Tag Archives: sex

Japanese Macaques Show They’re as Weird as We Are

Image from NPR article.

Trigger Warning: This post discusses in part non-human sexual assault and possible implications for humans.

Apparently female Japanese macaques are having “sexual interactions” with sika deer. Check out the NPR article. It’s not only a fascinating account of interspecies interaction, it makes some of the weird stuff we humans do look rather normal. 😄 It also fits neatly into my theory that we can’t point to any one behavior and say, “This sets humans apart from all other animals. Only humans do it.” (Yes, I drove my Psychology 101 prof nuts on this topic, challenging every example she tried. 😁)

Some parts of the article could also be read as showing non-humans sexually assaulting others. Some macaques certainly have a poor understanding of consent! I knew dolphins sometimes gang-rape, but I didn’t know any other examples. It’s important to note that in the macaques’ case the females are the aggressors. This further demolishes the belief that only males commit sexual assault. We can also take a lesson from the macaques’ motivation: sexual frustration. Perhaps teaching potential and/or convicted aggressors other ways of dealing with frustration would be an effective approach.

Thank You, Readers

Wednesday’s mega-post was emotionally exhausting to write and scary to publish. I couldn’t sleep due to PTSD and being subconsciously braced for trolling and a deluge of victim-blaming and -shaming in the guise of support. I expected my followers to drop like flies. (This speaks to the trauma of my experiences, not to the actuality of my readers.) I’m thrilled that none of that happened. It’s very healing to have posted my #MeToo stories and for it to be okay.

Thank you to all of my readers for being awesome. Special thanks goes to Steve, Lebana, and Alyssa for their support and for encouraging me to keep it real, warts and all, by their courageous examples. Please check out their blogs!

I’m also happy it’s raining here. So to thank you, dear readers, I’m sharing a recording I made of a recent thunderstorm. I hope you enjoy it and that it can soothe you during stressful times. You can download a copy here, or play using the SoundCloud player below.

If you like my rain recording, you may enjoy the Soothing Sleep Sounds app (link directs to iTunes Store). It features a large variety of soothing, looping sounds which can be combined to make your own. You can also continue to play Sleep Sounds in the background while listening to other audio, such as an audiobook. I receive no compensation for recommending this app.

TGIF and have a great weekend! 🙂