Only like eight guys in the history of the world have never had an orgasm.

We can accept this statement as a given. Do we need to write a whole article about it? Alex Fak thinks so.

In his column last Friday, Fak decided to tackle the topic of the elusive female orgasm, and did so with little success. The article was occasionally offensive and largely pointless.

Fak’s choice in words left quite a bit to be desired. For example, he dismisses the pain some women experience while having sex for the first time: “once they are broken in, the pain typically goes away.” I have yet to see a girl who doesn’t wince upon reading the words “broken in” in that context. The term is demeaning, animalistic and smacks of submission. Do women need to be broken in like horses? Do they need a big strong man to train them, to painfully show them the ways of the world?

Fak’s diction was not only unacceptable because it was degrading; parts of it were just inappropriate for a newspaper column, notably his reference to some overzealous men who “go in like a tow truck.” It is important that we not forget to be at least somewhat discreet and sophisticated in our apparent quest to be “edgy.”

But until now, I’ve just been splitting hairs. The core flaw of this column was its utter lack of relevance. As I pointed out above, the fact that many women have trouble having orgasms is not exactly breaking news. So why is this column necessary?

It offered no suggestions as to how women (and their partners) can improve their sexual health and happiness. In fact, the column only put added pressure on women by accusing them of being the cause of their own lack of fulfillment. In one paragraph, Fak, and rightfully so, dismisses the possibility that it is all the man’s fault if his partner cannot reach orgasm, citing such concerns as limited foreplay and dim understanding of the female body as overused and unfair.

However, the article provided no possible answer to the question as to why women have such difficulty. Instead, it encourages masturbation, with Dr. Rachel Pauls, chief resident in gynecology and obstetrics at Barnes-Jewish, urging, “Did she ever have an orgasm by self-stimulation? If you’ve never had an orgasm, you’re not going to know what it’s like and you’re not going to know how to get it.”

How easy. How obvious. With the solution to all their sexual problems so easily accessible, how can women continue on in an orgasm-less abyss? Because women are not men. Just as we’re not shocked that men don’t have trouble having orgasms, it should be no surprise that women aren’t as satisfied by servicing themselves in the shower as they would be with the care and intimacy of a partner.

Fak also includes no insight as to why women can’t orgasm. He includes another quote from Dr. Pauls in which she asserts, “Male sexual dysfunction is fully recognized as physiological. With women, we’ve been told, ‘It’s all in your head, honey.’” Perhaps it largely is. With columns like this one piling on the pressure to be a sexual superhero, firing off orgasms like rounds from a .45, it’s no wonder that many women are so consumed with worry that they’re not “performing” appropriately that they can’t relax and enjoy themselves.

So did this column have a point other than the shock value of saying “orgasm” and “clitoris” in Student Life? Orgasm, orgasm, orgasm! There! It’s over! Let’s move on.

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