Jason Worman, Contributing Columnist
No. 1 party school in America is a hard reputation to perpetuate while maintaining a monogamous relationship. Suppressing temptations can be difficult with “hard-bodied coeds laying out on the campus lake between classes,” as a recent University of Miami grad told Playboy.com after our 2009 crowning. It’s no surprise that cheating goes on at UM. Even though we’re aware of it, most of us would be crushed if we had to experience it. Why do we have such strong emotions tied to disloyalty, and if it hurts so much, why does it happen so often?
I am currently in a relationship, and if one of us cheated we would most likely break up. I’m sure many of you share a similar belief, but where does this idea come from? We often hear it in our household; a cheating parent can destroy a family. At the same time our generation also listens songs like “We Like Her Too,” where we hear Lil Wayne flaunt his desire to have sex with every girl in the world. Hearing this conflicting information is like listening to both an angel and a devil on our shoulders when making decisions about loyalty.
I’m guessing most of you imagined Lil Wayne as the devil with horns, but why doesn’t he get the halo?
If society viewed sex differently cheating wouldn’t exist; we would see nothing wrong with Lil Wayne’s dream. For example, if we removed sex from marriage, spouses would be free to have sex with whomever they want. The relationship would remain stable and children could be by raised in a loving environment by the mother’s family. Sex with a partner you love can be a great thing, but it can lead to heartbreak. Such a culture may seem absurd to us, but it might relieve the stress we endure from cheating.
Also, the Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project, concluded in 2003, that the human body is designed to function as Lil Wayne suggests. Their research shows that the body is prepared for multiple partners. Seventy percent of sperm cells function as spermicide designed to kill foreign sperm. Our culture rejects promiscuity, stifling competition that could lead to our healthiest lineage.
Maybe Lil Wayne has it right. We are designed to seek pleasure, and avoid the pain of cheating and breakups. I am not suggesting that cheating should be acceptable; I am merely giving everyone something to think about. Our most common source of heartbreak may only be a result of our culture.