Conservative Republicans as Sexy Swingers

Recently, I wrote about the popular - though thoroughly neurotic - need to try and control everybody else's sex life. A good example was the city councilman who told a local newspaper reporter that he spent virtually all of his waking hours searching out pornographic threats to his community. From eliminating sex education classes to closing adult bookstores, this man was on the job protecting decent folk from a clear and present danger. That he was currently serving his third term suggested that decent folk felt they needed just such protection.

If I had to guess at the councilman's political affiliation, I'd say he was most likely a Conservative Republican. But, as it happens, I didn't have to guess because this fact was reported as part of the story. So it all fit in with my view of the world. Profiling pays off. Conservative Republicans can't handle sex! Or can they?

I don't really mind being proved wrong because - after the initial shock - I truly believe that being exposed to errors in my thinking is a growth experience. One does indeed make great gains when seeing old things in new ways. So it was only after the initial shock that I realized couples in the Lifestyle are most likely Conservative Republicans. Needless to say, this is the exact opposite of what I would have believed. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Doesn't it seem obvious that it's the Liberal Democrats who should be swapping mates at every turn? A couple in Canada made much the same point. A slightly condensed version of their comment follows:

Hi There. We are a middle-class, mid 30's swinging couple from Toronto and we agree with much of your article but how can swingers be politically conservative yet sexually liberal? When we watch US politics, sex and abortion are so often wrapped in political discussions. Do US swingers think liberally but vote conservatively? www.FantasyPlan.com

A good question...which is what people typically say when they don't have an answer. Why is it that swinging couples that are so Blue State sexually can be so Red State in every other area of their lives? I asked another couple if they might shed some light on this issue? Again, a slightly condensed version of their comment follows:

We were talking about swinging vis-à-vis conservativism and think it's probably a mix of habitual critical thinking about almost any question. Then there is our distrust of authority-- unless in a peer reviewed publication. We also feel that swingers and conservatives are more clearly focused on how people REALLY think and react to others rather than how the bishop tells us we ought to act. And we are more in tune to our innate "hard wired" genetic drives. We don't like to be told what to think or do and we do enjoy doing what comes naturally. We definitely don't like hearing criticism or directions from clergy or other more or less continuously hypocritical authorities or church fathers. Conservatives enjoy living their lives the way they want to and tend to pay a good deal less attention to local, state or national politician proclamations or self-serving speeches. Both groups feel that hard work and intellectual achievement are the way to help one do their own thing and at the same time to enjoy doing it. And we all enjoy living and have discovered a marvelous way to enjoy it even more. Swingers and conservatives usually work hard and are successful in the marketplace. AND, they dislike governments taking what they have worked for to distribute to illegal aliens or welfare moms or other freeloaders that the left seem to need to care for by using our money to give to them. Well, enough already from us but I would like to hear your take on this topic.

And I, in turn, would like to hear your take. Since you read Psychology Today, you probably have a keen interest in why people behave as they do and why, on occasion, it would appear to be in so contradictory a fashion. What's with Conservatives that they can be so liberal sexually and do Liberals, in similar fashion, have a conservative streak that's not often brought to light?

You can view the original Neurotic Control of Sex piece at:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/200908/the-neurotic-nee…