Sex perpetuating Change

In comparison to Billion… , Sexing the Body is a breath of fresh air. Like many of us, Ogas and Gaddam presented their work in a ton that I perceived as arrogant and sometimes condescending. This may be a result of my belief that each person is incredibly complex and can’t be explained via statistics (at least not thoroughly). Sterling presents her ideals in a slow, methodical way. While Oggaddam is definitely more stimulating and exciting to read, Sterling’s approach to making her point is more respectful and allows room for contemplation. Oggaddam see their evidence as facts; they’ve proved something. Sterling sticks to the true scientific principle that nothing can be proven, and throughout she references the other non-cartesian views, which I found refreshing and allowed me to expand my ideas. Sterling’s style is less limiting than the way Oggaddam stuffs the “facts” down our throats. I also feel like Sterling is more explicit and clear in her discussion of the mind-body split. She presents her arguments with this being a critical point, whereas Oggaddam leaves us to rifle through the statistics to find evidence of this Cartesian way of thinking. Sterling’s political voice is apparent immediately and I think the fact that she does take a position on the issue of sexuality, gender identity, etc. is crucial to the way she is presenting her information. Oggaddam’s book is a fun packed graphic thrill ride, whereas Sterling represents gender identity and constructs of desire on a political basis where controversy creeps. I feel like what Sterling is saying and the way she is saying it really matters and has the ability to influence and catalyze change. Oggaddam is a playful narrative (somewhat) revealing truths about human desires, but offering no real avenue to use the information as a way to revolutionize the way we think and view desires; they just show us the dirty things we all like.