Incest. This two syllable word seldom makes its way out of our mouth, but on the rare occasion that it does, our society tends to recognize it not as a word, but as a detestable sound that causes us to squirm and cringe, and why shouldn’t it? Incestuous relations are, for lack of a better word, gross. It’s as simple as that. No one in their right mind would consider incest to be celebratory. However, one must question the nature of our repulsion for incest, especially considering its prevalence in maintaining strong bloodlines within many European royal families during the 16th century.

Marrying within the bloodline was extremely common in order to preserve the royal line, so what has made it so detestable today? Is it the knowledge that incestuous relations can cause birth defects? Is it because religion has taught us that incest is a crime against man and god? Or, have we been molded by society to view it as taboo? My vote is for the latter.

While I am in no way making an argument for incestuous relations, I am also not viewing it as a heinous crime. I must admit however that my views on incestuous relations have not always been so undecided. In actuality, they were extremely clear cut at one point—it was simply revolting, something incomprehensible. However, as I begin to delve deeper into an understanding of my Chinese and Cambodian culture, I no longer carry the same insights. Rather, I have a better understanding of how and why people voluntarily become involved in incestuous relations.

Being raised in the United States, it has been instilled by society that incest is immoral. However, in many third world countries, including Cambodia, incest is still a familiar issue. These incestuous relations can range anywhere from a marriage between eighth cousins twice removed to direct first cousins.