What could be more “natural” than sex?

What could be more “natural” than sex?
It is easy to think of sex as all about “the birds and the bees,” which is
another way of saying that it is easy to think of sex as rooted in
biology. And, of course, sex is about biology in some important
ways. First, our sex at birth (as well as our sexual orientation) results
from biological processes. Second, more broadly, sex is an evolutionary
strategy for the survival and enhancement of our species. Darwin had this
part figured out more than 150 years ago. But, as the text points out, the
tendency to see patterns of human behavior as nothing more than
expressions of biology can lead to a great deal of
misunderstanding. As Chapter 6 explains, although sex does involve
our biology, human beings are cultural creatures who experience sex (and
everything else) through the lens of meaning. That is, humans are
not concerned simply with behavior or with experiencing what feels good in
a physical sense; we try to understand all behavior in terms of its
meaning. If someone you find attractive smiles at you, for example, the
first thing that comes to your mind is “Wow. What does that smile mean?”
In short, sex is one element of culture; the meanings we attach to sex are
those made available to us by the cultural system in which we exist. As an
element of culture, sex is inseparable from the operation of
society. The lesson that human behavior is never a simple reflection
of biology has important applications. For example, in the same way
that people can easily, but incorrectly, view sex as a simple expression
of biology, so they can easily but incorrectly view gender—social patterns
linked to being female or male—as a simple expression of biology; as we
saw last week, what we call “feminine” or “masculine” turns out to be not
simple biological facts but mostly a creation of society.
What personal benefits do we gain from recognizing that sexuality is a
creation of society? A major benefit is learning not to think about sexuality
in clear-cut categories of “right” and “wrong.” Sexual patterns that seem
natural to people living in one society are quite strange to people living
elsewhere. What was viewed as right at one point in time may not be seen the
same way today. In fact, even in one time and place, it is very difficult to
describe patterns of sexual behavior using any rigid generalizations—people
differ too much. For example, not everyone fits neatly into categories such as
straight or gay—or even into categories like male or
female.
Based on what you have read in this chapter, what evidence supports the
argument that sexuality is constructed by society?
Define race,
ethnicity, and minority. How are these concepts distinct and in what ways
might they overlap?
Biologists
sometimes argue that, from their perspective, race is of little or no real
significance. How would a sociologist respond to such a claim? Make
reference to the Thomas theorem.
Watch: (https://digital-films-com.mxcc.idm.oclc.org/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49736&tScript=0) Discuss and give at
least three examples, including a public policy regarding housing, of some
ways in which one’s racial designation has determined the possibilities
for one’s social and political participation.

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