A prominent Duke University behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, stirred up a controversy on campus by posting ads asking female students to take part in a "sexually explicit" study in which they would discuss sex toys at Tupperware-style parties. Father Joe Vetter, director of the Duke Catholic Center, protested, saying Ariely was discouraging relationships by telling women "just to sit around and masturbate." Does the Duke sex-toy study send students the wrong message?
Sex toys promote relationships: Sex toys aren't evil, says Olivia Allin in The Frisky. Finding Mr. Right -- "a boy who turns you on and gets you simultaneously" -- isn't easy. It's better to "do it yourself" than hook up with Mr. Wrong. A good relationship is worth waiting for, and a good sex toy makes the waiting easier.
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Vibrators don't make women promiscuous: "Sit around and masturbate?" says Katie Drummond in True/Slant. Come on -- these women aren't going to swear off men, and marriage, and retire to their dorm rooms with a discounted vibrator and a Sade CD. And they're not going to suddenly become promiscuous, either. In fact, Father Vetter should be pleased -- "student health workers say they hope the study will shed light on whether sex toys can be a useful tool in curbing campus promiscuity."
"Duke University students: you should not 'just sit around and masturbate'"
