Prove it.
As far as I can tell, you've completely, unabashedly bought in to monogamy. Which is fine, but let's be honest about that fact. You are in no way, shape, or form viewing monogamy objectively.
If you want to talk about the danger of STDs, we can do that. However, when sex with other partners is open and accepted, the odds of having foolish unprotected sex go down, because you're more likely to make your sexual decisions using your common sense as well as your desire.
If you want to talk about jealousy and hurt feelings, please be aware that those things are largely culturally-created. Yes, some people are more naturally jealous than others, but that's not the majority of what's happening when people get their feelings hurt because of cheating. The simple fact of deception is quite often the bigger issue.
Um - you say that I have completely and unabashedly bought into monogamy. That is a lot to say about someone that you do not know and has not stated such. What I did say was that I have a monogamous relationship for the last 22 years because of one man and have spoken of it in a personal manner. I have not talked about my life before that nor have I stated (by far) that I think monogamy is better than all other possibilities.
People here seem to be judging ME and categorizing me in ways that I find a bit disturbing. There seems to be a lot of jumping to conclusions without reading all of what I said and there seems to be reading a lot into a few things that I have said with my main point being overlooked or ignored.
Of course I'm not completely objective - no one is. That's been the point I have been trying to make the whole time! We are cultural beings and I am questioning the buying into one's cultural programming - any culture. But no one wants to recognize when I say that over and over and over again.
In regard to STDs what we were talking about was a general acceptance in a particular culture of not practicing unprotected sex and with the males having as a standard many partners, often prostitutes with one person in particular here saying that they buy into that culture and that practice completely.
I was not talking about jealousy - I was talking about hurt primarily of other forms - mostly because of a the double standard and not necessarily just emotional hurt. But I'm not being well understood and I'm not sure more words are going to make it clear.
I have not lead a standard sexual life or the standard relationships of any kind over the course of my life that you seem to be fantasizing about me - but I'm getting really uncomfortable with being so misunderstood and incorrectly judged. It is impossible for me to prove anything to you. It's hard in the typed word where only the words that get the most reaction are taken out and the rest not registered.
I've said that both cultures we were discussing fail from opposite directions. You don't believe me. So be it.
I guess reading that someone is happy in their monogamy yet questions their culture which is based on monogamy and reading that someone is questioning another person that is accepting their culture completely automatically registers as someone that has bought into their culture and is judging only other cultures. Questioning and judging my own culture might not compute to some people with having a monogamous relationship. But I am not that linear or simplistic. I have far from followed my cultural programming in my decision - even when deciding to be monogamous with Brian. Even being able to create the kind of long-term monogamous relationship that I have is far from what I was taught and programmed to do in my culture... if you could really know what I have experienced you would understand.
I'll say it one more time - maybe this time it will stick. I have been talking this entire time about getting out the boxes of cultural programming and not fitting ourselves into the boxes that we were taught to. We speaking in detail always for me as examples of that larger context. I can't prove that I mean what I say. Y'all can keep on ignoring it and saying I mean something else than what I do or you can believe me. I have no control over how you want to interpret what I say.
I just seem to have done a really bad job of getting my points across and I'm starting to think that it is a lost cause to try to make myself understood on this subject. So far, not one person has said anything that makes me believe that I have been even slightly understood. I think it might be time to give up.