READERS GUIDE
- Christine Emba invites us to Rethink Sex. How did you think about sex before reading this book? Would you say you’re satisfied with the sexual status quo?
- Did you receive instruction about consent in high school or college? How was that instruction presented? What did you take away from it?
- In Chapter 2, Emba makes this, perhaps surprising, suggestion: “The best sexual world is perhaps a less free one.” What does Emba mean? Do you agree? Why or why not?
- Emba quotes the writer Alana Massey on “the tyranny of chill,” a pervasive cultural pressure to hide our strongest feelings, for fear of seeming uncool or undesirable. Do you recognize this pressure in your own life? Do you believe it has affected your love life?
- Emba argues that there is a contradiction at the heart of the cultural discourse around sex: on the one hand, sex is a meaningless biological function or recreational activity; on the other, sex is the all-important signifier of health, self-actualization, and women’s liberation. Had you noticed this contradiction before reading Rethinking Sex? Which perspective – “nothing” or “everything” – more accurately represents your view of sex?
- Throughout Rethinking Sex, Emba argues that consent is not enough to ensure ethical sex. What are the shortcomings of a consent-based sexual discourse?
- “Some Desires Are Worse Than Others.” Is this a controversial statement in your community or social milieu? Do you agree with it?
- Emba calls for “a new sexual ethic.” What would this ethic consist of?
9. Did Rethinking Sex change your mind about sex? In what way?
