The term raw-dogging is a slightly-obscene, slangy term for engaging in unprotected sex, often used to celebrate that occasionally-risky behavior. However, this term has undergone an interesting semantic change in the last five or so years. I think the actuator of this chain of events is prolific Twitter user @jaboukie:
This is a straightforward, jocular, semantic extension, generalizing the sense of danger associated with unprotected sex to life itself. In its wake (it was a very popular tweet), I also saw a tweet about “raw dogging” to refer to riding the subway without headphones or sunglasses. Years later, I read a blind item about a US senator flying commercially from the States to Israel; apparently, according to his seat mate, during the long flight, he didn’t listen to music or podcasts, read, check email, nap, or watch a movie, he just…sat there, for hours and hours, like an absolute maniac. I haven’t been able to find this story, and I don’t remember whether it referred to raw-dogging, but I have since seen several stories discussing raw-dogging flights (e.g., this recent one in GQ). Discussions of raw-dogging in the commercial aviation sense largely recognize the act’s covert prestige: it is recognized as a curious and difficult task, one associated with macho and/or maleness. The GQ article also quotes individuals who refer to stimulation-free commercial flying as barebacking, which traditionally refers to unprotected anal sex between men. (In contrast raw-dogging in its original sense does not specify the specific sex act beyond some form of genital-genital penetration, nor does it specify the gender or sexual orientation of the participants.)