Hot Topics Volume 1, Issue 3: July 2002

Welcome to the July issue of Hot Topics, the newsletter from www.smartsextalk.com.

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In This Issue:

Happy Canada Day
Featured Topic: Humans and Touch
Humour

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to all my readers! It is such a treat to have this 'extra' day of leisure to celebrate our peaceful, productive country, isn't it? Born and raised in the United States, I am still struck with the subtle and important differences between these two countries that share so much. Let's remember throughout this glorious summer month the privileges and freedoms we have as Canadians.

But then, praising Canada is not the focus of this month's Hot Topics. As the last issue dealt with touch and children, this one will address the importance of touch, and our creative attempts to find it, for humans of any age.

Featured Topic: Humans and Touch

Many of you will be familiar with Desmond Morris, a zoologist with a penchant and talent for viewing the world with the eyes of an anthropologist and sociologist. He has written scores of books, perhaps most notably The Naked Ape. He has also penned a series of works with self-explanatory titles such as Cat Watching, Dog Watching, and (the unfortunately titled) Man Watching, each informative and captivating looks into animal behaviour and its interpretations. Dr Morris also wrote a much less popular book, Intimate Behaviour, which examines the touching behaviours of humans. I read this many years ago, and forget much of what it contained, but I remember clearly Dr Morris's look at the ingenious and creative methods we use to acquire touch when it is lacking in our lives.

Obvious techniques include visits to massage therapists, who calm and comfort us with their laying on of hands. Morris suggests other less apparent avenues are estheticians (who hold our hands during manicures and caress our faces during facial treatments), chiropractors, and physicians. This need for human touch, Morris explains, drives lonely people to appointments with their family doctors for complaints that in happier times would not require an office visit. Surely stress and depression are correlated with physical complaints. It makes sense to me that our unconscious would steer us to venues where someone would touch us and ask us how we are feeling.

I was surprised with Morris's observation that we seek our hairdressers in times of deprived touch. True enough, getting a haircut (or in 'olden' times, a shampoo and a set) requires our heads being touched, and few would argue about the delight of having our hair shampooed and fussed over. When women were expected to have long hair, doting husbands and loving children could sometimes be found giving Mum's hair its daily one hundred strokes. It was often the subject of magazine illustrations focusing on the happy homemaker. When those same women were sad or depressed, they went shopping for a new hat (days were that women did not leave the house with their heads uncovered, a tradition still observed in some conservative cultures). Though hair length has changed, we still spend daily time and attention on doing our hair. Our choice of style, colour, and texture signals the world about our personality, age, and heritage.

We would be alarmed, and would quickly react, if a stranger touched our head. On the other hand, a lover running fingers through our hair can bring a host of pleasant emotions signalled by sighs, moans, or a catch in the breath. Our heads must touch to kiss or to whisper in a friend's ear. Cradling another's head in our arms is an act of mercy and tenderness. Resting our heads on someone else's shoulder is an unmistakable mark of trust.

I think we under-rate the value of touch in general, and propose that each of you pay attention to how good it feels to massage your scalp the next time you're lathering your shampoo. Brush your hair with intent, noting the sensations and emotions that repetitive stroking can bring. Dedicate some time to luxuriating in the intimacy of brushing, stroking, scratching - whatever feels delightful. Share the treat with friends, lovers, children. I bet we'll all feel better for it.


I'd love to talk more with you about this topic, but I've got to run - I have an appointment with my hairdresser!

- Pega Ren

Humour

(Ed. Note: At the time that we released this newsletter, we thought this was a true story. However, since then I have found this story in several "urban legends" and "folklore" databases online, and if you don't believe them, read the official transcripts of the Apollo 11 lunar walk here. Sites that debunked the Mr. Gorsky story include The AFU and Urban Legends Archive, and TruthOrFiction.com. Visit them and have a laugh - on us!)

When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" statement but followed it by several remarks, usual com traffic between him, the other astronauts, and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark "Good luck Mr. Gorsky."

Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the "Good luck Mr. Gorsky" statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled.

Just last year, (on July 5, 1995 in Tampa Bay FL) while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26 year old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had finally died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question. When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball which landed in the front of his neighbor's bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. & Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky. "Oral sex! You want oral sex?! You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!"

Copyright 2002. Dr. Pega Ren. All Rights Reserved.