21
" I was lucky to meet you, yes.'
'Me too . . .' she said, looking me in the eyes. 'I was lucky too. The men I know are a disaster, not one of them believes in love; so they give you this big spiel about friendship, affection, a whole load of stuff that doesn't commit them to anything. I've got to the point where I can't stand the word 'friendship' any more, it makes me physically sick. Or there's the other lot, the ones who get married, who get hitched as early as possible and think about nothing but their careers afterwards. You obviously weren't one of those; but I also immediately sensed that you would never talk to me about friendship, that you would never be that vulgar. From the very beginning I hoped we would sleep together, that something important would happen; but it was possible that nothing would happen, in fact it was more than likely.' She stopped and sighed in irritation. "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform
24
" Neindoielnic omul nu e facut pentru fericire, ca sa aiba intr-adevar posibilitatea practica de a fi fericit omul ar trebui sa se transforme, sa se transforme fizic. Cu ce poate fi comparat Dumnzeu? Mai intai, evident, cu sexul femeilor; dar si, poate, cu aburii dintr-o baie turceasca. Oricum, cu ceva care sa faca spiritul posibil cand trupul exulta de bucurie si de placere, iar orice teama e abolita. Acum sunt sigur ca spiritul inca nu s-a nascut, ca vrea sa se nasca si ca nasterea lui va fi dificila, ca deocamdata avem despre el doar o idee trunchiata si nociva. "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform
25
" Oferecer o corpo como objeto agradavável, dar gratuitamente prazer: é isso o que os ocidentais não sabem mais fazer. Perderam totalmente o senso da doação. Podem até se esforçar, mas não conseguem mais sentir o sexo como algo natural. Não apenas têm vergonha dos próprios corpos, que não estão à altura dos que vemos nos filmes pornôs, mas também, pelo mesmo motivo, não sentem nenhuma atração pelo corpo do outro. É impossivel fazer amor sem um certo abandono, sem a aceitação ao mesmo tempo temporária de um certo estado de dependência e fraqueza. A exaltação sentimental e a obsessão sexual têm a mesma origem, as duas nascem de um certo esquecimento de si mesmo; neste terreno, a gente não pode se realizar sem se perder. As pessoas se tornam frias, racionais, extremamente conscientes da sua existência individual e dos seus direitos (...) realmente não são as condições ideais para fazer amor". "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform
26
" A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also provided this form of meagre compensation. If we couldn't have sex from time to time, what would life be? A futile struggle against joints that stiffen, caries that form. All of which, moreover, is as uninteresting as humanly possible - the collagen which makes muscles stiffen, the appearance of microbic cavities in the gums. "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform
28
" As I finished my rice, I sketched out the plot of a pornographic adventure film called The Massage Room. Sirien, a young girl from northern Thailand, falls hopelessly in love with Bob, an American student who winds up in the massage parlor by accident, dragged there by his buddies after a fatefully boozy evening. Bob doesn't touch her, he's happy just to look at her with his lovely, pale-blue eyes and tell her about his hometown - in North Carolina, or somewhere like that. They see each other several more times, whenever Sirien isn't working, but, sadly, Bob must leave to finish his senior year at Yale. Ellipsis. Sirien waits expectantly while continuing to satisfy the needs of her numerous clients. Though pure at heart, she fervently jerks off and sucks paunchy, mustached Frenchmen (supporting role for Gerard Jugnot), corpulent, bald Germans (supporting role for some German actor). Finally, Bob returns and tries to free her from her hell - but the Chinese mafia doesn't see things in quite the same light. Bob persuades the American ambassador and the president of some humanitarian organization opposed to the exploitation of young girls to intervene (supporting role for Jane Fonda). What with the Chinese mafia (hint at the Triads) and the collusion of Thai generals (political angle, appeal to democratic values), there would be a lot of fight scenes and chase sequences through the streets of Bangkok. At the end of the day, Bob carries her off. But in the penultimate scene, Sirien gives, for the first time, an honest account of the extent of her sexual experience. All the cocks she has sucked as a humble massage parlor employee, she has sucked in the anticipation, in the hope of sucking Bob's cock, into which all the others were subsumed - well, I'd have to work on the dialogue. Cross fade between the two rivers (the Chao Phraya, the Delaware). Closing credits. For the European market, I already had line in mind, along the lines of "If you liked The Music Room, you'll love The Massage Room. "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform
38
" Cand ajung la o anume varsta si experienta, barbatii prefera sa evite iubirea, li se pare mai simplu sa mearga la curve. Ma rog, nu la curvele din occident, nu merita, sunt adevarate gunoaie umane. Si oricum nu in timpul anului, nu au timp, muncesc prea mult. Drept urmare cei mai multi nu fac nimic, iar unii din cand in cand isi ofera un pic de turism sexual. Si-asta-i cazul cel mai fericit: sa mergi la o curva inseamna sa pastrezi totusi un minim contact uman, multi insa considera mai simplu sa se masturbeze pe internet privind filme porno. «Inteleg», a spus ea dupa un lung rastimp de tacere. «Inteleg ce vrei sa spui, nu crezi totusi ca barbatii sau femeile se pot schimba?» In trecut nu ne putem intoarce, nu cred. Ce ne-asteapta-n viitor? Femeile vor deveni probabil tot mai asemanatoare cu barbatii, pentru un moment raman interesate de seductie, barbatilor insa li se falfaie de seductie, ei vor in primul rand sa reguleze. Seductia nu-i intereseaza decat pe cativa insi fara o viata profesionala pasionanta, in general fara o viata interesanta. Pe masura ce viata profesionala si proiectele personale vor insemna mai mult pentru ele, femeilor li se va parea mai simplu si lor sa plateasca pentru sex, se vor orienta si ele spre turismul sexual; femeile se pot adapta la valorile masculine, uneori cu greu, dar, pot s-o faca, istoria a dovedit-o. "
― Michel Houellebecq , Platform