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Sketch #496

Now THAT is an erection!

--Jaycee

Sketch #496

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As for whether it's an instinct thing...maybe? I don't know. Some animals can detect diseases in each other. I even heard Ricky Gervais talk about some dogs that can sniff AIDS out of human patients (or was it cancer?). I'm not sure it's anything mystical or magical, just senses we don't have (our own sense of smell is terrible). I'm sure we have some instincts on some things, but I don't know if that's why we are so queasy about incest. As with all things having to do with humans, it's probably a large number of complex factors. We're weird that way. :)

Jaycee Knight

I agree they definitely had an idea that incest led to "bad breeding," I just don't think they understood that it was a biological fact. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if it was shrouded in bad karma, superstition, religious beliefs, or somesuch justification. I suspect it's also why it endures today (even in circumstances where reproduction isn't possible) despite our wealth of knowledge on the topic.

Jaycee Knight

I had found that article myself and it was interesting. So they had some concepts from example that incest could produce problems with offspring. They used incest which was practiced by opponent groups to vilify them. This is a common practice even today. Identify a common practice or aspect of a group you want to oppose and make the practice wrong in the eyes of your group. But the feeling I get from the article is that there is not a clear reason. My thought is "animal instinct", animals instinctively wish to continue their bloodline and make it stronger. Animals can quite often sense illness/weakness in their own species and will not mate with them. Could that same quality exist in humans and we instinctively know that incest will produce potentially weaker offspring?

Demian Buckle

Just for fun, I used some Google Fu to learn a little about Greeks & Romans, and their views on incest. The first article was this one, and is surprisingly interesting: https://www.thecollector.com/incest-ancient-greece-rome/.

Jaycee Knight

Very good points, I have no idea why incest was frowned upon in ancient societies, considering a lot of Greek/Latin creation myths involve incest.

Demian Buckle

Who would have guessed that a dirty comic would generate this kind of deep conversation... I love my backers. 😁

Jaycee Knight

I'm sure inbreeding was a concern for many cultures, but it wasn't based on the (much clearer) scientific understanding of the reproduction process we now have. Mendel's laws of inheritance are not even 200 years old. For much of our collective history, these facts were also shrouded in superstitious and religious ignorance, with God intervening to punish the wrongdoers. Most of the time, though, these laws would still apply even if breeding wasn't a concern, suggesting there was more at work than just a matter of genetic defects. Even today, with the wealth of knowledge we have on the issue and the advanced birth control technology at our disposal, there are still objections to incest.

Jaycee Knight

I believe the original point against incest was to prevent inbreeding between close blood relatives which can cause negative mutations or conditions. An example of continuous inbreeding would be the British Bulldog which suffers from severe respiratory issues due to it. The laws might have expanded to include additional points but I believe that is still core. Although one of the groups which have indulged in incest or near-incest would be the nobilities of Europe who wanted to maintain what they perceived to be superior bloodlines. So in Heather's case Prince Aidan could be a cousin or close relative and as the marriage was arranged by the Monarchs, they would decide what is lawful or not.

Demian Buckle

In this case, it's definitely not about bloodlines and there's no family dynamics at play. They're probably in the clear "legally," but Heather can still feel weird about it.

Jaycee Knight

I've always thought the laws against incest were about more than reproduction (but I could be wrong). For example, if the male had a vasectomy, or if he turned out to be sterile, or if both participants were the same gender, would those laws still apply? I suspect they also have to do with avoiding the abuse of the emotional dynamics at play in a family.

Jaycee Knight

I wonder if Princess Alberta will reconsider dissolving her engagement to Prince Aidan after seeing him standing at full attention? Is it incest if you are in someone else's body? I guess the laws against incest are to prevent breeding between too close bloodlines. So that should not be an issue here.

Demian Buckle


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