Fetishism is something I have always struggled to come to terms with. Don’t get me wrong, I understand some of them. The ones that involve sex with a person I am fine with. I can see the attraction of say, leather or mini skirts. I just cannot get my head around the inanimate object fetishes.
Fetishes stem from childhood (I would guess, and I would like to clear this up from the outset, I am not a psychologist) The reason men like breasts is because ever since we were born we rely on them for food, and without getting to Freudian about things they have always given us comfort. Some people also suggest, very reasonably, that we like them because they remind us of bums, and therefore, sex. There is an evolutionary purpose.
It makes me wonder about the bizarre, but very common, fetish of feet. The only reason I can come up with is that they are mysterious. Shoes and socks nearly always cover them. What is interesting to me is that the vast majority of people with a foot fetish are male. (97%). I think this is due to women dressing their feet up with pedicures, nail varnish, toe rings and high heels and that we are not supposed to pay attention to them in the way we do about other parts of the female body.
The brain could have another explanation. Apparently the areas that control the nerve endings in the genitals are close to the ones that control the nerve endings in ones foot.
I have to admit here, I love having my feet stroked, not in a sexual way of course but I find it very relaxing. It doesn’t turn me on in the slightest but I can see, that it maybe could turn others on.
The great thing about fetishism today is that it has become mainstream with the invention and growth of the Internet. I honestly do not know how like-minded people got together and lived out their fetish fantasies before. Nowadays you could have the most depraved, weird and unusual fetish in the world and you can guarantee there will be at least a handful of people that share your desires.
A quick search on Google, for research (wink wink) revealed some brilliant things.
Plushophilia is a fetish where you were probably around stuffed animals too much as a kid. It involves getting together and having sex with people dressed as animals (Cast of cats better be careful) while dressed as an animal yourself. This is also probably how people with consciences can get around their bestiality depravations.
Sploshing I could see this one gaining popularity a mile off. It is a pretty new fetish where you cover a woman in gunge or foodstuffs. I think that this is popular in our generation that grew up watching ‘Noels house party’ and ‘get your own back’ because all kids play with themselves (innocently of course) watching TV. It was, and still is, a comfort thing. Just look at all the rude boys nowadays, hands never out of their pants. So people will associate the gungings with the comfort they get from having the hands down the pants… Hey presto, a new fetish.
These fetishes are not hurting anyone and I like the fact that people are not alone in this anymore. Sure, most of us find their turn-ons bizarre but I would bet that in about 30 years this will be mainstream. 30 years ago blowjobs were fetishised and taboo, hookers used to charge more for a blowjob than they did for sex. The reduction in price ’10 for a hand job, 20 for a blowjob and 50 for full sex’ reflects that this is no longer seen as a depraved act.
We should be careful though, who knows what the future holds when it comes to sex. The kids today can look at what we call ‘hardcore’ freely from a very young age. And with desensitization comes a desire for more extreme pleasures.
In the future, if we are not careful, hardcore, depraved, fetish driven smut will be everyday viewing in forms of adverts. And if that is mainstream… what will be hardcore then.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Monday, 7 June 2010
‘Filthy water cannot be washed.’ WEST AFRICAN PROVERB
Filthy water cannot be washed. This has reigned true for so long. The people of Africa still use this proverb today. They walk many miles a day to collect water for their families, the sadder part is, is that this water is not even clean and it could be killing children.
This is not (intended to be) an earnest piece asking you to think about what you have and to feel bad about it. Nor is it a heart-felt plea for you to send money to African water charities, it is mainly to highlight the huge divide between us, here in England and those suffering in Africa.
I was watching BBC news today and it was harping on about a new salt water desalination plant in London to clean up water from the Thames and the ocean that feeds it. It can basically turn salt water into drinking water by using a modification of the age-old filtering system. It pushes the water through many holes, about a nanometer (One billionth of a meter) in diameter. These smalls are too small for salt molecules to pass through and you end up with nearly pure water that is suitable for drinking. The plant will be run by using renewable biofuels such as cooking oil and waste fat to reduce CO2 omissions. All pretty good to be honest. But I have a better idea.
Instead of building the plant in London at a cost of 270million (To put that in perspective that is over 3 Cristiano Ronaldos and a Berbatov) why not build it in Africa near a place without nearly as much clean water as it needs. Hell, why not build 10 of them over there?
In 2008/9, household consumption in London amounts to 1,217 million litres per day or 71% of total consumption. A further 492 million litres per day (29%) is non-household consumption (commercial and industrial water use). However, consumption itself amounts to about 74% of the total ‘demand’, with 26% leakage.
This is shameful, 140 Million litres of water this water plant in London will pump out a day, and here is an idea… Why not fix the leaks with some duct tape? This will save at least 400 million litres of water PER DAY and we can spend the saved money by building the plant where it is needed. I really cannot get over this plant. It promotes wastage of our most vital resource. It was Benjamin Franklin that said ‘When the well is dry, we will know the worth of water’. Let me clear this up. I am not saying that we wasting water will not directly affect people dying of thirst in Africa. It is not like we can ship our wastage over there. What I am saying is that using the money we can save by not building this unnecessary plant and just fixing the leaks we could do a great thing and build the plant where it is needed. We will not be out of pocket and we will be saving lives.
I have a final point to make. In the UK, the average water usage is a whopping 161 litres per person per day. Contrast this to the USA’s usage of 550 litres per person per day (source linked here, go on, click on it, I am not making this up) and you may think we are pretty good at this water conservation lark. However, cantrast this with Haiti (20 Litres per person per day) or Mozambique (5 litres per person per day) and we have a problem.
Martin Baggs (Chief executive of Thames water) said
"That's why we're tapping into the new and limitless resource of the tidal Thames, fed by the rolling oceans beyond, so we can ensure our 8.5 million customers have enough water in future in the event of a drought."
Your 8.5 Million customers can do without hosepipes, Your 8.5 million customers can do without a bath every-night and make do with a shower. Your 8.5 Million customers could click here and buy a water flush saver. (A little water bag you put in the water tank of your toilet. It saves three litres of water per flush. It is a start, but every little helps.)
Again, I am not saying that the water you save will help thirsty people in the third world directly. But it could take away Mr. Baggs crutch when he says things like- ‘Our existing resources - from non-tidal rivers and groundwater - simply aren't enough to match predicted demand in London.’ Let us make them enough.
This is not (intended to be) an earnest piece asking you to think about what you have and to feel bad about it. Nor is it a heart-felt plea for you to send money to African water charities, it is mainly to highlight the huge divide between us, here in England and those suffering in Africa.
I was watching BBC news today and it was harping on about a new salt water desalination plant in London to clean up water from the Thames and the ocean that feeds it. It can basically turn salt water into drinking water by using a modification of the age-old filtering system. It pushes the water through many holes, about a nanometer (One billionth of a meter) in diameter. These smalls are too small for salt molecules to pass through and you end up with nearly pure water that is suitable for drinking. The plant will be run by using renewable biofuels such as cooking oil and waste fat to reduce CO2 omissions. All pretty good to be honest. But I have a better idea.
Instead of building the plant in London at a cost of 270million (To put that in perspective that is over 3 Cristiano Ronaldos and a Berbatov) why not build it in Africa near a place without nearly as much clean water as it needs. Hell, why not build 10 of them over there?
In 2008/9, household consumption in London amounts to 1,217 million litres per day or 71% of total consumption. A further 492 million litres per day (29%) is non-household consumption (commercial and industrial water use). However, consumption itself amounts to about 74% of the total ‘demand’, with 26% leakage.
This is shameful, 140 Million litres of water this water plant in London will pump out a day, and here is an idea… Why not fix the leaks with some duct tape? This will save at least 400 million litres of water PER DAY and we can spend the saved money by building the plant where it is needed. I really cannot get over this plant. It promotes wastage of our most vital resource. It was Benjamin Franklin that said ‘When the well is dry, we will know the worth of water’. Let me clear this up. I am not saying that we wasting water will not directly affect people dying of thirst in Africa. It is not like we can ship our wastage over there. What I am saying is that using the money we can save by not building this unnecessary plant and just fixing the leaks we could do a great thing and build the plant where it is needed. We will not be out of pocket and we will be saving lives.
I have a final point to make. In the UK, the average water usage is a whopping 161 litres per person per day. Contrast this to the USA’s usage of 550 litres per person per day (source linked here, go on, click on it, I am not making this up) and you may think we are pretty good at this water conservation lark. However, cantrast this with Haiti (20 Litres per person per day) or Mozambique (5 litres per person per day) and we have a problem.
Martin Baggs (Chief executive of Thames water) said
"That's why we're tapping into the new and limitless resource of the tidal Thames, fed by the rolling oceans beyond, so we can ensure our 8.5 million customers have enough water in future in the event of a drought."
Your 8.5 Million customers can do without hosepipes, Your 8.5 million customers can do without a bath every-night and make do with a shower. Your 8.5 Million customers could click here and buy a water flush saver. (A little water bag you put in the water tank of your toilet. It saves three litres of water per flush. It is a start, but every little helps.)
Again, I am not saying that the water you save will help thirsty people in the third world directly. But it could take away Mr. Baggs crutch when he says things like- ‘Our existing resources - from non-tidal rivers and groundwater - simply aren't enough to match predicted demand in London.’ Let us make them enough.
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