EDITORIAL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Body
      Politic
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sex
      and
      the
      single
      editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ex.
      Isnot
      that
      one
      of
      the
      most
      succinctly
      enticing
      openings
      (albeit
     
    

    
     
      S
      asentence
      fragment)
      possible
      in
      the
      black-and-white,
      two-dimen-
     
     
      sional
      world
      of
      the
      print
      medium?
      Some
      readers
      may
      recoil
      in
     
    

    
     
      horror
      (or
      at
      the
      very
      least,
      profound
      distaste)
      at
      the
      mere
      mention
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      word;
      others,
      upon
      seeing
      it,
      may
      scrutinize
      the
      page
      with
      far
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
      interest
      (though
      perhaps
      looking
      about
      nervously
      first
      to
      make
      certain
      no
     
     
      one
      is
      scrutinizing
      them).
      Though
      a
      perfectly
      innocent
      three
      letters,
      sex
     
     
      has
      the
      effect
      of
      a
      four
      letter
      word:
      once
      uttered,
      whether
      for
      good
      or
      ill,
     
     
      people
      sit
      up
      and
      take
      notice.
      One
      wonders,
      then,
      exactly
      why
      this
      is
      so.
     
     
      Why,
      at
      the
      very
      mention
      of
      sex,
      do
      most
      people’s
      ears
      perk
      up
      like
      a
      dog’s
     
     
      at
      the
      sight
      of
      a
      jerkey
      treat?
      Whence
      comes
      this
      perpetual,
      inexplicable
     
     
      obsession
      with
      all
      things
      sexual,
      anyway?
     
    

    
     
      These
      uncommon
      editorial
      musings
      were
      prompted
      by
      our
      pseudo-
     
     
      infamous
      sex
      supplement,
      printed
      in
      the
      last
      issue
      of
      the
      X-Press
      (jokingly
     
     
      referred
      to
      by
      some
      as
      the
      Sexpress...snicker,
      snicker).
      Actually,
      this
     
     
      editorial
      was
      inspired
      less
      by
      the
      supplement
      than
      it
      was
      by
      the
      reaction
     
     
      toit.
      Before
      exploring
      that,
      though,
      it
      would
      be
      helpful
      to
      make
      clear
      what
     
     
      typical
      public
      response
      to
      an
      issue
      of
      the
      X-Press
      is
      like.
      This
      publication
     
     
      concentrates
      on
      things
      of
      interest
      to
      the
      U.P.E.I.
      community,
      but
      also
     
     
      incorporates
      articles
      and
      features
      of
      interest
      to
      anyone
      and
      everyone,
      on
     
     
      a
      wide
      range
      of
      subject
      matter.
      Despite
      this
      broad
      spectrum
      of
      material,
     
     
      itis
      very
      seldom
      that
      we
      hit
      upon
      something
      that
      sends
      our
      readership
      into
     
     
      a
      stir.
      In
      fact,
      it
      is
      rare
      indeed
      for
      the
      paper
      to
      receive
      any
      response
      to
      its
     
     
      contents,
      apart
      from
      broad
      praise
      or
      criticism,
      both
      usually
      of
      the
      word-
     
     
      of-mouth
      variety.
      Usually,
      reader
      response
      is
      sadly
      lacking,
      even
      in
      the
     
     
      case
      of
      features
      that
      request
      reader
      participation.
      This
      is
      true
      to
      an
      extent
     
     
      no
      matter
      what
      the
      circumstances,
      perhaps
      because
      many
      students
      are
      (as
     
     
      many
      claim)
      either
      too
      busy
      or
      too
      apathetic
      to
      bother
      writing
      to
      us.
      We
     
     
      have
      written
      about
      life,
      death,
      and
     
     
      everything
      in
      between,
      and
      very
     
     
      seldom
      do
      our
      readers
      manifest
     
     
      vital
      signs,
      let
      alone
      concerns
      of
     
     
      any
      kind.
     
    

    
     
      In
      view
      of
      this,
      the
      response
     
     
      given
      our
      sex
      supplement
      stands
     
     
      out
      in
      stark
      contrast.
      We
      received
     
     
      over
      a
      hundred
      responses
      to
      the
     
     
      “*sex
      survey’’
      we
      printed
      to
      gather
     
     
      data
      for
      the
      supplement,
      which
      is
     
     
      about
      a
      hundred
      more
      than
      we
      ever
     
     
      got
      for
      any
      otherrequests
      for
      reader
     
     
      input
      we’ve
      put
      forth
      in
      the
      last
     
     
      four
      years.
      Moreover,
      the
      sex
      sup-
     
     
      plement
      brought
      the
      X-Press
      an
     
     
      unexpected
      glut
      of
      media
      atten-
     
     
      tion,
      sparked
      largely
      by
      a
      fearful
     
     
      article
      in
      the
      Evening
      Patriot
      (in
     
     
      response
      to
      the
      sex
      survey)
      won-
     
     
      dering
      just
      what
      the
      heck
      these
     
     
      radical
      X-Press
      rapscallions
      were
     
     
      trying
      to
      do
      by
      addressing
      such
      a
     
     
      subversive
      topic
      as
      sex
      in
      a
      P.E.I.
     
     
      publication.
      L.M.
      Montgomery
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Probing
      the
     
     
      minds
      of
      the
     
     
      sex-obsessed
     
    

    
     
      media
      and
      its
     
     
      public
      in
      the
     
     
      wake
      of
      the
     
    

    
     
      X-Press
      Sex
     
    

    
     
      Supplement
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      must
      be
      doing
      pirouettes
      in
      her
      oft-visited
      grave.
      The
      Patriot
      article
      was
     
     
      spotted
      by
      other
      local
      media,
      and
      before
      long
      the
      X-Press
      found
      itself
     
     
      being
      covered
      by
      CBC
      and
      ATV
      as
      well,
      though
      their
      attentions
      were,
     
     
      thankfully,
      devoid
      of
      the
      inflammatory
      and
      judgemental
      slant
      that
      .
     
     
      characterized
      the
      initial
      article
      in
      the
      Patriot.
      Overnight,
      this
      particular
     
     
      issue
      of
      the
      X-Press
      had
      become
      a
      media
      event,
      in
      a
      rather
      warped
      display
     
     
      of
      a
      substance-starved
      media
      feeding
      on
      itself.
     
    

    
     
      This
      was
      all
      rather
      weird,
      but
      unfortunately
      not
      unique.
      Many
      of
      the
     
     
      few
      other
      media
      blitzes
      related
      to
      the
      X-Press
      over
      the
      past
      few
      years
      have
     
     
      revolved
      around
      matters
      of
      a
      sexual
      nature.
      Several
      years
      ago,
      the
      paper
     
     
      came
      under
      intense
      media
      scrutiny
      when
      its
      staff
      debated
      whether
      or
      not
     
     
      to
      print
      a
      controversial
      article
      (on
      safe-but-erotic
      gay
      sex)
      that
      had
      been
     
     
      circulating
      among
      university
      newspapers
      (incidentally,
      the
      paper
      had
     
     
      decided
      to
      cut
      the
      article
      regardless).
      The
      following
      year,
      the
      paper
      was
     
     
      mired
      in
      seemingly
      endless
      controversy
      over
      the
      printing
      of
      the
      ‘‘Back-
     
     
      lash’’,
      a
      ‘*column
      for
      the
      politically
      incorrect’’
      whose
      occasional
      criti-
     
     
      cism
      of
      feminism
      (among
      many
      other
      things)
      sparked
      a
      feminist
      reaction
     
     
      that
      led
      to
      the
      X-Press
      being
      viewed
      thereafter
      as
      the
      forum
      for
      some
     
     
      titanic
      battle
      of
      the
      sexes,
      with
      a
      plethora
      of
      posturing
      on
      both
      sides
      that
     
     
      is
      both
      too
      silly
      and
      too
      lengthy
      to
      go
      into
      here
      (almost
      to
      this
      day,
      other
     
     
      members
      of
      the
      Island
      media,
      when
      they
      have
      occasion
      to
      contact
      us
      for
     
     
      some
      reason,
      ask
      wistfully
      if
      the
      ‘‘Backlash’’
      or
      some
      facsimile
      thereof
     
     
      will
      be
      gracing
      our
      pages
      in
      the
      future).
      It
      seems
      that
      one
      has
      but
      to
     
     
      mention
      the
      word
      ‘‘sex’’
      to
      guarantee
      the
      undivided
      attention
      of
      many
     
     
      people.
     
    

    
     
      The
      question
      remains,
      though:
      what
      is
      all
      the
      fuss
      about?
      On
      one
      level,
     
     
      sex
      isa
      simple
      biological
      act,
      and
      no
      more
      deserving
      of
      literary
      dissection
     
     
      than
      a
      trip
      to
      the
      washroom.
      On
      another
      level,
      most
      people
      see
      sex
      as
      a
     
     
      very
      special,
      very
      private
      intimacy
      reserved
      for
      those
      who
      share
      a
      special
     
     
      bond
      of
      love
      with
      one
      another,
      and
      still
      others,
      such
      as
      this
      writer,see
      it
     
     
      as
      that
      and
      as
      an
      expression
      of
      a
      spiritual
      communion
      reserved
      for
      the
     
     
      commitment
      of
      marriage-
      in
      either
      of
      these
      cases,
      sex
      is
      then
      a
      very
     
     
      private
      thing,
      and
      no
      more
      deserving
      of
      media
      attention
      than
      any
      other
     
     
      personal
      or
      spiritual
      matter.
      Sex
      is
      seen
      by
      some
      as
      a
      social
      issue,
      by
     
     
      others
      as
      a
      health
      issue,
      but
      in
      either
      case
      it
      again
      frequently
      receives
      more
     
     
      media
      attention
      than
      other
      issues
      of
      these
      types.
      Perhaps
      this
      is
      because
     
     
      the
      very
      existence
      of
      sex
      was,
      for
      so
      long,
      regarded
      as
      taboo
      under
      any
     
     
      circumstances,
      let
      alone
      in
      the
      sphere
      of
      public
      discussion.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      Adam
      and
      Eve’s
      sinful
      snack,
      it’s
      been
      true
      that
      any
      ‘‘forbid-
     
     
      den’’
      knowledge
      is
      to
      most
      people
      extremely
      tempting,
      or
      at
      least
     
     
      intriguing,
      and
      it
      seems
      that
      sex
      will
      always,
      to
      some
      extent,
      bea
      shadowy
     
     
      subject
      layered
      with
      myth
      and
      mystery,
      so
      that
      people
      will
      always
      be
     
     
      dying
      to
      know
      about
      it
      (perhaps
      literally,
      in
      light
      of
      the
      spread
      of
      AIDS).
     
     
      Sex
      and
      its
      ramifications
      are
      undeniably
      relevant
      to
      virtually
      any
      reader,
     
     
      and
      none
      can
      deny
      that
      it
      is,
      like
      most
      issues,
      deserving
      of
      some
      attention.
     
     
      One
      hopes,
      though,
      that
      our
      society
      will
      eventually
      be
      mature
      enough
      to
     
     
      shed
      this
      sophomoric
      preoccupation
      with
      such
      a
      basic
      facet
      of
      human
     
     
      existence.
      Perhaps
      then
      the
      media
      will
      be
      less
      likely
      to
      devote
      as
      much
     
     
      time
      as
      it
      often
      does
      to
      courting
      a
      public
      that
      it
      assumes
      is
      composed
      of
     
     
      adolescent
      voyeurs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid,
     
     
      Editor-in-Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      4,
      1993/X-Press/3