Duke University official concerned that sex toy study will make students want to "just sit around and masturbate"

A Duke University study on sex toys has the University's Catholic Center director worried that female students will "just sit around and masturbate."

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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bcsizemo

Aren’t studies like this really one sided?

I mean, a certain percentage of the female population is not going to be comfortable, playing, talking, and in general discussing sexual topics with a bunch of strangers. Some people are open about it, some people are open to their significant others, and a few people are less open.

Studies like this always seem to say, hey did you know that like almost everyone women you have ever seen masturbates?! And yet somehow that percentage seems much lowered (at least among the women I know well enough to discuss topics like that with)….

Now men on the other hand…
- aagblog
  
  The point of the study is to see if the use of sex toys can curb promiscuity, which should seem like a good thing to the Catholic church.
- Anonymous
  
  With men, the other hand is busy, too.
Tdawwg

Would he have them be amublatory masturbators? That would be quite a college sport!
- Chuck
  
  >Would he have them be amublatory masturbators? That would be quite a college sport!
  
  I’m imagining track and field relay events with vibrators replacing the baton. (Maybe the point would be to keep running, and resist the temptation to stop in the middle of your leg of the race and … well, you know.)
- Phikus
  
  Ambulatory Masturbators: Great band name! ;D
awgrbr

@bcsizemo men are generally fine with just the one hand…
Derek C. F. Pegritz

THEY ALREADY DO. Well…in my *head* they do. C’mon, Duke University, don’t ruin my fantasies–please?
Mark Frauenfelder

Tdawwg FTW
Rob Knop

That’s a real worry — because female students may then start to do just as poorly in college as male students. (And for the same reason, even.)
Chuck

“But won’t your use of … uh … these ‘personal pleasure devices’ just result in you sitting at home and cutting yourself off from the rest of humanity?”

“Oh, certainly not. I’m perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation with people while… OH! Oh god! Hold on a sec. … Alright, I’m back. What was I saying? Oh, yeah…”
sexualdelights

Maybe they should be doing studies on why there is a high rate of sexual abuse from Catholic Priests. A woman who masturbates harms nobody. A priests who assaults somebody effects his victims for the rest of their life.
sally599

There was something on loveline w/ Dr. Drew that suggested that some women have trouble climaxing with men due to the use of vibrators, I think that the vibrators were considered overstimulatory so the women developed a higher threshold and did not respond to regular sensory cues. When they stopped using them and used manual or other milder stimulation instead then they were able to achieve climax during intercourse again. Of course this was random radio banter and may be akin the to the whole “psychologist says” thing.
- Gloria
  
  “regular sensory cues”
  
  I’m going to ask my honey for some “regular sensory cues” tonight ;-)
benher

We all know that sex toys are a ‘gateway’ to…. sex!
blueelm

But… what’s wrong with masturbating? I mean. Really I’d rather do that then hit the singles club trying to trap a husband.

LMAO! The more I think about it the more funny it gets. It just… wow do some people ever have a hard time with women and sex!
- Anonymous
  
  I have never had a hard time with…… oops
Anonymous

Maybe if women were allowed the position of priesthood or higher in the Catholic church they’d have something to do with their free time.
Permanent4

Ah, good ol’ Father Joe. I remember when he chased a friend of mine out of the choir for having the nerve to disagree with his homily about a woman who made “the right choice” by staying with an abusive husband. Lovely Easter Sunday THAT was. He’s one of the main reasons I pretty much gave up on Catholicism.
Gloria

“wow do some people ever have a hard time with women and sex!”

They suuuuuuuuuuuuure do.

WINK.
Anonymous

Just sitting around masturbating makes one want to just sit around and masturbate.
atdelphi

@Sally – Some women have trouble climaxing with men because they’re lesbians. ;) But yes, the problem isn’t vibrators (some women can only climax from vibration anyhow, and others use vibrators as a part of intercourse because it’s a minority who can climax from penetration alone) but rather, it’s overly-strong vibration settings that may, for the short-term, decrease sensitivity.
Anonymous

Hey I have been playing with toys for years and I don’t do it ALL the time… well I took a break to write this didn’t I?
Anonymous

Was this professor D. Lusion?
randalll

@Sally- I think that there is a similar problem with men who are inclined to rather, erm… manhandle themselves and then require greater stimulation to maintain an erection.

At least according to Dan Savage.
- Gloria
  
  The infamous Death Grip!
irrevocable

I think that this dude should view this as a study on behavior as opposed to focusing on the sex toy aspect.

Plus sex toys can be a good thing i.e. wouldn’t you rather your partner be dabbling with a toy than another human being?
Brainspore

I don’t get it. Where’s the problem?
zikman

and why shouldn’t they
Rick York

As a former RC, I can say; at least they won’t have to practice the rhythm method.
phisrow

To quote the good Stephen Fry:

“The only people who are obsessed with food are anorexics and the morbidly obese. And that, in erotic terms, is the Catholic church in a nutshell.”