Bibles and “Sex Kits”
By Red Delicious • Nov 15th, 2007 • Category: Politics, pop cultureI’m on a mailing list for “Alerts” from the American Family Association. It’s a bit oxymoronic, but every so often the AFA sends out an alert that just tickles me pink. Usually I get notes asking for me to take action when companies air “offensive” commercials or when previously accountable politicians veer too far from appropriate “family values”. A.K.A. I get updates every time a step forward happens for gay rights or the sex-positive movement. It’s really quite a riot.
Yesterday I recieved a very interesting update. It appears the AFA is concerned with the steady removal of Bibles from several well-known hotel chains. They’re crying that not only are the Holy Scriptures being removed but in their place hotels are putting “sex kits”. I got a pretty great giggle out of this one. I mean really, I don’t think it is that appropriate anyway to have Bibles in hotel rooms. Not all of America is Christian, heck, this country was founded on the very basis of religious freedom. So I find it a bit ridiculous to put Bibles in the nightstands if you’re not going to place a Qur’an, Torah, the Tao Te Ching, the Vedas, etc. by their side. What really interested me was the “sex kit” concern. Reading the update I got excited to think that the next time I ended up in a Motel 6 I might open the nightstand to find a couple Trojans and some Astroglide. So I followed the link to a Newsweek article that gave a little more less-biased information on the topic.
It seems that there might not be quite as much a rush to replace the Bibles with “intimacy kits”, as Newsweek referred to them, as I had hoped. But it was interesting to find out that some of the hipper hotel chains are putting condoms and lube next to the shampoo and washcloth, and that some even offer more interesting packages with feathers, sexy dice, and mini vibes. So next time you’re traveling and staying in chic hotel, check the nightstand they may have left you a nice treat. But if you want to play it safe and aren’t sure your particular room comes with an “intimacy kit”, bring one with you! Good Vibes carries tons of darling kits good for a couple nights on the town. My favorite is the Girls Nite In kit, which comes with lube, a vibe, tingly balm for the clit and nipples, and even some massage oil. Another great kit under $20 is the Pleasure Me Purse which comes with a vibe, tasty body candy, lube, and even a a mini massage bar. If you want something to last a bit longer, perhaps enough to please you for a whole week or two away from home, try the Friday Night Delight kit or the Exotic Honey Moon Sampler. Both these kits come with more than enough goodies so you can get away and get off!
Hoping you have fun on your next vacation,
~*~Red~*~
Red Delicious >> a blogger here at Good Vibrations!
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Quite interesting read. I looked this up after we talked about it when I visited your store on Sunday. I was pleased to read that some people understand that we live a different time and that old business and moral models can be obsolete; but this was also a reminder about the deeply rooted conservative values of this country.
It is interesting that given the so-called “religious freedom” made available to every citizen of this country, Christianity is still there trying to pull the ropes behind everything. I totally agree with your point and one made by another reader in response to that article: if one worries about the religious values of the people frequenting hotels, one would have to be ready to provide scriptures for all religions; but this is not the case. So much for freedom of religion and tolerance…
In regards to the intimacy kits provided: besides being a really nice idea on top of providing radios, televisions, mini bars, etc. to make the time spent in a hotel more pleasant and entertaining, I personally appreciate this move even more for providing or encouraging safer sex. I am sure it is not the first thing they think of when placing these little kits in every room, but it is definitively a nice and subtle way to reach for people who enjoy or are curious about sex and allow them to go safe.
When I first came to this country as a teenager, I was quite shocked, first, at the way sex was perceived (i.e. super-uber-duper taboo), and secondly, how “lightly” many people would go at it (i.e. uneducated, unprotected, etc.). I was in shock when I saw so many young girls pregnant and when I read statistics about STDs and how many people would still go unprotected. Perhaps coming from a country like France, I was lucky to be exposed to sex through my own culture (e.g literature, film, art, music, etc.) that I never felt the need to hide or be ashamed to get advice, guidance, and grow more mature about it. However, I find it amazing that even now, in this country, we find more and more people–young and old–so uneducated on the topic and not open to it. Given the difficult effort made to educate people on their sexuality, I admit appreciating the move of some of these hotels to invite people to: be safe, be open to sex, and enjoy it!
If someone has to complain about tempting the devil by offering intimacy kits, why not about the booze from the mini-bars or the numbing and brainwashing media from the TVs already in these rooms. Oh, wait, booze, guns, tobacco, and the media, are not run by folks with the same kind of open mindedness.
Yes, there is quite a gap between providing a bible and an intimacy kit. Yes, not everyone is Christian, or religious for that matter. Yes, not everyone will have sex in their hotel room. And of course, making such kits available is no guarantee that anyone who finds one, or needs one, will use it. However, I would feel a lot better knowing that some of the people who might find condoms and other pleasurable items would be encouraged to have some safe fun; it is a happier thought than learning that someone caught an STD or got pregnant because of s/he was drunk or not careful.