Poll: Are There That Many Asexuals Here?

[Panorama]

The internet is full of lies and half-truths.

This should be the first message that appears whenever anyone opens a Browser.

OT: I believe that every last person who has claimed to be asexual here is either blatantly lying to cover their wounded hearts or just haven't found anything they would regard as attractive (which I find to be acceptable due to "different strokes for different folks"). There are way too many people claiming to be asexual so it screams of immature self-delusion. In fact, of everyone who has claimed to be asexual on this site alone, only one or two are actually asexual. The rest are LIARS.

I can see that, i can never get my head around the matter honestly, i know people with a low sex drive but i don't know anyone who claims, to be asexual (i.e. not people on the internet). So yeah im having to agree here so well said.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Julianking93 already has a good reply on the kissing thing, so I'll address this one.

Yes, I view sex as something I neither want nor need and due to this, I have little to no sex drive. Which is pretty much exactly what asexuality is. My personal view on the act being gross doesn't mean I'm NOT an asexual. That's just ridiculous.

Christ you're being difficult. If asexuality is defined as having no sex drive, which for the record is usually caused by a number of issues and is rarely if ever "inborn", but you state that you are disgusted with sex then you are not asexual, you suffer from something called sexual aversion disorder.

snip

If by "spectrum" you mean classifying virtually every human emotion as a sexuality then bull fucking shit.

I replied with evidence to suggest that it is, in fact, feasible under the circumstances for this many asexuals to be on the Escapist.

Except it's not. Virtually every dope with low libido thinks of himself as being asexual just like every idiot in the world who behaves a bit anti socially thinks asperger's is the cause. Asexuality is much to complex of an issue and claiming that you're "asexual" without first considering virtually every other possible cause is being presumptuous at best and at worst it's nothing but a feeble attempt at gaining attention.

But you saying that everyone saying they are asexual are frauds

They are frauds. This isn't the first fad people have jumped on and this isn't the first time I've had this exact same discussion on a different subject.

And you told me to pull scientific articles and that is what I did. SAGE Publications does academic journals on social sciences and humanities, in which their sexualities journals are tailored to what the title is. Sexualities.

SAGE is to scientific literature what movie tie in books are to literature.

I pulled up scientific articles, and you are immediately denying them because of their source? An independent publisher of academic journals that goes through the same Peer Reviewed process as those of biology, astronomy, geology, etc.

If by peer reviewed you mean put up a poll on the internet and report the findings then sure, why not. If that's what passes for "peer reviewed" nowadays then I don't want to see what the future holds.

Sexuality, including asexuality(or non-sexuality if that sounds better), is excessively complex

I agree. It's a very complex issue. Unfortunately, you don't understand it. In fact, no one understands it. We've barely just scratched the surface, in fact we know fuck all about it, and people are already claiming they're "asexual". This is yet another "internet disorder" and just like the internet asperger's sufferer who self diagnosed his disorder, the bisexual who hasn't been in a same sex relationship and the pansexual who wouldn't touch a tranny with a 10ft pole you'll eventually fade into history and make way for the next big thing.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm not taking anyone's claim to asexualty at face value.

Like it or not, humans are sexual beings. This has nothing to do with societal pressure, but with the simple fact that we're alive. It's in the core of our very being. And if you lack this, not because you're fighting society's obsession with it, or you're depressed, but because you genuinely just don't have it at all, then you can call yourself asexual.

My guess is that most people's claim to being asexual is simply out of spite because they feel society is pressuring them to be sexual, not because they truly don't feel any sexual desire.

And honestly, people who have absolutely zero urge for physical human contact of any kind, whether by trauma or just cuz, are sick in the head.

I don't really see the purpose of adding that last part, as being asexual and desiring zero physical human contact of any are two completely different things. However, aversion to physical contact can be a completely physiological thing, thus making it inherent within the person themselves. While it usually results from developmental abnormalities, I don't really consider people with autism to be "sick in the head" for example.

I know not all asexuals have an aversion against physical contact, but I've heard from many that have, even one in this very thread. They basically classify any physical contact, whether it be a hug or a handshake, as vile.

And physical contact is extremely important in your life, even if it's something as simple as petting a dog.

 

[Phasmal]

I would have gone for the invisible third option: Who CARES?!

Seriously, though, if someone wants to say that they are asexual, how does it effect anyone at all? It might be unlikely to have so many people claiming to be asexual on one website but you have no way of measuring it, unless you wanna go to each persons house and put sensors around their downstairs. People claiming that asexuality is either wrong or impossible aren't going to change anything, people are still going to claim that they are asexual. Would someone saying sex is gross put you off sex? No! So why would you saying its natural and they must have SOME desire for it change what they think?

Honestly, lets all just grow up and leave people to do (or not do) with their downstairs as they wish.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

I think most of them are probably big fat liars. Everyone on this site claims to be an asexual genius with a doctorate in whatever the threads about, but in truth most of them (as far as I can tell) are simply English teenagers with (kind of sad and pathetic) delusions of grandeur.

 

[MartianWarMachine]

I used to think I was asexual, due to my lack of interest in doing... stuff... with other people, but then I took an arrow to the knee started to have a crush on an IRL friend, and I won't say any more because she's an Escapist and there's a tiny chance that she might read this post...

[sub][sub][sub]If you are reading it/have read it, don't tell me >~<[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

One percent is one out of a hundred (I know, duh). That means that you typically shouldn't see a person self-identify as asexual on the first page of any of those threads about sexuality that keep coming up around here.

Statistics doesnt work like that. Roughly 110million people own either a 360 or a ps3, Thats about 1.5% of the world population..So you wouldnt expect anyone on these forums to have a 360/ps3 on the first page?

You have to look at demographics, and apparantly this forum attracts a good number of people who arent just straight white males.

Not to be mean, but I don't buy that that many asexuals are here. A lot of people on the forums are young, many haven't had what they would call a romantic or sexual experience, and the Internet makes for great anonymity and lack of accountability. I think many of the people who say they are asexual just don't have an interest in dating right now and want a cooler term for it. So do you believe that the many people who claim to be asexuals (claim to have no desire for sex of any kind) really belong to this small psychological group?

However im not saying your theory is wrong. Its reasonable to take everything on the internet with a grain of salt, so it could be that some who claim to be asexual just arent aware of their own sexuality yet, or dont even fully understand what asexuality actually means, while some could just be plain lying... but i still think the majority of people who claim to be asexual actually are.

 

[RanD00M]

There are a couple that I know who are genuinely asexual and find no interest in it but for the most part, the ones I've known simply attempt to make an excuse as to why they're single or can't get sex at all.
A defense, more or less.

That is just what I was about to add to my post, and now I don't have to. Thank you Julian.

 

[TimeLord]

There are no asexuals on these forums, period. The thing is, asexuality, like bisexuality, pansexuality and asperger's syndrome before it, is the new "in" thing. It's "cool" to be asexual, it adds depth to your character and makes you more interesting. It's also a great way to justify rejection. What these kids don't understand is that the prevalence of asexuality in the population of Earth is one fucking percent. Let me put that in perspective. The chances of a person on Earth being asexual is lower than the chance of you being hit by a fucking lighting bolt.

1% of 7 billion is still 70 million people. That's a lot of people. Chances are there is at least one on these forums. Probably more.
Please don't make baseless assumptions with information you don't have about the users of these forums.

 

[axlryder]

I'm not taking anyone's claim to asexualty at face value.

Like it or not, humans are sexual beings. This has nothing to do with societal pressure, but with the simple fact that we're alive. It's in the core of our very being. And if you lack this, not because you're fighting society's obsession with it, or you're depressed, but because you genuinely just don't have it at all, then you can call yourself asexual.

My guess is that most people's claim to being asexual is simply out of spite because they feel society is pressuring them to be sexual, not because they truly don't feel any sexual desire.

And honestly, people who have absolutely zero urge for physical human contact of any kind, whether by trauma or just cuz, are sick in the head.

I don't really see the purpose of adding that last part, as being asexual and desiring zero physical human contact of any are two completely different things. However, aversion to physical contact can be a completely physiological thing, thus making it inherent within the person themselves. While it usually results from developmental abnormalities, I don't really consider people with autism to be "sick in the head" for example.

I know not all asexuals have an aversion against physical contact, but I've heard from many that have, even one in this very thread. They basically classify any physical contact, whether it be a hug or a handshake, as vile.

And physical contact is extremely important in your life, even if it's something as simple as petting a dog.

It's important to you and the majority of the human race because you've developed to need it. If one is never held as a child, they may grow up to have an aversion to physical contact. They might have a poorly developed mirror neurons and such. The point is, once they've developed past a certain point, it becomes ingrained into their psyche. It's no longer an abnormality to them, it's who they are. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but that doesn't make them "sick in the head" as you say, merely different from you or I.

 

[neoontime]

Well this is escapist, I don't see how you can compare a real world statistic to escapist when you should know already from being on this site for a year and a half.
TLDR: From me to everyone else, escapist attracts all kinds of weirdos.

 

[Starik20X6]

Why do I get the feeling a sizeable portion of the people claiming to be asexual are just trying to justify their virginity?

This is the reason i just tell people im straight. If I tell them im asexual, suddenly i'm just some loser who can't get sex.

I'm asexual because im simply not attracted to men or women. I don't find anything really sexually stimulating. I have been sexually stimulated before i decided i was asexual.Now i just don't feel attraction to people.

Hence why I didn't say all. I'm fully aware that there are legitimately asexual people, but I've met some cases of dubious legitimacy. One guy claimed he was asexual right up until a girl spoke to him.

 

[Erana]

Why do I get the feeling a sizeable portion of the people claiming to be asexual are just trying to justify their virginity?

This is the reason i just tell people im straight. If I tell them im asexual, suddenly i'm just some loser who can't get sex.

I'm asexual because im simply not attracted to men or women. I don't find anything really sexually stimulating. I have been sexually stimulated before i decided i was asexual.Now i just don't feel attraction to people.

Hence why I didn't say all. I'm fully aware that there are legitimately asexual people, but I've met some cases of dubious legitimacy. One guy claimed he was asexual right up until a girl spoke to him.

He wasn't implying that you were saying that asexuals aren't real, just pointing out the fact that this skepticism is something asexuals have to deal with pretty regularly.

And, at least from what I've seen, its unsurprising. There are an unfortunate number of people who claim to be asexual for convenience, and I don't hold it against people to not entirely believe me until they've gotten to know me better.

I think most of them are probably big fat liars. Everyone on this site claims to be an asexual genius with a doctorate in whatever the threads about, but in truth most of them (as far as I can tell) are simply English teenagers with (kind of sad and pathetic) delusions of grandeur.

OK, now I'm going to be just terrible and say that I'm an asexual who started grad school at 19.

But I wouldn't really call myself a genius or anything. In fact, I'm quite a forgetful goof!

 

[Agayek]

It's important to you and the majority of the human race because you've developed to need it. If one is never held as a child, they may grow up to have an aversion to physical contact. They might have a poorly developed mirror neurons and such. The point is, once they've developed past a certain point, it becomes ingrained into their psyche. It's no longer an abnormality to them, it's who they are. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but that doesn't make them "sick in the head" as you say, merely different from you or I.

To be completely fair, "sick in the head" is a colloquially term for strange and eccentric behavior. The definition of strange or eccentric: "not normal". Thus, someone behaving differently from the average is sick in the head. It's not really a negative.

Also, using the whole "normality is subjective" argument is completely ludicrous. Normality is, by definition, the average state. There's no such thing as subjective normality. For example, your everyday routine is familiar, but if it involves randomly punching strangers in the dick, it's certainly not normal. Confusing the terms doesn't help anyone.

 

[DazZ.]

Maybe we're all just so unattractive here that we put each other off sex.

 

[KnowYourOnion]

I think that's more like they haven't developed or made up they're mind about what sex means to them, or they simply don't know how they feel yet more than they are asexual.
As for me, I personally do feel attracted to women but I really don't want to have sex, it sounds weird, I mean I like the connection part of it and having dates because that's fun, but sex... it's just weird I guess I just don't want to, everything that's down there just seems disgusting to me, I just don't like the idea of it, I guess you could say that I'm just afraid of sex more than I'm asexual which is probably true and I can think of a reason why that would be but it's rather personal and I don't feel like telling everybody in the Internet about it.

You took the words right out of my.....fingers?!

It's nice to know there's someone in an equal state of confusion

 

[hazabaza1]

I'm guessing most of them are lying simply because they can't get into a relationship or just want to seem cool and unique.
The funny thing is everyone is so focused on being unique it seems more rare to find a straight white male on this forum.

 

[axlryder]

It's important to you and the majority of the human race because you've developed to need it. If one is never held as a child, they may grow up to have an aversion to physical contact. They might have a poorly developed mirror neurons and such. The point is, once they've developed past a certain point, it becomes ingrained into their psyche. It's no longer an abnormality to them, it's who they are. I'm not saying this is a good thing, but that doesn't make them "sick in the head" as you say, merely different from you or I.

To be completely fair, "sick in the head" is a colloquially term for strange and eccentric behavior. The definition of strange or eccentric: "not normal". Thus, someone behaving differently from the average is sick in the head. It's not really a negative.

Also, using the whole "normality is subjective" argument is completely ludicrous. Normality is, by definition, the average state. There's no such thing as subjective normality. For example, your everyday routine is familiar, but if it involves randomly punching strangers in the dick, it's certainly not normal. Confusing the terms doesn't help anyone.

no it's not a colloquial term for strange or eccentric behavior. It's more closely related to a state of insanity. Eccentricity fits, but that word can also denote insanity.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cuckoo if you look down in the synonyms it's right there in between stark raving mad and out of one's mind

it's true, confusing the term really doesn't help anyone. You should avoid that in the future.

 

[LilithSlave]

I think some are using it as a reason for virginity/single/unattractive/whatever.

Wait, you have to have an excuse to be virgin or single? You can't blame people for such a thing if being single and/or virgin is looked at as bad to begin with. People don't "need" to get laid, and asexuality or hyposexuality shouldn't be an excuse.

I am by no means asexual, by the way. But how some people seem to angst over not having sex at all is a mystery to me. In fact, people who act like getting laid is important, are gross to me. And people who equate worth as a human being and social skills with their sex life, are not only disgusting, but scary.

Also, is there any reason to be suspicious of asexuals? As if sex wasn't overrated enough, we question the motivations of self proclaimed asexuals. As if a lack of interest in sex or dating or anything needs to be questioned.