Words @ War

What do you think of online hookup sites?

Are we really coming to a world where all we have to do is log on to get off?

This past week I read an article where a University of Chicago undergraduate student started UchicagoHookups.com, an online casual sex site. Students from the U of C can log onto the site to find suitable sex partners for a no-strings-attached night of pleasure. The website has become so popular, Northwestern and Columbia College are now allowed to log on and find sexual partners as well.

After the popularity of social media sites, I can see this website taking off. It is almost too easy to find sex with this format and therefore destroys the value of a relationship. Sex is an act that should only be practiced by two committed people in a relationship, not some quick night with a stranger.

I am not ignorant to the pre-marital sex issue and I know it happens. This is not even a religious argument; this is more of a self respect issue. When you start giving your body away over the Internet, what else do you have? Sooner or later people will just think of you as an object and nothing more.

Giving away sex to anyone lets everyone know you have no respect for yourself and what goes in and out of your body. Sex, a once thought sacred act, now is done with no emotional attachment. People are eventually going to have sex until there is no meaning behind it or the people doing the act.

The spread of diseases would just be astronomical after this as well. How are we supposed to know if they have diseases, is there a box they will have to check? With sex becoming such a casual interaction, will we just fail to ask about past experiences before continuing?

My main problem with this website is that it glorifies meaningless sex. This website’s sole purpose is to allow people to hook up and nothing more. This is completely different from the regular online dating site where two partners build relationships and find suitable matches. Instead, this site is just finding a warm body for the night.

Sites like this should not be around; it opens the door to a society where we can put an “open” sign around our body and give ourselves away. Once we start to dehumanize our bodies, we really start to lose respect for each other and then we become an emotionless, empty soul running around.

People often forget the biggest side effects of casual sex: kids. Condom or not, sooner or later little offspring will pop out and teen moms will be the norm. If kids are not wanted, many turn to abortion, another disgraceful act to the human body.

Overall, I don’t have a problem with the act, but if it happens, I hope people will understand there needs to be feeling behind it. With sites like this, I hope people make smart decisions before they indulge. n