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The Mass Media

The Mass Media

The Mass Media

Facts? What Facts?

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MassMedia/CreativeCommons
Todd Levin

If you’ve ever wondered to yourself whether the dog should be in the room, you would probably agree that sex can be weird. “Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk” speaks the truth about the awkwardness of sex. It’s also the most ludicrous book I have ever read on the subject, and I loved it. The book was written by the Association for the Betterment of Sex, which includes Scott Jacobson (The Daily Show), Todd Levin (Late Night with Conan O’Brien), Jason Roeder (The Onion), Mike Sacks (Vanity Fair) and Ted Travelstead (VH1). This book wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would follow in the Stewart or Colbert traditions of presenting facts with jokes tied to them. I expected to read some informational bits that had been warped or punned. I soon realized this was not the case. As I turned the pages it dawned on me that the book’s many claims, like the average penis size or the best masturbation technique, are entirely fictitious and useless for any practical purpose beside mindless entertainment. Nevertheless, it was hysterically funny. I have to admit that midway through the book the jokes began to fall a little flat. The bogus, ostentatious claims seemed to wear thin. But closer reading reveled certain truths about human behavior, and the uncertainty of sex. I don’t think these truths could be pointed out in a better way. I found this to be especially true on the male side of things. While the humor was a little self-deprecating, I couldn’t help but admit the dirty, shameful truth of it. For example, the book asserts that “most girl-girl-guy threesomes end with the male prematurely ejaculating and sitting alone in the kitchen drinking a Sunkist.” Sounds about right. Basically, if you like sex and you like to laugh (especially while having sex), then this book is for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for actual information on the art of lovemaking, please, I beg you, for your sake and the sake of your potential partner, do not read “Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk.” Wait until you’ve done enough of your own research

About the Contributor
Jacob Aguiar served as the following positions for The Mass media the following years: News Editor: 2011-2012; Fall 2012 Leisure Editor: 2010-2011