Revisiting the Kinsey Report

In the late 1950’s I didn’t want to baby-sit for the two unruly neighbor boys. That is until I discovered their parents owned copies of both Kinsey Reports (male and female). In the fifties Dr. Kinsey and his reports were a phenomenon. Over the course of several evenings I managed to read most of the pertinent data in each volume. My conclusion was that just about everyone was getting it except me. In Kinsean terms I was no doubt “sex shy.” In adult years I never returned to the Kinsey Report. But a couple of years ago I did read an excellent and fascinating biography of Alfred Kinsey, expert on the wasp gall and pioneer sex researcher. Kinsey was one of those charismatic, persuasive characters who have a knack for selecting followers he could dominate and control. Mr. Kinsey’s personal sexual habits are detailed in Alfred Kinsey, A Life by James Jones and included such varied behaviors as inserting a toothbrush in his penis and furnishing his wife as a sexual partner for his employee-colleagues. Kinsey’s research was based on detailed interviews with thousands and thousands of subjects. Recent information indicates that the data in the male volume might be skewed because of the high percentage of homosexuals interviewed by the team. Kinsey boiled everything down to statistics, charted and graphed. He believed the human was an animal like any other.
Kinsey believed that man was a pansexual creature and should express himself with any partner who might come along, male or female. He was insistent that his staff project an image of conventionality to the public and community while, at the same time, encouraging them, often insisting, that they engage each other in sexual activity. Author James Jones details the fact that there was a lot of “sharing” back and forth among the small staff that served Kinsey—his inner circle, both hetro and homosexual. But this raises some important questions about the impact of emotion in the sexual equation or the more complicated geometry of the inner circle’s interactions. Very obviously an interesting subject for a film or a novel. And, not surprisingly, T.C. Boyle, author of The Road to Wellville, Drop City and The Tortilla Curtain, has explored this subject in a recent novel titled The Inner Circle.  Read the review here.

Comments

[Stacy]

I find Kinsey and his studies absolutely fascinating. I've thought about buying his books myself, but I'm not quite sure how outdated they would be. Perhaps I could get them on loan somewhere.

[calmnsense]

They made a film last yr. about him - you do know this, don't you? It's not clear from this post that you do, but Liam Neeson and Laura Linney starred and the film was well-received by critics, if not a box office success.