America Hook up culture

Critical analysis of America Hook up culture

The revelation of American hookup culture by Lisa Wades opens with a flow of statistics that have much to say.  They represent hook up culture as a normal part of college life, and yet the drunken encounter as it is presented tells only a small portion of the whole story. The writing by Lisa tends to rise above moralizing and misinformation by offering a definitive account of this culture and shows that the truth is more enlightening and disturbing that one can barely think. The statistics she delves into shows that the average senior has had at least one hook up each semester or eight times within four years of high school. Nearly a third of the students do not engage in this hookup culture , while those who do have mixed feelings about this experience where one out of three indicating the intimate relationships they had as being distressing or very difficult to deal with (Wade, 2017). The writer highlights that the existence of a persistent discomfort, and a deep disappointment that cannot be defined. With such an unbiased introduction, it would be expected that the writer will remain sober while objectively discussing sex and experience of an individual student. The immediate pages following this introduction present a more vivid view showing the different impression that college students are fornicating all over, like many bunnies enclosed in one place.

  A major issue that the writer highlight in the book is how the media peddles lewd stories of college kids obsessed with partying and casual sex.  In the anatomy of the hookup , chapter 1 , the writer begins with a presentation where two female students are applying makes on their faces and  while using skimpy outfits to cantilever their breasts and “going for a classy stripper vibe” (Wade, 2017) . The students are encouraged to get wasted and dress like harlots in burlesque – theme of the part. The celebrations are turned into orgies where there is grinding and bumping as men are given the permission to grope after approaching the women from behind.  Within no time the party will reach its grossest stage.  Unless one is acquainted with other materials covering the subject of students’ hookup culture, they may be forgiven for thinking that the students do not engage in romantic relationships. However, the students do only that most of these relationships starts as hookups before developing into any romance. By the time they are graduating, those who have known each other for long and have developed trust and hence can have a real relationship.  Most by that time that meeting people in parties or bars , having drinks and hooking up  does not develop into anything quality . The students seems to transit seamlessly to real dating when they are done with college life (Wade, 2017).

 While Lisa may have created confusion in regard to students partying and sex culture, such was surely not her intention .The intention was to spell out how modern college students engaged in mating rituals. She represents a simple theory tending to hold that if the students are experiencing consternation and anxiety due to sex, the problem does not emerge from the practice of hooking up. It results from the culture that surrounds this hookup which can be said to be a worrying psycho at times (Wade, 2017). The writer does not come by as a moralist but one who recognizes the impact of this culture and associating it with various progressive social actions or movements that offer the students a feeling of liberation in matters relating to sex.  She seems to opine that human traditions have not evolved to an extent that hookup culture can be made safe.  Love and pleasure are still under the control of man while women are turned into anxious and desperate rivals and when alcohol and partying is involved, the results are all types of ugliness, depredation and selfishness (Wade, 2017). In regard to the students who are abstaining and not engaged in hookup scene, there is an implication that they do not opt out. They are shown to be left out because they did not belong, being people of color or a given working class. Presented with the same environment and opportunities they could behave in similar manner by embracing this hookup culture.

 

Theme analysis of America Hook up culture

 In the book, Lisa offers important insight to educators, parents and students and relates the hookup culture to an evaluation in higher education, sexuality and its history and the continuing feminist revolution.  The statistical research maps out a distressing emotional landscape filled with competition on the basis of status, unequal pleasures and even sexual violence.  The discussion leads to a discovery that the hookup culture is more prevalent among many of the high-class students, while others practice it ambivalently.  While the appearance of this culture causing panic among teachers, parents and administrators due to their imagination of these students as being depraved and avoiding  emotional attachment , the writer seems to emphasize hard data and information aimed at pushing back such misconceptions . The information presented by the writer reveals truths into the role of influence which leads students to engage in the hookup culture.

 Using direct quotations and narrative vignettes, the writer presents the real college life and how the starting of the hookup culture among the students. In “Sex in Drunkworld” chapter , Wade discusses the issue of Naomi and Mara, young women who are best friend and how they are at first reluctant to attend Greek lie at Penn State but  eventually join due to the  role played by alcohol on campus . The writer  present various scenes from a nightlife in college; Naomi is intoxicated and Mara is pressured to have a sleepover at a room belonging to a young brother and this explores an analysis of why the college student in America have accepted this culture of having a good time in the moment(Wade, 2017) . She represents college as an institution and traces how private clubs have emerged in campus. While exploring the cases of students like Mara and Naomi and using an academic or sociological analysis, Wade welcomes any reader to empathize in the midst of such critical issues.  One is made to feel explicit or implicit distress and depression of the students as the writer is trying to demonstrate the culture in which they belong and how such situations came to be. However, she does not show the students as being victims of circumstances as seen in Mara’s description of a recent hookup as being “the ultimate douchebag” and her friend as symbolizing “the slutty college girl persona” (Wade, 2017).

While providing a mixed range of intricate college life picture, Lisa manages to keep way from academic analysis of this culture and inciting readers to realize the emotional effect of a subject that has been examined with a moralistic view for quite some time. The firsthand accounts are rendered by the writer with a narrative flare and emotional sensitivity and presenting a myriad of characters without making them to appear like caricatures. Lisa presents the case of Omar where she outlines the exceptional sexual awakening appeared from moment he learnt how to achieve the balance between an interest in sexual exploration and commitment to his Christian faith (Wade, 2017).  The reader is made to analysis the paradox in Omar’s interest in his religion and being extremely drunk.  The young man acts as an example or dabbler, whose is used in demonstration of various unique relationships of the students to their hookup culture. 

One group is represented as abstainers, forced by circumstances not party and engages in casual sex while another group is showed to be dabblers who are very curious such as Omar. While some are struggling to take part in the culture but find themselves shut out, the enthusiasts have an uncritical gusto that makes them indulge easily (Wade, 2017).  Labels such strivers and dabblers used by the writer server to debunk the thinking that hookup culture is dominant and consuming every American college student. Such notions pales when compared to the subtle insights presented in this book.  By deciding to position the larger content of the book in reference to the difference between students who embrace and those who stay away from the culture, she may have neglected a greater chance of analyzing this culture in a broader way.  She could have looked into how factor such as racial privilege and class affect the failure and success of an individual in being enjoined in hookup culture.  The issue of sexuality handled expertly and in a sensitive manner.

 

Reflection on America Hook up culture

  Lisa Wade’s book has covered a lot on the hookup culture in American college, and has shown that the culture has become more devious and dominant.  The data and facts provided provide an insight to those who may have had misconceptions about this culture including parents, students and educators. It is easy for a student to overrate the extent to which others are engaging in this culture, and their view may contrast with statistics on the actual degree of indulgence. In reality the number of times an average student participates in partying and casual sex is not as high as may be hyped in the media, by parents and educators.  The difference between the real hooking up and a hookup culture that is pervasive is clearly indicated. One can avoid hooking up at all but still feel prodded by this sexual and drinking culture in the name of having the best moment in college life. In addition, this culture can be a major source of distress or unhappiness for those who take part in it.  The writer grapples genuinely with the problems of this culture and attractions that pulls a person into it. However, she seems to have left out some basic aspect such as the notion of women liberation as major driver of this culture. She fails to mention that the desire or women to feel free, they feel the need to be engaged in casual and meaningless sex just like men. This could relate to her assertion that the hookup culture requires carelessness, punishes kindness and rewards selfishness.  

The scenario presented by such a culture gives women an opportunity to hookup casually while not being attached. As such, everyone is completely free to choose. An important aspect that has been left out in the book is why the minority opt out of the hookup culture in college life. A further exploration would have shown why working class and poor students do not engage in the practice. Apart from the suggestion that they are risk-averse m having already gone a milestone in getting to college, other factors such as varying cultural values relating to sex, family and career can contribute. It could also be that such students know they have to work hard and pave their way through college and this leaves little time for engaging in partying (Wade, 2017).  An exploration would give an insight into the level to which the students from the minority groups participate in hookup culture.

The issue of equality may extend to unequal pleasures where the writer connotes as orgasm gap. Other surveys done have shown men as likely to achieve sexual pleasure from hookup culture that women; women are more likely to experience pleasure within a relationship. Women have viewed casual sex as allowing men to use their body. In fact, Wade seems to fault this culture since it gives priority to male orgasm while assuming the orgasm gap as being biological (Wade, 2017). Relating this to the hookup culture rather than hookup itself can raise a big debate. The insinuation that sexual encounters should be enhanced through creativity, communication and confidence only encourages kinder sex but fails to recognize the challenges that arise from casual sex.  This kind of relationship requires commitment which the writer has largely left out, and a factor that serves as among the predictors of sexual enjoyment for women.  Commitment raises the level of trust and kindness which are important aspects that enhances sexual encounters.

 A major critic of the approach used by Wade is the challenges presented by a hookup culture.  It is hard from a woman point of view to support the notion that casual sex is good   while not appreciating the problems arising from such a culture including indifference m cruelty and selfishness.  A major reason why casual sex is not usually cold is due to the difficult and mess surrounding it and keeping the right emotional distance is not as easy as it seems.  If hookup culture is to be made normal, attachment has to absent or avoided and behaviors associated with hookup culture prevent attachment. Still, aiming at changing the hookup culture may fail since it is the need to engage in meaningless sex with no emotional attachment that brought about the culture itself.

References

Wade, L. (2017). American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus.