Yet another development in the sex doll world... | 30 comments (30 topical, 0 hidden)
Two Different Issues (none / 0)

"So I pose the question: Can sex dolls, talking or otherwise, really be a long-term replacement for human romance and companionship?"

 

I believe the root of many problems we have as a society is that we act like romance and companionship are synonymous with sexual fulfillment.  They are not.  People will always need conversation, interaction, support, commiseration.  But I think that sexual needs, while related, have a component that is apart from those things, and as much as we try to tell ourselves otherwise, most people cannot have their sexual needs satisfied by a single partner in the long term, and the statistics on cheating (by men AND women) prove it. We need to stop lying to ourselves about our sexual needs as human beings, so people don't pursue fulfilling those needs in the dishonest and emotionally destructive way that is now the norm in our society.

So of course, a sex doll can never replace the EMOTIONAL and INTELLECTUAL component of a relationship.  That would require us to develop true artificial intelligence, which I think is centuries away, if it is even possible.  But can sex dolls develop to where they can reasonably approximate purely the physical sensation of sex with a human partner and function to fulfill some of those needs and desires? Definitely maybe!

But what we really need to do as a society is separate sexual needs from relationship needs and understand that while there is a connection between the two, if we insist on trying to make them the same, most people will be sexually unfulfilled. 

by mdavidboyd on 02/02/2010 12:24:40 PM EST

Warm Fuzzies vs. Cold Pricklies (none / 0)
People will settle for whatever they think they can get in order to stay alive.  It's people's misperceptions about themselves and their place in the world -- misperceptions that are promoted by the mainstream media for commercial purposes -- that have led to the invention of sex dolls.  If homely Henry and Henrietta and gorgeous George and Georgette fully understood that real beauty has little to do with appearance, we wouldn't have these problems.

Also, it would be nice if it rained more out here in the desert.

by EveningStarNM on 02/02/2010 01:00:48 PM EST

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You hit it on the Doll! (none / 0)
On a related note, yesterday I was listening to Antonia Crane/adult industry lady on Marc Maron's WTF podcast and she pointed out how her services were not meant to replace the wife/girlfriend at home, but was meant to "enhance" them.  That's all I have to say for now, and if TYT needs a tester for this doll, I'll step up and stick my d*ck in the pudding but we're going to have to something about her hair and down syndrome looking face (and I don't mean to disrespect people w/down syndrome).

by rev24 on 02/02/2010 01:29:35 PM EST

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Good response (none / 0)

Great response there, really broaden out my original internal debate.

 I wonder if, to the market for sex dolls, they consider how owning a sex doll presents themselves to any potential partners though. Do you think they picture the moment when they bring home a stranger to rock the casbah, and said partner walks into a room to find a silicone doll looking back?

 However I think with the development of talking sex dolls marketed to have conversations and personalities such as this one, some men are considering sex dolls as a human parter replacement. Afterall the idea is that these dolls provide companship both sexually and conversationally.

Blog about my experiences as a technical theatre student and practitioner: http://standbystageright.bl ogspot.com/

by freakygirlhere on 02/02/2010 02:11:39 PM EST

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Great post. (none / 0)
I would have written the same but much less concise and more long-winded, so thx for saving me the trouble ;).

We need to stop lying to ourselves about our sexual needs as human beings, so people don't pursue fulfilling those needs in the dishonest and emotionally destructive way that is now the norm in our society.
That is IMHO the strongest and most important point.

In addition: I don't see how a sex doll is different from old-school sex toys like vibrators etc. or even from "free-style" masturbation... It is what we humans do: we invent stuff to facilitate/enrich the experience of what we do anyway.

So, sexually, I don't see anything wrong with these dolls, other than they being IMO way too expensive and unhandy ;).

For the replacement of social interactions, I have mixed feelings about that. OTOH, the dolls could help chronically shy persons to develop social skills. OTOH, the perceived interaction might lead to the development of false images of real people, and the "user" can further degenerate their social abilities.

But, in an age where much of the exchange between people is 140 characters or less, and you can have thousands of "friends" online, I don't know if those dolls can really negatively impact the dwindling human interactions and the rising social isolation.

That would require us to develop true artificial intelligence, which I think is centuries away, if it is even possible.

I slightly disagree. I think it is possible and it will be only a matter of a couple decades for the first AIs! Maybe even within the next 10 years we see a machine pass a Turing Test. Of course only the devil is able to build a machine with a soul, so that is definitely impossible ;).

by eborujion on 02/02/2010 02:55:35 PM EST

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The expense of a doll (none / 0)
Jack juice and a pleasant memory costs maybe five cents -- unless you can make enough spit.  The trick is in getting the memories.  Sex toys should be a spice, not the main course, but if you've become convinced by all those television ads featuring stunningly attractive models that you're undesireable, you might believe that other people have the same opinion about you and not even try to get those memories.  In that case, those toys are all you've got.

by EveningStarNM on 02/02/2010 04:07:01 PM EST

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Yet another development in the sex doll world... | 30 comments (30 topical, 0 hidden)