Better Than Sex?
Posted by Peter Brennan
June of 2003 was a magical time for me. With no job to speak of I was free to lie on my deck during day absorbing both the sun and whatever literature I could get my hands on. Sometimes I took bong hits. One particular day, being fresh out of reading material and low on funds, I decided to make a trip to suburbia’s favorite hangout for both elderly folks and grimy perverts: the local library. Upon arrival in the “R-S Fiction” section I was disappointed to find that I had already read all of the Tom Robbins books that this particular branch had to offer, and would have to expand my search. It was then that I stumbled upon a 1994 work of Hunter S. Thompson’s, titled Better Than Sex, in which Thompson claims that the thrill one receives from politics can be equal to, nay, greater than, the thrill of sexual conquest. Despite the fact that I was a political science major at the University I had not yet learned of the topic’s orgiastic properties, and was immediately intrigued.
The main premise, simplified, is that the rush of adrenaline that political power can bring is more thrilling to some people than sexual pleasure, and as addictive as the strongest, most delicious opiates. A true renaissance man of addiction, Thompson was a political junkie to the fullest extreme, and his works are an explicit view into the real workings of the American political process, which is far more disturbing than the sausage-manufacturing process to which it is sometimes compared. Many people, when presented with this knowledge, recoil in disgust and curse the whole crooked system. Not me. I wanted in.
I write this while overlooking the Boston Common from my perch on the fourth floor of the State House, barely two weeks into my stint as legislative aide to a state senator. It is not a high profile position, but I have already been exposed to a taste of the power and control which all humans inherently crave. I have attended back room meetings, rushed to photo-ops, and seen my boss receive awards for reasons that were unclear to him or me. I have sat through full formal sessions of the Senate that were highlighted by prose so masturbatory it would make Steve Bagley blush. Would I agree with Mr. Thompson’s theory based on my limited research? Not yet, but political power is slowly climbing up my list of personal pleasures.
The Pleasure List:
Sex
Music
Drugs
Politics
Taking a rich, full dump
Sports
Comedy Central
Food
That is all.
June of 2003 was a magical time for me. With no job to speak of I was free to lie on my deck during day absorbing both the sun and whatever literature I could get my hands on. Sometimes I took bong hits. One particular day, being fresh out of reading material and low on funds, I decided to make a trip to suburbia’s favorite hangout for both elderly folks and grimy perverts: the local library. Upon arrival in the “R-S Fiction” section I was disappointed to find that I had already read all of the Tom Robbins books that this particular branch had to offer, and would have to expand my search. It was then that I stumbled upon a 1994 work of Hunter S. Thompson’s, titled Better Than Sex, in which Thompson claims that the thrill one receives from politics can be equal to, nay, greater than, the thrill of sexual conquest. Despite the fact that I was a political science major at the University I had not yet learned of the topic’s orgiastic properties, and was immediately intrigued.
The main premise, simplified, is that the rush of adrenaline that political power can bring is more thrilling to some people than sexual pleasure, and as addictive as the strongest, most delicious opiates. A true renaissance man of addiction, Thompson was a political junkie to the fullest extreme, and his works are an explicit view into the real workings of the American political process, which is far more disturbing than the sausage-manufacturing process to which it is sometimes compared. Many people, when presented with this knowledge, recoil in disgust and curse the whole crooked system. Not me. I wanted in.
I write this while overlooking the Boston Common from my perch on the fourth floor of the State House, barely two weeks into my stint as legislative aide to a state senator. It is not a high profile position, but I have already been exposed to a taste of the power and control which all humans inherently crave. I have attended back room meetings, rushed to photo-ops, and seen my boss receive awards for reasons that were unclear to him or me. I have sat through full formal sessions of the Senate that were highlighted by prose so masturbatory it would make Steve Bagley blush. Would I agree with Mr. Thompson’s theory based on my limited research? Not yet, but political power is slowly climbing up my list of personal pleasures.
The Pleasure List:
Sex
Music
Drugs
Politics
Taking a rich, full dump
Sports
Comedy Central
Food
That is all.
This entry was posted by Ben Myers, on
Monday, June 12, 2006.
You can leave your response.
4:49 PM
Sir Brennan,
A thoughtful entry.
May I put a downpayment on the forecasted need to retain your legal services?
Cheers,
Myers