In America, sex is an obsession; in other parts of the world it's a fact.

Living abroad, I've developed a deeper understanding of my own culture and what it means to be American, and I've also come to appreciate certain aspects of that culture. At the same time, I now enjoy what I think is a more objective view of my (beloved) country, which I've come to realize is more than a little bonkers. However, I suppose this is to be expected, since if one gave countries ages in "country years" (kinda like dog years) America is, at best, entering its awkward and turbulent adolescence.

That said, I couldn't help but think of the above Marlene Dietrich quote upon running across this article today:

The owner of adult stores in Alabama asked the Supreme Court on Monday to throw out a state ban on selling sex toys, calling it an unconstitutional intrusion into the bedroom.

If the court declines to take the case — as it did in 2005 — Alabama residents shopping for sexual novelties could soon have to look outside the state’s borders.

“A person should have the right to make their own decision to explore their sexual boundaries outside what some government official says is moral,” Sherri Williams said outside the Supreme Court before filing the appeal.

Williams has waged a mostly losing battle against the law since the state legislature passed it in 1998.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dealt her the latest setback on Valentine’s Day, upholding the ban as constitutional and saying “the state’s interest in preserving and promoting public morality provides a rational basis for the challenged statute.”

The state has held off on enforcing the law as the case winds through the appeals process.

Alabama is one of a handful of states, including Texas and Georgia, with laws restricting sales of sex toys. The Alabama “anti-obscenity” law bans the sale of sex toys but not their possession.

This also reminds me of hearing a few years ago that in Japan, sex toy sales are similarly forbidden, and thus they are instead dubiously marketed as novelty items and toys, such as the famous Hello Kitty Massager. Slap a cartoon on it, and VOILA! no more law-breaking.

Articles like the above are also making me realize, like undoubtedly numerous American expats before me, that the US is a really, really bizarre country. Spend two years abroad and you're left thinking, "With poverty and violence and international genocide...we're worried about sex toys?"

Ah, America, you silly whipper snapper you.