If All Men Were Brothers

If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Want Your Sister To Marry One? is a 1967 short story by Ted Sturgeon.

Publications

• 1967: Dangerous Visions, ed. by Harlan Ellison

Commentary

There's also a lot to be said for this Reichian take on sexual repression: when we finally end sexual repression (demonstrated by ending one of our deepest taboos) we can create virtual utopias of peace and prosperity. One man out of curiosity investigates a world which is a pariah in the universal community; why? It turns out that it's a free-love utopia in which the final sexual taboo, incest, has been eliminated. In many ways, a beautiful story about the power of taboo and repression. But ... the radicalism here is a radically free society in which women are free to fuck the alpha males in their family. Sounds a lot like the radicalism of some men on the 60s left, which wasn't always all that radical and which inspired a lot of the radical feminism analysis. The story shows significant blindspots about power differentials and risks involved in incest in patriarchal societies, as well as an extreme circumspection about the types of incest willing to be portrayed — heterosexual only, and largely father-daughter. The story is a valiant attempt to explore issues thoughtfully, but it wasn't itself thoughtful enough, and thus, unfortunately, doesn't wear well.