[nfb-talk] Blindness and Sexuality

[Brian Miller]

What makes this so good is that like all good parodies it incorporates
references  to real books, like Roach's book, Bonk, which does exist, and is
a terrific read.

Plus, it's true. :)

Brian M


> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael Bullis
> Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2012 8:26 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: [nfb-talk] Blindness and Sexuality
> 
> Considering the date, this is well written. 
> 
> Mike 
> 
> Blindness and Sexuality: Researching Myths and Facts Summary Report: 
> 
> Distributed by: National Data Distribution Center (NDDC) 
> 
> April 1, 2009 
> 
> Atlanta Georgia 
> 
>  
> 
> The two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille 
> is being celebrated by the US mint with the production of a 
> silver coin commemorating the man who created the modern 
> reading system used by many blind people.
> Unfortunately, although blind people work and live normal 
> lives, they are still different in many ways and their 
> experiences are a matter of curiosity amongst the sighted 
> population.  For most of us, the question, "What is it like 
> to be blind?," has entered our minds more than once. 
> 
>  
> 
> Research, some of it useful and much of it not, about how 
> people who are blind perceive the world, abounds.  One of the 
> more interesting topics of study is sexuality among the 
> blind.  The story, goes that blind people are incredible 
> sexual partners--somehow being extremely sensitive to their 
> partners and, being able to stimulate them far more than the 
> average person.
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Masters and Johnson were so intrigued by this subject that 
> they collected data over several years from those who had had 
> sex with blind people.
> Surprisingly, what they thought would be myths, turned out to 
> be true. The results were stunning.  On average, women rated 
> their blind partners 9.1 on a scale of 10.  The average 
> rating was five for sighted partners. 
> 
>  
> 
> "This research has been duplicated several times," says 
> Author Mary Roach, author of, 2008 best seller, Bonk: the 
> Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.
> The data hasn't attracted much attention because blindness is 
> such a low incidence event.  "We usually print things that 
> have broad interest.  And, even though this indicates that 
> blind people are incredibly sexual, there aren't really 
> enough of them to go around." 
> 
>  
> 
> Comments from sighted partners were astounding.  "He seemed 
> like he knew my soul," from a 23 year old female.  "Her 
> tongue knew just how to touch every part of me if you know 
> what I mean," from a college male.  One woman commented, "The 
> things he could do with his fingers were beyond description 
> in this survey.  It's not that he was built bigger than other 
> men, it just seemed like he touched me inside with it all 
> over,"  she said with a shy smile. 
> 
>  
> 
> When William Masters was asked, in a 1971 interview, why he 
> didn't draw more attention to these findings he said, "I 
> didn't know anything about blindness.  We were publishing 
> information of general interest about sexuality and this just 
> didn't fit that mold.  Perhaps some day researchers will help 
> us understand why blind people have such incredible sexual 
> capacities and we'll be able to use that information to 
> increase the abilities of others.  Until then, a very few 
> lucky men and women will experience the phenomena of sex with 
> a blind person." 
> 
>  
> 
> There is a down side to this research.  When interviewed, 
> blind people generally expressed frustration about sexuality. 
>  Broadly speaking, they divided sighted people into three 
> groups.  First is the group who simply want to have sex with 
> them for the thrill and experience of it.  "We feel used," 
> was the most common thing reported.  second, was the group 
> who simply couldn't see themselves with a blind husband or 
> wife.  "They want to be with us, but don't see us as fathers 
> and mothers, for example,"  was often heard.
> the third group were those who "get it" as one blind man put 
> it.  "They can see beyond blindness and except us for who we 
> are.  Blindness just fades into the background and becomes 
> another characteristic." 
> 
>  
> 
> The sad truth is that although blind people work, raise 
> families, travel independently and generally speaking, live 
> normal lives, the public perception is the opposite.  The 
> image of the helpless beggar still lurks in our minds.  
> Sighted people report that the fear of blindness overwelms 
> their rationality.  "I know that I shouldn't let blindness 
> interfere with how I think about my partner, but, I can't 
> help it," said a young college student engaged to a blind 
> physicist working at NASA.  "Yes, he has money, and yes, he's 
> sexy, and oh, my god, can he please me, if you know what I 
> mean.  The hardest thing is getting over this image of him as 
> a helpless blind man. We sail, bike ride and horse back ride. 
>  I can't think of anything he can't do except drive, but, 
> I'll admit, the image of a helpless blind man still haunts 
> me.  People look at him with such pity and I just want to 
> scream, "You don't get it you fools.""  But she admits that 
> making the decision to mary is difficult. 
> 
>  
> 
> Chad, a young blind college student says he finds the whole 
> sex thing a bit distracting.  "Sure I can please women more 
> than my sighted friends can, and frankly, it's because they 
> just don't pay attention to women and what their bodies and 
> hearts are saying.  Women will tell you everything you need 
> to know if you just listen and feel." 
> 
>  
> 
> We give you all of this information with the caviat that 
> perhaps only one in six thousand people is an eligible blind 
> man or woman, so, happy searching.
> 
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