Beneath our perceptions and social conditioning there is a biological reality. The human species is just another biological creature with the innate desire to mate and spread his/her genetic material. The denial of this desire can be damning to ones own self worth and their worth to society. Now, that being said, society, its institutions, and the human mind itself, have largely changed the primal instinct still alive in us all. This alone, to some degree, is oppressive. As a male, I do at times feel as if my masculinity is oppressed. I'm not sure if it's all in my head or just a reaction to perceived social norms. As males, we are biologically predisposed to attraction based on physical attributes of the opposite sex. This biological reality is easily construed as objectification, pigishness, and, if not applied within socially acceptable behavior, creepy, harassing, if not borderline rapey. Social conditioning has placed boundaries on the male impulse to act in accordance to his sexual impulses, for the sake of civility, and on a deeper level to protect women's vulnerability, in terms of their fertility and their physical limitations due to sexual dimorphism. In the past half century or so, feminism has been changing the social landscape rapidly, in regards of gender and sex. I don't want to discredit the whole movement, because I do see many of the concerns displayed in the demographic as valid. However, feminists assuming an authority over men's emotions and sexuality, rigging the legal system, making themselves not only victims of the opposite sex, but liabilities to them, and vilifying what used to be largely celebrated, in terms of mens role and sacrifices made to society and their families, is where many men begin to feel their masculinity in under fire.
My rambling aside, being an intp, the world can be a frustrating and most often disappointing place, when the innate desire for sex and relationships exist. If I had a dime for every missed opportunity... My biggest barrier in relating to others, particularly on an intimate level, is over thinking what is not a logical process. Sexuality is inherent in most everyone. As I grow older, I feel myself more capable of expressing my sexuality without shame. In my humbled opinion, the prelude to sex is the belief in ones own sexual viability. There are boundaries when dealing with another being, but those boundaries shouldn't be the walls of our own prison.
