Comment on "Bury the Chains"

In Chapter 9 of Bury the Chains, by Adam Hochschild, I found it kind of funny when, on page 134, Hochschild quotes Edward Long, "The lower classes of women in England, are remarkably fond of the blacks, for reasons too brutal to mention..." The way this is written is a little comical to me because today, sex is very openly talked about. To hear it described as "brutal" is interesting to me because even in the 1700's and 1800's, sex was, and still is, a necessary part of life, even if it wasn't openly talked about like it is today. I can't really imagine what life would be like if sex wasn't talked about-ever-and if some people describe it as "brutal."