Sigmund “Sick-man” Freud is the man/philosopher who came up with the Oedipus complex, named after the titular character of the titular play Oedipus Rex, where Oedipus unknowingly sleeps with his own mother. As this play is a tragedy, he scoops out his own eyeballs and goes insane.
In this so-called Oedipus Complex, Freud suggests that every child goes through five psycho-sexual stages that I will not name for my own health and safety. What matters here is that Freud believes that a child feels sexual urges towards the parent of the opposite sex.
Interesting.
“How does this relate to modern society?” asks every sane person alive. Well, take a look at the state of Twitter.
These are real, accurate, authentic statistics on the usage of the acronyms for the terms Mom I’d Like to Flip and Dad I’d Like to Frack [1].
Interesting.
Now, Freud’s psychosexual theories may seem a little insane and strange to just about everyone (including a big majority of the professional psychology world), but this chart may show that his ideas had some basis in the real world. A notable example of this is the recent enthusiasm over the character of Lady Dimitrescu from the Resident Evil game series.
The popularity of this character, seen as a matronly yet erotic figure, speaks volumes about how, unfortunately, Freud may have been right.
This raises the question: Is it morally okay to be attracted to parental figures?
One side could argue that as long as the object of desire is not your own parent, it’s morally okay. Another could retort that it’s still heinous due to the fact that you are still attracted to a parental figure, regardless of actual biological relation.
Consider the oft used terms, “mommy issues [2]” and “daddy issues.” These stem from a lack of love from either parental figure in one's life, and many people who were raised with single parents desire for a mother or fathers affections. This can manifest itself in trust issues, fear of abandonment, and frankly reprehensible posts about middle aged fictional characters and or celebrities online.
While this may explain one’s behaviour, does it excuse sexual attraction to moms and dads?
“Um,” says one anonymous commenter, “Please don't have any inappropriate relations with my father please for the love of god no.” The public consensus appears to be a solid “Ew.”
Well, then why are Parents I’d Like to Flip so popular then? Perhaps the prevalence of psuedo-incestual relationships in popular media is to blame. Vladimir Nabokovs’ “Lolita” lengthily depicts a lecherous step-father’s affection for his step-daughter and while the novel clearly doesn’t intend to glamorise this, it’s still incredibly...weird and off putting. Um, this is getting dark, moving on.
As popular trends go, this sudden (or not so sudden) uprising of Parent I’d like to Flip popularity is an interesting, if not concerning, turn in the world of modern media. What will be the next new wave of s*xual enthusiasm? Is Freud currently cackling in his grave?
A final question: Was Sigmund Freud a freak of nature, or an academic with genuine insight [3]?
We’ll let you decide on that one.
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[1]: This is not to be mistaken for “fracking,” the “well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid” (Wikipedia, n.d.). Fracking, much like incest, can lead to your home collapsing around you.
[2]: “Mummy issues,” for the British.
[3]: Bear in mind that Sigmund Freud did rip apart 400 eels in his search for the long sought after eel testis.
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