you worked for,” he told himself. “Nobody else will do this as well as you. You know that. Don’t you?”

That last part made him cringe, so much so that he had to stop pacing and lean on the conference table for support. He closed his eyes and cussed himself out for having such crippling doubt. That had been his biggest flaw ever since he started working, having lost out on more than one promotion because of it. His ex-girlfriend once told him his doubts made him falter and when he faltered, it was painfully obvious.

“You know. You know. You know, damn it!” Michael repeated, trying to hammer that into idea into his brain.

He checked his watch again. He now had 55 minutes left. Time was going painfully slow and he was already sweating bullets. At the rate he was going, he’d be a wreck before the interview started.

Michael refused to let that do him in. He already got much farther than most. Only five people were set to interview for the new position, him being one of them. His old supervisor even told him that the Board wasn’t looking to bring someone in from the outside. They wanted their new executive to come from within. They wanted someone who knew the company and was ambitious to build it up. That fit him to the letter.

Then again, those four other candidates probably thought the same. Some might even be more qualified, connected, or experienced than him, at least on paper. If he was to have any chance, he had to make a lasting impression in the interview.

He’d been practicing, mentally and in front of a mirror for nearly three days straight. Little things like sleep and relaxation had been exceedingly limited. He refused to use that as an excuse, though. He’d worked as hard as he could, preparing as best as he could. There was literally nothing else he or anyone could possibly do.

As he leaned on the desk, trying to purge his mind of all shreds of doubt, the door to the conference room opened. Having been told the room was supposed to be vacant all day, it caught him off guard.

“Michael Young? Is that you?” a female voice said.

“Yeah, who wants to…”

Michael stopped himself in mid-sentence. It wasn’t because he’d been overly shocked by the unexpected intrusion. It was because the intruder happened to be a tall, beautiful, and distinctly buxom woman in a black buckled sheath dress. Having become very familiar with the men and women who worked at the company, Michael didn’t recognize her and that was a telling sign.

“Um…I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said awkwardly, trying to collecting himself. “I’m just a little tense right now.”

“I can see that,” the woman said with a wry grin, “but if you are Michael, then I’m in the right place.”

“Are you sure? The facilities guy told me I’d have this room to myself for an hour. I’ve got this big interview coming up.”

“I know about the interview. I also know about this room being unoccupied for the day. That’s what I was hoping for. I’d rather not have any interruptions.”

There was a mysterious, but alluring subtext to her voice. Michael wasn’t sure what to make of it, but did not protest as the woman closed the door behind her, locked it, and set her purse aside.

As she walked over to him, he noticed something else about the woman that might or might not have been intentional. Not only was her dress somewhat undersized for her voluptuous figure, it did a poor job of containing her large breasts, so much so that he swore he could see her nipples poking out from the fabric. Having grown up in a house with three sisters, he could tell when a woman wasn’t wearing bra.

That alone hinted that the woman wasn’t the new intern in accounting. She couldn’t be the senior VP’s new assistant either, who was gay and extremely uptight about the office dress code. The way she walked and the way she carried herself made clear that she did not work at the company, but her poise gave the impression she owned every room she entered.

“My name is Elizabeth Sweet,” she said, now standing so close that he could smell her perfume. “I’m a consultant, of sorts. Your old friend Oliver hired me to help you before your interview.”

“Ollie hired you?” Michael said with a raised eyebrow. “Oliver Owen, the same guy who hired strippers for our college graduation party and still somehow married my ex-supervisor’s daughter?”

“Yep! That’s him,” Elizabeth affirmed. “He’s what you might call a novel thinker in the field of human resources.”

“That’s the least vulgar way to describe Ollie’s approach to management, but I’ll go with it.”

“For the past year, he’s hired me a few times to help motivate those he feels has potential. He told me you have more than anyone he’s come across and paid me extra to help you realize it.”

Michael opened his mouth to respond, but fell silent when Elizabeth moved in closer and snaked her arms around his neck. The warmth of her body, the soft touch of her smooth skin, and the devious glint in her eye helped captivate him to a point where he forgot about his earlier doubts. On top of that, he could feel her breasts pressing up against his chest through his suit, confirming that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

It also confirmed that Elizabeth Sweet – which he doubted was her real name – wasn’t the kind of consultant who lectured companies on leadership skills. Michael had been to enough strip clubs and bachelor parties – mostly with Oliver, no less – to recognize a sex worker. That helped him piece together what his friend had done for him.

“Remind me to thank and/or kill Oliver when this is over,” Michael said.

“It’s probably best you decide after you get your promotion,” replied Elizabeth in an overtly seductive voice.

“After? You sure sound certain.”

“And so should you,” she retorted. “You probably think I’m just some bimbo your buddy hired to boost your spirits…that this is just some elaborate prank meant to help you loosen up.”

“You don’t strike me as a bimbo, Ms. Sweet,” he said, “but to be fair, that sounds exactly like something Ollie would do.”

“I don’t think you give your friend enough credit. You see, I am in the business you think I am, but not to the extent you assume. I have a specialty, so to speak. I have a talent for gauging someone’s potential and helping them realize it.”

As if to make her point, she trailed her hand down his chest and over his torso. Even through his dress shirt, he could feel the warmth of her touch. It sent shivers through his body, which was a welcome contrast from all the anxious feelings he’d been experiencing.

Then, when she reached his pants and traced around his groin, Michael felt his dick spring to life. He was somewhat embarrassed at first, but a coy grin from Elizabeth helped reassure him. For all he knew, he’d just made her point.

“In my extensive experience with men, there’s a considerable difference between who have great ambition and those who actually pursue it,” she went on, her hand still rubbing the outline of his cock through his pants.

“What kind of difference?” asked Michael, trying his best to distract himself.

“It’s akin to the difference between wanting something and really desiring it,” Elizabeth said, using very erotic overtones for that last part. “Most people want that big promotion, a fat raise, or a beautiful woman to rub their cock. To desire it, though, you need to be extra motivated. Not just to work hard, either. It has to really matter to you.”

While still rubbing over his pants with one hand, she used the other to grasp his wrist and guide his hand to her butt. Having been leaning back on the conference table, it left him off-balance. He quickly regained it, though, reaching around with his other hand so that he had her heart-shaped butt in her grasp.

Even through her dress, it felt so good. Her presence, her body, and her voice just radiated so much sex appeal. He found himself giving her butt a quick squeeze, evoking a favorable response in Elizabeth. In fact, she seemed genuinely aroused by it.

“I can tell you’re motivated, Michael,” she said. “I sense this promotion does matter to you.”

“Is that really all you sense?” Michael said with a half-grin.

“I could spend the next several hours documenting all the things I see in you…your demeanor, your sense of passion, and even your taste in clothing,” said Elizabeth, “since we don’t have much time though, I’ll cut to the chase.”

“And hopefully it doesn’t involve my taste in men’s fashion.”

“It doesn’t. It involves the finding the necessary strength a man needs do more than pursue his ambition. If he’s going to get what he desires, he needs to be motivated into tapping that strength. That’s where I come in.”

The voluptuous woman gave his groin another squeeze. At that point, there was a noticeable bulge in his pants. Her touch, her presence, and her seductive tone had gotten his blood flowing and his heart racing in just the right ways. Considering how stressed he’d been moments ago, it was quite a feat, which said just as much about Elizabeth than it did about him.

With that bulge so visible, the beautiful woman reached behind and grasped his wrists. From there, he guided his hands up from her butt onto the zipper of her dress.

“Here,” she told him. “Help me out of this tight dress.”

“But…” Michael began, his mind racing almost as much as his heart.

“It’s okay. I checked with the facilities guy too. There won’t be any interruptions.”

He smiled awkwardly and did as she requested, unzipping the back of her dress all the way down. Someone walking in on them at that point was only one of his concerns, but as soon as he got a glimpse of Elizabeth’s half-naked body, all those concerns disappeared.

Once the dress fell to the floor in a crumbled heap, the beautiful woman was in nothing but a black thong and overpriced heels. The sight of her smooth skin, blemish-free skin filled him with a mix of awe and desire. Her breasts, especially, caught his attention.

“Whoa,” Michael said, much to her amusement.

They were so big and round. How that dressed contained them comfortably was beyond his understanding. He doubted they were natural. He knew the signs of surgically-enhanced cleavage as well as any man with an internet connection and a healthy male libido.

He was tempted to find out for certain, but before he could even ask, Elizabeth kicked her dress aside and guided his hands onto her breasts. Beyond just confirming they were fake, they gave him an intoxicating taste of her wondrous flesh.

“Go on,” Elizabeth told him. “Feel my breasts. Squeeze them a little. Show me your strength.”

“Um…okay,” was all he could get out.

Like a kid in a candy store, Michael began fondling her breasts. He wasn’t too firm, but he wasn’t gentle either. After squeezing her butt earlier, he got the impression that she appreciated shows of strength. The way she moaned when he squeezed her luscious tits, giving the nipples a little pinch for good measure, further affirmed that sentiment.

“Mmm…that’s it. I like that!” she purred. “Your hands a strong. Strength comes from ambition. Ambition comes from desire…really powerful desire.”

“Powerful…yeah,” Michael said distantly.

It sounded like a mind game, but it worked. He soon found himself rubbing and kneading her breasts with more fervor, really enjoying the way they felt in his hands. He wanted it…desired it. As such, he seized it. Doing so didn’t just fuel his arousal. It made him feel stronger.

It seemed to have a similar effect on Elizabeth. As she moaned, she reached between his legs again and rubbed the bulge in his pants. He felt his dick tense under her touch again, reflecting another growing desire. As that feeling intensified between them, she leaned in a bit closer and kissed the side of his face before. Then, she whispered something into his ear.

“Undo your belt, unzip your pants, and sit down on the table,” Elizabeth said. “I’m going to suck your dick.”

“Is that supposed to make me stronger?” he asked

“In a sense,” she replied.

Whether or not that was part of the mind games didn’t matter to Michael at that point. Now feeling both aroused and motivated, he did as she asked. He released his grip on her breasts, albeit reluctantly, and undid his pants. He couldn’t get them off fast enough, even fumbling somewhat to push them down his legs along with his underwear. The presence of a raging boner didn’t help, but being so motivated, he got them off.

“Hmm…I see some of your strength is already endowed,” she teased upon seeing his erect dick.

“Somehow, I think I’m going to need more,” Michael said as he sat up on the table.

“That’s why I’m here…in a sense.”

She snickered seductively, carrying herself like a temptress and a guide. Michael could honestly say he’d never been more motivated to see where this went, with or without his pants on.

Once on the table, his pants falling off his legs in the process, Elizabeth dropped to her knees and positioned herself between his legs. She showed plenty of ambition of her own, grasping the base of his cock with one hand and reaching into her panties with another. He saw plenty of desire in her as well, not to mention uncanny sex appeal.

“Time to taste the extent of your strength,” she said, licking her lips in ambition. “Let’s see if I can bring a little extra out!”

“I’d…like to see that too,” said Michael.

That sounded less confident than he’d hoped, but that didn’t dissuade the ambitious woman. With the kind of intent that any businessperson would respect, she leaned in and enveloped his cock with her mouth. As soon as he felt those soft lips and wet tongue on his shaft, he leaned back on the table and moaned.

“Ohhh fuck!” he gasped. “That’s…real strong.”

She responded by unleashing a focused onslaught of oral sex, sucking and licking his member with a skill that was nothing short of professional. Given his situation, seeking to prove his own profession competence, there was something uniquely fitting about that.

From feeling so uptight and tense mere moments ago, Michael felt a welcome wave of contentment as steady streams of pleasure coursed up through his body. That feeling of hot, slithering bliss around his manhood left him feeling empowered as well as aroused. He eventually had to remove his blazer to better-cope with the heat. However, as good as it felt, he still wanted more.

There was that ambition within him…that powerful desire that went beyond a simple want. Getting his dick sucked by a beautiful woman during a work day was nice, but there was potential for so much more and he sought to realize it.

“Mmm…Elizabeth,” Michael grunted, “That feels so good, but…”

“But what?” she asked, briefly ceasing her sucking, but still stroking his cock.

“I want more,” he told her.

“You want more?”

“No!” he said with more intent. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to fuck you on this table. I’m going to fuck you hard. And I’m going to fuck you until we come.”

“And that’s what you desire?”

“Fuck desire! That’s what’s going to happen. I’m certain of it.”

Michael said those words with more strength than anything he’d ever uttered to that point in his life. It surprised him much more than Elizabeth. If anything, Elizabeth seemed smug about it, as though her suspicions of him had been vindicated.

Regardless of vindication, she gave his cock one last lick before rising back to her feet. She then casually slid her panties down her thighs, revealing her perfectly-groomed womanhood, which had been fondled to full arousal during her oral teasing.

“Very well, Mr. Young,” Elizabeth said in an official tone. “Do as you say. Use your strength to realize that certainty.”

“Oh I intend to do all that and then some!”

Flushed with confidence, arousal, and overall desire to fuck a beautiful woman, Michael got up off the desk and took the now-naked Elizabeth in his arms. She kept goading him with that seductive gaze of hers, daring him to fuck her as hard as he promised and then some. He had every intention of delivering.

With strength radiating from every muscle, he turned her around and bend her over the conference room table. Her breasts now mashed up against the polished wood and her heart-shaped butt pointed towards him, Michael grabbed her by the hips and positioned himself behind her.

There was no hesitation or reservation of any kind. As soon as the tip of his dick made contact with her wet opening, he drove his hips forward, thrusting his rigid length into her womanly depths. That hot feeling of her flesh surrounding his was incredible. Moreover – and more importantly, with respect to his pending interview – it brought out a new strength within him.

“Ooh Michael!” the beautiful woman gasped. “Your dick…so deep and powerful. I love it!”

The sound of her voice – and the message her words conveyed, more so – inspired Michael to fuck Elizabeth with more energy than he had ever dared with a woman. He treated the act of having sex with her as the most important, meaningful task in his life at that moment. If the sheer volume of her moans were any indication, that effort showed.

He was intense, but not rough with his motions, imparting a unique intensity into each thrust. The way her body rocked with each movement, her nails raking down the wood as her naked skin rubbed up against the table, reverberated with his passionate energy. It wasn’t just the sex itself that conveyed the feeling. He made full use of his hands, reaching around with one to fondle her clitoris and using the other to squeeze her butt.

It didn’t just reflect his desire. It demonstrated his certainty with respect to delivering as he promised. He was going to fuck her. He was going to make her climax. There was no doubt or uncertainty. It was going to happen and he was going to make it happen. No other thought crossed his mind.

“You’re going…to come,” Michael grunted in between thrusts. “I’m going to…make you…come!”

Every thrust of his hips, providing the heated rhythm of his manly flesh pumping into her feminine depths, pushed her closer to that goal. The way she bucked her hips and arched her back helped supplement his motions, reflecting her own desire to achieve that same peak. Through that focused desire, shared by a common motivation, he sent Elizabeth to the brink of orgasm.

“Oohhh Michael!” she panted. “You’re…you’re going to do it! You’re going to…make me…come!”

He barely heard those words and the moans that came with it. Michael was so focused that the world around him became muted. He just kept working his hips, fucking her pussy and fondling her clit until she crossed that special threshold.

When it finally happened, there was no ambiguity. The beautiful, voluptuous woman closed her eyes, threw her head back, and let out a cry of ecstasy as she achieved her climax. Michael finally slowed his thrusting, enjoying the fruits of his labor.

“I did it,” he said. “I am that strong.”

He couldn’t help but grin in accomplishment, feeling he pussy throb around his cock while her euphoric moans echoed throughout the room. Beyond just making a beautiful woman come, Michael felt a rush of confidence he didn’t know he had. It was like tapping into a hidden well of energy, filling him with something he didn’t quite understand, but embraced none-the-less.

From that intense rush, he also recalled his lingering desire, which remained unsatisfied. Having given Elizabeth her taste of ecstasy, he was ready to embrace his own.

“Now, I’m going to keep fucking you,” Michael told her. “I’m going to fuck you until I come and I’m going to shoot my load on your tits.”

“Yes…do it, Michael!” Elizabeth said, still drunk on the ecstasy.

It sounded like she hadn’t forgotten her desires, either. There was no way an ambitious woman like her would’ve been satisfied with just getting fucked to orgasm. She sought more than that and so did he.

Making use of his newfound strength, he took Elizabeth by the waist and repositioned her, turning her around and lifting her up slightly off the floor. He then set her on the table, pushing her legs apart so he had a clear path back into her pussy.

Without hesitation, he got between her legs again and thrust his dick back into her throbbing depths. Now leaning back on her arms, Elizabeth locked her gaze with his. That intensity in her eyes that he’d seen earlier was stronger than ever. Unlike before, though, he matched it every step of the way.

“That’s it, Michael. Fuck me!” Elizabeth urged. “Fuck me with that strength of yours!”

“That what you call…motivation?” he said, matching her tone.

“Fuck yes!”

He wasn’t sure if that was confirmation or just him hitting an extra sensitive spot in her pussy that supplemented her post-orgasmic state. Michael didn’t bother speculating. He just their sex, focusing once again and delivering as he said.

He was more fervent and direct with his humping, really working his manhood inside her with unfretted desire. Holding onto her thighs, watching her breasts bounce every time he rocked her body with his movements, he didn’t just pursue that ultimate peak. He charged towards it at full speed. The end result was a direct path to that sweet, euphoric release.

“Ohhh yeah!” Michael grunted as he felt the coming onslaught. “I’m ready, Elizabeth.”

“Me too, my future executive.”

Her choice of words just added more satisfaction to the blissful rush that followed. As soon as he was in a position to blow his load, he withdrew his cock, pulled Elizabeth’s body closer to his, and aimed his throbbing manhood at her breasts.

Holding his dick in both hands, he let out a deep, powerful grunt as he released his manly fluid onto her amble cleavage. An eruption of intense, empowering pleasure followed. Elizabeth, not content to play a passive role, pressed them together to gather up every drop. She even rubbed them up against his cock, adding an extra level of intimacy to this act of strength.

“There!” Elizabeth said with triumphant confidence. “That’s how I know you have the necessary desire.”

“Yeah…that’s a lot of desire,” Michael said breathlessly.

“And now you’re motivated to pursue it. Am I right?”

Michael needed a moment to come down from his orgasmic peak. His legs were weak, his dick throbbed, and light ripples of pleasure were still reverberating throughout his body. He’d also wrinkled his dress shirt and tie, thanks to the sweat he’d worked up, but that didn’t bother him in the slightest.

As he leaned on the table, the naked Elizabeth still sitting there with her legs casually draped over the edge, he came to a realization. In doing so, all that doubt and anxiety that had made him a nervous wreck seemed so trivial. It was no longer a matter of whether or not his interview would go well. He already knew the outcome.

“You’re right,” he told her. “I know what I want and desire. I’m going to that interview, I’m getting that promotion, and I’m going to be the strongest goddamn executive this company has ever known.”

“Spoken like a man of strength and confidence,” Elizabeth said proudly.

“And it’s all thanks to your sexy brand of motivation,” said Michael as he began getting dressed. “I’m ready now. I’m not just confident, this time. I’m certain!”

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Tagged as adult fiction, adult stories, erotic, erotic fiction, erotic literature, erotic stories, erotic story, erotica, erotica fiction, erotica literature, erotica romance, erotica stories, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, sex, sexy, sexy fiction, sexy literature, sexy mechanic, sexy short stories, Sexy Short Story, short fiction, short stories, short story

July 20, 2018 · 6:06 am

Recalling The Time I Felt Most Emasculated

Everybody has a few low points in their lives that they would prefer to forget. Even the richest, most privileged among us have moments where they feel like a wounded deer in a den of hungry wolves. I’ve certainly had my share of those days. While the pain they’ve caused me has waned over the years, I still remember them as clearly as they day they happened.

Talking about those moments is never easy. Most are content to keep them buried in the past and not think about them, a tactic favored by eccentric mad scientist cartoon characters. However, I believe there is some therapeutic value to revisiting those moments. Some of them can even offer insights that are more relevant today than they were when they happened.

In that spirit, I’d like to share one the greatest low points I ever had. What makes it relevant, though, isn’t that it was just especially bad. This one particular point marked the time in my life when I felt most emasculated, as a man.

Seeing as how I’ve talked a great deal about masculinity, from the way it has been demonized by ongoing social trends to the double standards that affect it, I think moments like this stand out more than they would have in previous years. I’ve even found myself recalling these moments more lately, but this particular moment tends to hit me the hardest.

To understand this memory and why it left me feeling so emasculated, I need to establish the situation. It takes place back when I was in grade school, specifically the fifth grade. That’s an important detail because this is a time when most kids are on the cusp of puberty and just learning what it means to mature from a kid to an adult.

Even before this particular event, I wasn’t handling that transition as well as I’d hoped. I had some attitude problems back then. I wasn’t much of a troublemaker, but I had a nasty habit of getting defensive. I would take things way too personally and overreact way too easily, even by the standards of a fifth grader.

As a result, this left me with few friends and more than a few enemies. I won’t say they were outright bullies, but they were close and I did everything I could go to goad them. My social skills were just that poor and my insecurities were just that great.

All those issues culminated near the end of the school year when my class took part in this big Civil War project that was supposed to be fun. The way it worked was we all picked names out of a hat to represent notable Civil War figures. Then, we would act out those roles in a make-shift activities, the last one being this big mock battle outside using water balloons.

It should’ve been fun. It was late May, the weather was warm, and we’d have an excuse throwing water balloons at each other. For me, though, it turned into one of the worst moments of my pre-adult life. I still consider it one of the most damaging moments of my life, to date.

Back when we were picking names out of a hat, I had the misfortune of picking the name of a woman. The name of the woman was Louisa May Alcott and, for all the wrong reasons, I’ve come to shutter at that name. That’s not to criticize her place in history, but picking that name really made that project a nightmare.

I tried to get another name, but my teacher wouldn’t let me. In hindsight, I could understand why. There were a lot of girls in that class stuck with male roles and there were only a few female roles to go around. I couldn’t even trade with someone. She basically told me to suck it up and go with it.

That, alone, was tough because I was the only boy in that class stuck with a female role. Needless to say, I got made fun of pretty quickly. Thanks to my attitude and immaturity at the time, I did everything possible to make it worse.

Throughout the project, I felt very uncomfortable playing this role and didn’t do a very good job. No matter what I did, I just gave everyone another reason to make fun of me and I reacted in a way that just gave them more incentive. In many ways, it was my fault for letting it get that bad. There were easy solutions, though, and my teachers never did a damn thing to help me.

Finally, on the day of the water balloon fight, it all came to ahead. I had already been in a bad mood that day and I did a lousy job of hiding it. As a result, I heard some kids talking about how they’d gang up on me and target me alone with their water balloons. It left me genuinely scared that I was going to be completely humiliated.

That might have been paranoia on my part, but it was more than enough to make me sit it out. When we were lining up to start the water balloon fight, I slipped away and sat down near the back wall of the school. I don’t remember if I told my teacher. I’m pretty sure I got knocked down a grade for not participating, but I wasn’t thinking about that.

However, that wasn’t the worst part. Shortly after the water balloon fight started, some of the kids from my class started mocking me from far. They started calling out, “Hi Louisa!” None of them ran up to me and threw their water balloon at me, but the damage had been done.

It was at that moment, all those kids laughing at me and calling me that woman’s name, where the distress I felt turned into outright emasculation. Make no mistake. There is a difference. Just being embarrassed is hard enough for anyone. Being emasculated, though, feels much more personal.

Regardless of how you feel about gender being a social construct or the faults in masculine standards, our gender is very much a part of who we are. Being a man is part of who I am, more so than me being a comic book fan or an aspiring erotica/romance writer. When I feel like that part of me is under attack, the damage runs much deeper.

Hearing those voices from my classmates and the laughter that followed didn’t just make me feel upset, sad, and angry. I suddenly felt less than human, lacking the qualities of men and women alike. I had no sense of worth, dignity, or identity. I felt like a wounded animal, just waiting to get eaten.

I tried to shut it out. I just kept my head down and stared at my shoes the entire time, trying with all my might not to break down and cry on the spot. I managed to avoid that, thankfully. I don’t doubt that would’ve made the moment even worse.

I’m also grateful that one of the school counselors stopped by and sat next to me. I think her presence was what stopped the chanting. She talked to me, but I don’t remember her saying anything that made me feel better. I just sat there and waited for the day to end.

Eventually, it did. I got through it and moved forward, but that moment still left quite a few scars that took a long time to heal. After that day, I became much more of a shut-in. I stopped talking in class. I stopped trying to make friends. I basically shut myself off as much as possible, saying as little as I could to get through the day.

I’m not saying that moment was completely responsible for my poor social skills, which would carry on through high school where a terrible acne problem helped compound my situation. However, I do think it set the tone. It damaged my sense of self, both in terms of my gender and of the person I was growing into.

It took a long time and a lot of work, complete with the undying support of my friends and family, to recover from that moment. When I think back on it now, I feel like it has greater meaning at a time when masculinity is seen as inherently negative. Having had my masculinity attacked at one point, I understand how damaging it can be.

These days, it’s not uncommon to hear people decry and demean men, as a whole. There have been women who advocated for the outright murder of men. They’ve been brushed off, not unlike how my teachers brushed off my discomfort on that fateful day. However, if a man even shows a hint of misogyny, they’re outright vilified. Just ask Henry Cavill.

That gives the impression that it’s okay to make a man feel emasculated, but you’re an outright monster if you make a woman feel offended in any way. It’s as though our gender determines how much compassion we get. That’s not just unfair. That’s unjust to an egregious extent.

I’ve since come to terms with what happened that day. I acknowledge that I was responsible for how parts of it played out, but there were also factors I couldn’t control and it hurt me on a deeply personal level. I don’t doubt for a second that plenty of men out there have found themselves in similar positions, feeling so low and utter unmasculine that it’s downright traumatic.

Nobody deserves to feel that way, regardless of their gender. I hope that by sharing my experience, other men will feel comfortable sharing theirs as well. There may still be those who hear stories like this and roll their eyes, thinking a man’s pain just cannot compare to that of a woman or someone who is transgender. To those people, I would say that pain is pain. It doesn’t care about your gender. It still hurts all the same.

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Filed under gender issues, human nature, Jack Fisher's Insights, psychology, sex in society, sexuality

Tagged as adolescence, adolescent psychology, being a teenager, being bullied, bullying, child psychology, depression, gender, gender issues, gender roles, grade school, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, manhood, masculinity, men, personal story, psychology, social issues, social psychology, teenagers, toxic masculinity

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The following is my review for “The Life of Captain Marvel #1” that I wrote for PopMatters. Enjoy!

‘The Life of Captain Marvel #1’ Comic Preps Fans for the Upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’ Film

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July 19, 2018 · 4:39 pm

July 19, 2018 · 5:22 am

How Less Sex Can Crash The Economy

There’s a funny, but revealing saying by famed economist, Paul Samuelson, on the difficulty of predicting economic trends. It goes like this:

The stock market has forecast nine of the last five recessions.

Other than being a play on numbers, there is a message in this quip that’s worth noting. No matter how many dire warnings accomplished economists give, a recession always seem to hit. It only ever becomes truly obvious with the benefit of hindsight.

I bring this up because I’m about to make some predictions about the future of the economy and I’m not an economist. I don’t claim to have more credibility on the matter than anyone else who has read every Freakanomics book ever written.

However, since the economy affects us all, it’s still worth talking about. Since the economy can influence our sex lives in ways I’ve discussed before, I feel like I can comment on the subject and even do a little speculation. Again, I want to make clear that I’m not an expert. This is just me making connections I feel are worth making.

When it comes to the economy, it’s not physically possible for anyone to make sense of all the data and connections that govern our affairs. Human beings are just too unpredictable and the amount of data involved is just too vast. Some points of data, though, carry more weight than others.

One of those points has to do with population and demographics. It’s a topic that’s becoming more and more relevant these days. Just this year, the birth rate in the United States dipped to a 30-year low. That’s somewhat remarkable because people tend to have more children when the economy is doing well and by most measures, the economy has been pretty good these past couple years.

This isn’t just an American problem, though. Many industrialized countries throughout the world are experiencing very low birth rates, some of which well below the replacement level rate that would keep a population stable. The reasons for this are many, but most boil down to cost. It’s just very expensive to raise a child these days and that cost is only going up.

Beyond the cost, though, there’s another factor at work that’s driving these declining fertility rates. People, in general, are just having less sex. That may seem obvious, given the data surrounding birth rates, but there are other aspects of the data that may reveal other factors.

For one, the decline in sexual activity is actually hitting the younger demographics, who are historically and biologically the most eager to engage, so to speak. I’m still old enough to remember when every other week seemed to bring dire news about teenagers having too much sex and horrifying their parents. Now, they’re not doing, but still finding ways to horrify their parents.

While I’m sure it still comes as a relief to some parents, it’s already causing concerns among demographers. However, I believe there’s a much larger concern about the economy, as a whole, that’s just starting to emerge. It has less to do with there being fewer babies and more to do with the nature of modern economies.

The days of economic health being measured by how many widgets a factory could produce are long gone. These days, most modern economies are built around consumer spending. Around 70 percent of the economy is consumer spending. That is not a trivial portion.

To illustrate why that could be a much greater problem down the line, I’ll need to make a few connections between sex and the economy. It’s not quite as kinky as it sounds, but those connections matter if you’re going to speculate about the future with any measure of accuracy.

Think, for a moment, about just how much economy activity goes into people seeking out sex and dealing with its associated byproducts, namely children. Whether you’re a man, a woman, or something in between, that pursuit drives a great deal of our economic activity.

Men work hard at jobs that don’t always pay that well to buy clothes, cars, and gifts with the hope that it’ll improve their chances of finding a partner. Women do the same, spending a great deal of money on cosmetics, clothes, and beauty treatments to attract desirable lovers. The money people spend on beauty products alone pumps a lot of money into the economy.

Even if the goal of these purchases isn’t directly linked to someone’s pursuit of sex, this activity does link to that fundamental pursuit that has driven society and our species for centuries. We work hard, establish functioning lives, and buy the things that prove to one another that we’re desirable lovers. It’s part of the many incentives that drive any economy.

It’s those same incentives, though, that can lead an economy into a cycle of destruction. Those cycles are behind every major financial crisis, but the one created by less sex and low birth rates may end up having a far greater impact. Some of those incentives are economic, but it’s the social incentives that might compound the issue.

Some of those incentives involve how modern marriage functions. More than a few people, myself included, have pointed out that marriage is not a very good deal, especially for men. If you look at it from the perspective of a simple contact, the flaws are pretty obvious.

Imagine, for a moment, that someone presents you with a contract. You will enter into a partnership in which you pledge emotional, financial, and intimate support for an undefined period of time. However, if the other party wishes to dissolve the partnership at any time for any reason, they can do so and get half your assets, as well as custody of your children.

Read over the fine print carefully. Would you sign that contract? Who in the right mind who isn’t drunk on irrational passions would? I think most people would see that as a bad deal and one that they have plenty of incentive to avoid.

On top of those incentives, there’s another round of them that has been growing recently. These come directly from the ongoing anti-harassment movement that has helped expose horrible sex crimes, but has also given men a powerful incentive to avoid women.

As a man, and I know this is anecdotal on my part, I find myself feeling very anxious around women who I don’t know or aren’t close family. I worry that one wrong gesture or one wrong comment will lead to an accusation that will subsequently ruin my life. I don’t want that and I don’t think any man wants that.

That’s not to say those incentives are powerful enough to make men stop feeling attracted to women, but I do think they’re sufficient to make men more reluctant to seek out intimate relationships with women. From an economic standpoint, the potential cost is very high, whether it’s paying for a child or for having your life ruined by an accusation.

From these incentives, the resulting economic situation won’t just be different. It will be unsustainable when you take into account the declining fertility rates. It doesn’t even have to be an economy where nobody gets married and has kids. It can just be an economy where most men and women stay single and don’t build much of their economic activity around pursuing sex.

In that economy, the only major purchases would be shelter, electricity, internet, and entertainment. As expensive as some of those can be, they’re not going to match the same amount of spending that comes with caring for children or for people just trying to get laid.

In the short-term, that means the economy will be dominated primarily by products and services that just help single men and single women relax on a Friday night after work. In the long-term, however, the consequences are much greater.

Without a growing population, there aren’t as many workers to support the large welfare states that most modern economies utilize. Moreover, without that same growing population, the consumer base starts shrinking. Even if a greater number of people have more money, that money is useless if there aren’t enough people to spend it.

From there, a cycle of fewer consumers starts feeding a process of declining spending. On top of that, fewer workers means it’s impossible to sustain a large welfare state, which leaves more people impoverished with even less money to spend. It began with declining birth rates, but it only accelerated when people just had less sex.

In the end, the economy as we know it now, just can’t function anymore. I’m not saying it’ll completely collapse, but it would have to adapt a lot in order to function with these incentives. I’m not sure what those adaptations would entail, whether it involves a universal basic income or using artificial wombs to augment the population.

I’ll say it one more time because I think I need to belabor this. I’m not an expert. This is just speculation on my part. This is what I feel could be the endgame for our economy, as we know it, if the current incentives hold. It’s a near certainty that there will be changes, but it’s impossible to predict what those changes will entail.

From my perspective, though, I think the implications are clear. A society where people are having fewer children is hard enough to adapt to, but we’ve already been doing that to some extent. One where people have less sex or flat out avoid it, though, may end up being much harder.

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Tagged as anti-harassment, birth rates, civilization, collapse of civilization, demographics, economic crash, economic decline, economics, economy, family, family issues, gender, gender equality, gender inequality, human relationships, human sexuality, love, marriage, MeToo, MGTOW, population, relationships, sex, sexual decline, sexuality, single men, single women, social issues, society, sociology, teen sex, western culture, western decline

July 18, 2018 · 5:03 am

Why We Should Embrace Married Superheroes

What is more emotionally satisfying than seeing someone you care about find happiness? Whether it’s a friend, a sibling, or even a celebrity you admire, don’t you feel a twinge of joy when you see them achieve something special? Unless you’re a cynic or a sociopath, you’ve probably had those feelings at least once in your life.

With those warm and fuzzy feelings inside, why shouldn’t that also extend to the iconic superheroes we know and love? When our favorite heroes finally get around to marrying the love of their life, it’s natural to want to cheer them on the same way we would cheer for our best friend as he and his bride do karaoke at the reception.

However, those tasked with building the canon seem to have an aversion to married superheroes. Just this past summer, that aversion was on full display. Two major superhero weddings were set up, one involving Kitty Pryde and Colossus in X-men Gold #30 and the other involving Batman and Catwoman in Batman #50.

Sadly, both events ended without tearful vows and a drunken toast, although one salvaged a matrimonial quickie at the last second. I’ve already broken down how one wedding just prolonged an already drawn out romance while the other denigrated the entire concept of romance, as a whole. Rather than bemoan those romantic misfirings, I’d like to step back and look at the bigger picture of married superheroes.

This is actually a controversial issue among fans of superhero comics and those who create them. I’ve been browsing comic book message boards for years. I can attest to just how much fans care when their favorite characters get married. They continue caring long after the wedding reception.

On the other side of the controversy, though, there are the creators that work for Marvel, DC, and their corporate overlords. They have a slightly different view of married superheroes and one that’s not nearly as sentimental. To say their views are complex is like saying a plumber has mixed opinions on food poisoning.

While many of those writing, editing, and producing superhero media are fans themselves, they often have to leave their fandom at the door. Companies like Marvel and DC Comics don’t pay them to write fan fiction. They pay them to tell stories that will sell, increase the value of their brand, and improve market share.

A writer or editor’s ability to do this is prone to many challenges. Fans, especially comic book fans, are notoriously fickle with their passions. If they see something they don’t like happening to a character they love, they’re pretty vocal about it. Just ask fans of Captain America, the Fantastic Four, or Cyclops of the X-men.

In that respect, I have some sympathy for the people responsible for handling beloved characters. They’re basically playing with someone else’s toys and getting paid for it. However, if they break those toys or damage them in any way, there can be hell to pay. Just look at the current situation with Star Wars.

That sympathy, though, only goes so far and I can’t extended to how some at Marvel and DC have approached marriage. DC Comics editor, Dan Dido, once went on record as saying that superheroes should not get married. Long-time Marvel editor and COO, Joe Quesda, even had to justify breaking up Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary Jane Watson by claiming that it “stabilized” Spider-Man too much.

Now in general, I try to be understanding and respectful when people hold positions that I disagree with. I’ve even tried to do that with hot-button issues like abortion, feminism, and organized religion. In this case though, I just have to call bullshit.

Claiming marriage does too much to stabilize a superhero is like saying ketchup makes food too red. It gives the impression that stability is somehow a liability with superheroes, as though they can only be interesting when their world is falling apart and they’re one stubbed toe away from a nervous breakdown.

It’s true that we superhero fans love seeing our favorite heroes fight back invading aliens, punch Nazis, and even take on renegade alien gods. However, it’s also true that we don’t expect or want that to be the only story that superheroes tell. We’re also interested in the lives they live outside their flashy costumes. It doesn’t just humanize them. It gives us more reasons to root for them.

Both Mr. Quesada and Mr. Dido try to make the case that part of being a hero involves sacrificing parts of their personal life in order to serve the greater good. There’s little doubt that being a hero comes at a price, as many of Batman’s former lovers can attest, but that doesn’t have to involve outright isolation.

It also doesn’t mean being a superhero makes a functioning marriage impossible, either. Yes, it’s a lot harder to be a loving spouse and a superhero, but I wouldn’t say it’s as daunting as battling planet-eating space gods or surviving a team-up with Deadpool. In fact, it can enhance their heroics in ways that go beyond romance.

I’m not the only one to make that point either. In wake of the recent wedding debacles by Marvel and DC, Comic Books Resources asked why publishers are so afraid of married superheroes. They cited the same excuses I did about heroes needing to sacrifice, but they also pointed out how these kinds of real-life, mundane events help people connect with these characters.

What the article didn’t get into is why this matters. Superman is a hero with god-like power who can move planets and create diamonds with his bare hands. He’s also married to Lois Lane and still has to put in the effort to make that marrage work, even when it becomes prone to complications.

Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four is among the smartest beings in the entire Marvel Universe. He creates thought projectors, flying cars, and personal robots without breaking a sweat. He too has to work hard to keep his marriage and family functioning, especially when a handsome Atlantean king keeps trying to sleep with his wife.

Then, there’s Spider-Man. I know I’ve brought him up a number of times and not always in a positive light, but what happened to him and his marriage is still one of the most controversial things that have ever happened in comics. In many ways, he embodies the ultimate flaw in the excuses to undercut married superheroes.

In the infamous story, One More Day, Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary Jane Watson wasn’t just undone. He actually made a deal with Mephisto, Marvel’s stand-in for the devil, to sacrifice his marriage in exchange for saving his Aunt May’s life. Considering his Aunt had told him just a few issues ago that she didn’t want to be saved, Spider-Man still went through with it.

To say fans were upset by that decision would be like saying the Hulk has a slight anger management problem. This act didn’t just undercut an iconic superhero romance. It essentially reverted Spider-Man back to the state of an immature loser who had barely grown up since high school.

Again, Marvel made plenty of excuses. Long-time Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, claimed that Spider-Man has to remain within a particular status quo. He has to keep being this lovable loser who is always struggling to hold down a job, keep a girlfriend, and still be a hero. In order to keep that unique appeal he has, and all the merchendising money it makes, he can’t be married.

I understand that logic, but I still call bullshit. You know what happens to characters who never change, grow up, or evolve over time? It’s the same thing that happens to real people. They become boring and unlikable. In Spider-Man’s case, he becomes something worse. He becomes the guy who sold his marriage to the devil to save someone who didn’t even want to be saved. That’s not heroic. That’s just plain selfish.

That’s the price a superhero pays for remaining in a prepetually regressed state. I contend that price is far higher than any associated with the inherent difficulty of writing married characters. With Spider-Man, One More Day established that no matter what he did in his personal or heroic life, he would never change. He’d always end up sleeping on his Aunt May’s couch.

It doesn’t matter if he pursues a new romance. It doesn’t matter if he becomes a billionaire and runs his own company. A reader can just assume he’ll screw it all up somehow and end up right back where he started. It’s just hard to root for any character that keeps regressing like that.

It’s like rooting for a sports team that never wins. Even terrible teams can turn it around at some point. Yes, that includes the Cleveland Browns. If that team never wins, though, why even root in the first place?

This is why marriage is so vital to the growth and evolution of superheroes. When a hero gets married, it’s not just an excuse to have a big event full of superhero-themed cakes. It’s a culmination of a much larger story about love, growth, and strength. It takes a lot to make a marriage work and not all of it can be done with superpowers.

Therein lies the ultimate appeal, though. When a superhero gets married, they go from simply pursuing a relationship to actually making it work. They have to learn how to build a life with another person and become part of a larger family, something that cannot and should not be exclusive to the Fantastic Four.

It fundementally changes how superheroes approach their lives, in and out of costume. It adds new layers of complexity and intrigue. Yes, it’s considerably harder than telling stories about Superman rescuing Lois Lane from Lex Luthor’s evil clutches. That’s exactly what makes it more compelling.

I don’t doubt that Marvel and DC will continue making excuses about married superheroes. Whether or not their approach to the issue evolves remains to be seen. However, since they’re in the business of keeping their characters relevant, they will have an incentive to adapt these characters for changing times and maturing audiences.

Being the romantic I am, I believe love will eventually win out in the end because love is part of why we root for superheroes in the first place. Love isn’t just about being unselfish. It’s also about achieving something special after so much sacrifice. Fans of superheroes want to see them achieve the things they struggle for. It affirms that all those heroics have meaning and purpose.

Marriage doesn’t have to be the ultimate achievement for a superhero. It can be part of it, though. It doesn’t have to be an end. It can be a beginning, as well. Until Marvel and DC lets its heroes get to that point, though, those stories won’t get told and hearts will keep getting broken for all the wrong reasons.

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Filed under Comic Books, Jack Fisher, Superheroes, Love Or Obsession, Marriage and Relationships, romance, superhero movies, X-men

Tagged as Batman, Batman/Catwoman, Catwoman, Cyclops, Cyclops/Jean Grey, DC, DC Comics, Fantastic Four, Jean Grey, Lois Lane, love, love stories, love story, marriage, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Mary Jane Watson, One More Day, Reed and Sue Richards, relationships, Spider-Man, superhero comics, superhero couples, superhero divorce, superhero marriage, superhero movies, superhero romance, superhero wedding, Superheroes, Superman, Superman/Lois Lane

July 17, 2018 · 5:24 am

Why Henry Cavill Shouldn’t Apologize For His Comments On The Anti-Harassment Movement (But Still Had To)

What does it say about the state of a society when people have to apologize for voicing honest, legitimate concerns? Pragmatically speaking, it implies that the value of truth and just has been subsumed by other influences. Whether it’s politics or ideology, it’s not hard for society to get to a point where unreasonable forces subvert reasonable issues.

In that sense, it’s ironic that the latest person to experience those influences once played Superman, the personification of truth, justice, and the American way. Henry Cavill, whose star has risen significantly since he broke out in “Man of Steel,” got into some hot water recently after an interview with GQ.

In that interview, he essentially made the same mistake Matt Damon made when he tried to comment on the anti-harassment movement. He said something that was reasonable, honest, and understandable from a purely logistical standpoint. He’s worried that something as simile as flirting with a woman could somehow be construed as harassment, which could lead to a full-blown scandal.

For reference, these were his exact words from the interview and the ones that subsequently led him down the same path as Matt Damon.

It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something’. So you’re like, ‘Forget it, I’m going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked’. But it’s way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I’m someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what’s going to happen?

Now? Now you really can’t pursue someone further than, ‘No’. It’s like, ‘OK, cool’. But then there’s the, ‘Oh why’d you give up?’ And it’s like, ‘Well, because I didn’t want to go to jail?’

Think about what he’s saying here and take a step back to see how he got to that point. He’s talking about being called a rapist just for going up to a woman and talking to her. How is that reasonable? It’s not. It sounds paranoid, but it’s perfectly understandable in the current social climate.

It’s easy to picture a scenario where someone like Cavill walks up to a woman, starts flirting, and ends up saying something inappropriate. That’s not just something men do. Women do that too. Being vulgar knows no gender. However, if the woman in this scenario takes particular offense, it could be construed as harassment or even assault.

If a woman was especially vindictive or just prone to exaggeration, she could accuse him of assaulting her. Even if those accusations aren’t even close to warranting an actual crime, it would still be devastating. The accusation alone would be enough to derail a promising career.

You don’t have to look far for evidence of this. Aziz Ansari was not charged with any crimes for the infamous incident that came out earlier this year and even if he had been, there’s no way he would’ve been convicted. An incident built entirely around a he said/she-said situation doesn’t come close to meeting the burden of proof for a criminal conviction.

That doesn’t matter, though. Ansari’s career has already taken a major down turn. His hit show, “Masters of None,” has not been renewed by Netflix since the allegations came out. Men like Henry Cavill, whose careers are ascending, certainly take notice of that. They don’t even have to commit a crime and suddenly, everything they worked for is in ashes.

For powerful men in Hollywood, it’s a reasonable concern, but one they probably won’t get much sympathy for expressing. Men like Henry Cavill are rich, successful, and handsome enough to comfortably wear Superman’s skin-tight costume. He’s a man who can attract women just by breathing. However, that may end up making him even more vulnerable.

Most people aren’t going to be inclined to make a big deal about someone who flirts inappropriately. When that person is a celebrity, though, the incentives are much stronger. You need only have an overreaction or a burning desire for attention to twist it into something much worse.

It’s for that reason that Cavill shouldn’t have apologized for his comments. His concerns are legitimate and after all the work he’s put in, he’s right to worry about the forces that might destroy it. That still didn’t matter. His comments still triggered a major backlash on social media. He also had to apologize for it. These were his exact words.

“Having seen the reaction to an article in particular about my feelings on dating and the #metoo movement, I just wanted to apologize for any confusion and misunderstanding that this may have created. Insensitivity was absolutely not my intention. In light of this I would just like to clarify and confirm to all that I have always and will continue to hold women in the highest of regard, no matter the type of relationship whether it be friendship, professional, or a significant other. Never would I intend to disrespect in any way, shape or form. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson as to the context and the nuance of editorial liberties. I look forward to clarifying my position in the future towards a subject that it so vitally important and in which I wholeheartedly support.”

Notice that there’s nothing in that apology that expands on his concerns. Cavill doesn’t attempt to re-frame his point or address some of the complaints levied against him. He just throws his hands up and apologizes about everything, as though every word he said was factually wrong.

Now, to be fair to Cavill, it’s very likely that the statement he gave was written by a publicist or agent. Chances are he was pressured to read that as quickly as possible in order to prevent him from getting labeled a misogynist or someone who did not wholly support the anti-harassment movement. Even if he didn’t feel inclined to apologize, he still had to do it in order to preserve his career and reputation.

Regardless of his reasons for doing so, he still apologized for telling the honest truth. The backlash he received didn’t even argue that truth. Most of it amounted to scoffing at the concerns of a rich, handsome celebrity who is undeserving of any sympathy. One commenter even went so far as to call him a wannabe victim.

Such criticism is every bit as absurd as the kind Matt Damon got when he dared to point out that there’s a difference between patting a woman on the butt and full-blown rape. They also fail to acknowledge that it’s entirely possible for a woman to be vindictive enough to falsely accuse someone of a heinous crime for the sole purpose of ruining their career, despite documented cases that this has happened.

It’s one thing to expose the serious crimes of predators like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. Those cases did have evidence and are being processed through appropriate legal means. The behaviors Henry Cavill described don’t even come close to that kind of conduct.

The fact that Cavill had to apologize sets a dangerous precedent for the anti-harassment movement. History has shown that any movement that throws off honest truth and basic justice is built on a poor foundation. In time, that foundation eventually crumbles and the merits of the movement get lost.

There are plenty of behaviors among celebrities and non-celebrities that warrant outrage. What Henry Cavill said wasn’t one of them. The fact he still had to apologize for his words does not bode well for anyone concerned with the values that heroes like Superman embody.

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Filed under Celebrities and Celebrity Culture, Current Events, gender issues, media issues, political correctness, sex in media, sex in society, sexuality

Tagged as anti-feminism, anti-harassment, feminism, gender, gender equality, gender inequality, gender issues, Harvey Weinstein, Henry Cavill, Hollywood, Hollywood Culture, human sexuality, men, men and women, men's issues, MeToo, Radical Feminism, romance, sex, sex in media, sex in society, sexism, sexual health, sexuality, social issues, social justice, social media, society

July 16, 2018 · 5:24 am

Technology, Slavery, And The (Distressing) Future Of Both

Picture, for a moment, the perfect slave. Try to do it without making it a commentary on the current state of gender inequality, racial politics, or working at a fast food restaurant. Treat it like the other serious thought experiments I’ve proposed. What kind of traits would such a slave have?

Naturally, the perfect slave would have to be obedient. He, she, or it wouldn’t just obey an order without question. The idea of not obeying an order never even crosses their mind. In addition to obedience, the slave would have to be robust, durable, and capable. That may require some level of cognitive ability, but only to the extent that it can serve a master.

I bring this issue up knowing that slavery is an emotionally-charged topic with a bloody history. While we, as a society, have made strides in confronting the ethical issues surrounding it, including wars and social movements, slavery is still relevant today. At this very moment, millions of people are living as slaves.

The fact that many people find slavery morally reprehensible says a lot about humanity’s capacity for justice. The fact slavery exists despite that aversion says just as much about the economics behind it. Producing anything requires labor. Cheap labor ensures more profit. It sounds simple, but it understates the massive financial incentives at work.

It’s because of those incentives that slavery, as abhorrent as it is, will likely have a place in our future. Ideally, the rapid growth of technology and automation will eliminate the need for human slavery. Advanced machines that have no sense of self basically circumvents the moral problem entirely.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world. We also don’t live in a world where everyone exercises similar moral standards. Some are perfectly okay with utilizing slaves. Some of those people, sadly, are rulers of entire countries.

As such, it’s distressingly possible that emerging technology could be utilized to expand slavery rather than reduce it. I think it’s an unlikely scenario, given current social and technological trends. However, I worry it’s a road our society could go down if our choices are wrong and the incentives are strong.

To contemplate how, it’s important to note the limitations of slavery. While it does provide the cheapest possible labor, its inherent flaws tend to work against any society that relies on it and not just because of moral condemnation.

In any system that uses slavery, there are hidden costs that go beyond human suffering. Slaves require significant maintenance if you want them to produce. A master, no matter how ruthless, needs to care for their slaves so that they’re healthy enough to work. The logistics of that, especially in a world without modern medicine, made slavery a risky investment.

You could say the same about feudal societies that relied on serfs. While it wouldn’t be accurate to classify them as slaves, they still survived by providing slave-like labor to landlords. That may be a good deal for the landlords, but the system has a lot of vulnerabilities.

Historically, waves of death caused by disease, famine, and war hit these lower-class people first. When so much of the society relies on their cheap labor, it tends to collapse or stagnate. It happened after the Black Death and it happened in the American south.

It’s another byproduct of incentives. When you have cheap labor, there just isn’t much incentive to innovate. A lack of innovation over the long haul tends to doom empires and economies alike. In a modern context, that’s a good thing because it ensures slave-based economies can’t function over the long haul. However, emerging technology is in a position to change that.

Think back to the perfect slave I mentioned earlier. Those traits are currently unattainable for a human or a machine. On top of that, human beings are stubborn in their desire to not be enslaved. Refinements in biotechnology, genetic engineering, and cloning could change that, though.

This is where the dystopian potential of technology reveals itself. Even if robotics continues to advance, there’s a chance that the labor they provide isn’t adequate or the maintenance involved is too costly. In that scenario, those with the exceedingly flexible moral standards could resort to tapping genetic engineering to fill the gap.

It’s already possible to edit a genome, thanks to tools like CRISPR. It’s also possible to partially hack an existing genome, although that process is still in its infancy. In theory, there’s no reason why someone with the right tools couldn’t re-engineer a human being into a perfect slave.

That being may or may not look human. They may have a body, a similar muscle structure, and a series of specified cognitive abilities. However, every trait they have, biological or otherwise, would have the sole purpose of obeying and serving a master.

That means editing out the parts of the brain that give someone a sense of self or suppressing it with a brain implant. That also means limiting the slave’s capacity for thoughts and desires beyond serving their master.

Their bodies, as a whole, could also be engineered to minimize maintenance. Their digestive system could be made to require only an intake of cheap gruel. Their genetics and immune system could be structured in a way to resist disease. They could even be made sterile through gene editing or implants.

This is where the influence of cloning technology and artificial wombs enter the picture. One of the costliest parts of the old slave trade was traveling to remote areas, buying or subduing people into bondage, and then transporting them to areas where their labor could be exploited. Once you’ve engineered the perfect slave, though, biotechnology could effectively create a copy-and-paste process.

It goes beyond labor, as well. I’ve mentioned before how advances in sex robots could allow people to create customized lovers. Well, if it’s possible to engineer the perfect slave for labor, then it’s just as possible to engineer the perfect sex slave. The implications of that raise a whole host of disturbing possibilities.

Whether for sex or for labor, crating such slaves would be an incredibly tedious, incredibly risky feat. However, given the economics of slavery I mentioned earlier, the incentives are already there. With these advances, coupled with cybernetic augmentations, and the potential payoff is even greater.

Suddenly, there’s an endless pool of labor to work in factories, fields, and homes. There’s no need to worry about labor unions, minimum wage, or slave revolts. When slaves are engineered at the cellular level to be a slave, then it makes too much financial sense to use their labor.

As a result, future societies will find some excuse to justify this kind of slavery. The precedent is already there. It wasn’t that long ago that people found excuses to justify enslaving an entire race. In this case, though, it would be even easier.

If these slaves don’t come from existing populations and aren’t even genetically “human,” then it’s easy for someone to see this brand of slavery as something different from the kind we’ve utilized throughout history. If these slaves are engineered not to suffer or feel any discomfort, then that makes it even more tenable.

The end result could be something similar to what George Orwell envisioned with the proles in “1984.” There would be this massive underclass population that exists solely to work, serve, and obey. To some extent, it would go even further than Orwell did.

This population of slaves wouldn’t need to be placated with meaningless entertainment, indulgence, or distractions. Their default condition would be to serve their masters in every way necessary. Anything beyond that is never even a thought.

I don’t deny that the scenario I just described sounds bleak. If you have even a moderate sense of decency, you would be aghast at any society structured in such a way. Even if the slaves seemed happy and the people who served as their masters had no moral qualms with it, chances are it would still bother you and that’s a good thing.

I think it’s because of that inherent revulsion to slavery that this dystopian path is not likely. I believe advances in robotics technology is already outpacing the rate of biotechnology. By the time we have the tools to create the perfect slave biologically, we’ll probably already have the tools to make machines that can function just as well.

That’s still not a guarantee. Nobody can predict the future, especially not an aspiring erotica/romance writer. It’s still a potential path, though, and a very dark path at that. As a society and a civilization, we’re still recovering from the scars of slavery. Those are wounds we should avoid opening for the society we’re hoping to build.

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Tagged as 1984, Abolition of Slavery, Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, Civil War, cloning, CRISPR, economics, future, future of humanity, future of sex, future of society, future society, futurism, George Orwell, human trafficking, indentured servitude, modern slavery, modern society, robot slaves, robotics, robots, slave, Slave Trade, Slavery, society

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