Pornography: Harmless Erotica Or Base Exploitation?

Discussion Open Forum
1

Porno seems to be very formulaic. Certain patterns are followed, nay, adhered to.

Some friends tell me that it adds spice to their sex life. Others find it crass, boring and obscene.

The pornography of the 80’s markedly differs from the current fare. In the days of yore, there was foreplay, kissing and all that other unnecessary stuff. Apparently the marketing has always been aimed at men, but in The Golden Age, was inclusive of other people, i.e. women. Times have sadly changed.

The pretty ladies who have all of that nasty stuff done to them by gentlemen with monstrous members, whilst pretending to enjoy it, are well-paid. Where lies the distinction between exploitation and freedom to choose?

This is something I’ve thought (no pun intended) long and hard about. Also, I am unable to provide links, as this site is for family viewing.

What are your views on porn, fine folk?

2

Seems like no big deal to me.

For the most part, if people want to make money in porn films, they will, just as they can as a stripper or selling drugs or engaging in prostitution. Apparently, that person may not have taken the healthiest, happiest path in life and it seems likely it was others who helped put them on that path early on, perhaps an abusive father/spouse/partner, perhaps alcoholism or drug abuse in the family, perhaps rape/molestation as a child. It seems something must have gone wrong (though not necessarily; I recognize the possibility that porn stars are healthy and happy). But just because that’s not the path I would want my daughter to aspire to, doesn’t mean I oppose grown adults (or 18 year-olds anyway) from earning cash in that way. We all make good choices and bad choices in life, but that’s just how the game works and I’m opposed to 3d parties imposing a morality code that dictates what others may do.

Does porn lead to more rape or violence? It’s my understanding there is no compelling evidence of that. If there were, that might be a legitimate reason to consider restricting it, but there’s not.

Does porn cause men to see women as nothing more than a piece of meat? Perhaps in some boneheads who are already socially inept and have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy, but one could say the same about lots of mainstream movies, entertainment, advertising, etc. So what? Should we ban or restrict all forms of discourse that could possibly be misconstrued by incompetents and could lead them to have demeaning views of others (the offense is in their brains; we’re not talking about harmful acts they’ve committed) and take away the liberties of everyone else? I think not.

Can porn desensitize men so they get less pleasure from their own real-life partners? Perhaps, same as drugs, alcohol, compulsive gambling, or working long hours in the office. That’s their business. If someone has trouble controlling his impulses and it adversely affects his personal life, he should learn to control it. Certainly no reason to call in the church police nannies.

What else is there? Minors in porn? That’s already illegal and should definitely be enforced. Dangerous diseases for porn stars? I understand they’re tested regularly or required to wear condoms, which is good. Crude, wham-bam-no foreplay no drama? So what; if one finds it unsatisfying entertainment one needn’t watch it. But if one does want to make a few bucks getting anally penetrated or cummed all over onscreen or one enjoys watching that, I don’t see why it should be anyone else’s business. Personal subjective morality is NOT a legitimate reason for making arbitrary laws restricting the rights of others who don’t share the same views when there is no evidence of any actual harm done.

3

Yes. Harmless Erotica Or Base Exploitation? And would it matter to me?

4

Well, aside from its addictive nature and the damage it does to existing relationships, there is a tremendous amount of porn that is produced by organized crime, and the young women there don’t have a lot of say in the matter. And then, there’s the massive number of computer viruses that seem to attack the computers of people who view porn.

I’ve been caught in the grip of it for hours at a time, and afterwards I’ve felt like I’ve just bathed myself in something unspeakably vile and done damage to my mind. It affects my view of women. It turns women into objects instead of people worthy of respect. It demeans that special relationship that men and women can have when there is real love (even twoo wuv).

I believe that it also makes us guys more vulnerable to being unfaithful.

We guys are a bunch of adolescent barbarians at the best of times, throwing pornography into the mix just makes us worse.

5

I dont exactly see how it would make people more unfaithfull and i am pretty sure that it only affects one’s view of woman if one cant remember the difference between acting towards a goal and actual real life. if i watch a lot of old kung fu movies i may expect all chinese being able to fly, speak weird and to always be on the verge of having ridiculous fights in the streets and old wooden tea houses BUT through contact with them in real life this image doesnt really hold up and i wouldnt treat them in any way that is based on that (like being afraid of them because they are all awesome fighters… more like the opposite).

there is money to be made with it and that leads to parts of the business disrespecting human dignity and value and so on. but then again the same is true for the most romantic and beautiful wedding ring a man may give a woman. back to the thread title: i’d say its a bit of both and my guess is that it has about an equal amount of positive and negative effects. if the actor does it voluntarily and is well paid and the one watching it for entertainment can make the distinction between acting and real life why should it be not ok. and all the limitations in that sentence apply for other forms of entertainment too. so there is not really a difference i think.

6

Perhaps in your subjective opinion.

On the other hand, perhaps some couples are brought closer, their love-making is enhanced, their love, respect and admiration for each other blossoms, their relationship brought to new heights of intimacy and bonds of adoration and fidelity strengthened and deepened (of coarse) through the viewing of anal gangbang cumfests (and carrying out of such acts with their swinging friends). Perhaps they would swear on a stack of giant, arm-sized dildos, that it hasn’t demeaned their relationship in the least, but does exactly the opposite. How can you know that people don’t sincerely feel that way and thank porn for saving their marriages?

Just because YOU may feel that porn demeans a man woman relationship, wouldn’t it be unreasonable for you to conclude that all feel the same way?

7

As long as the participants are doing it of their own free will, I have no problem with it.

8

Just like anything too much can be bad for you. It if it not run in the right way then it can exploitation, it is not pornography itself that is doing the exploiting though but businesspeople and gangsters. Part of the problem is it’s quasi legal or illegal status in many places.

9

Besides, even if it were attempted Base Exploitation it would clearly be futile, as . . . .

10

I haven’t seen any, so I can’t comment.

11

Can’t I have both???

12

It is exploitative, yes, but not to a very large degree. I don’t think it’s very harmful to anyone involved.

I think amateur porn is more interesting and not exploitative in the least.

13

You’ve got to be kidding. Oh, wait.

Maybe in the 1970s the mafia owned the porn business, but nowadays any slut with an internet connection can set up her own porn site, and many do. The bottom fell out (hah) a couple of years ago, and many of them aren’t able to make enough money to make it worthwhile any more. There’s just too much free porn out there, and most of it is a lot hotter than the commercial stuff. Even the commercial porn only makes money until the first viewer saves it and uploads it to Fileserve.com, Hotfile.com, or any of a hundred other file-sharing services. Take a look at Planetsuzy.org (not .com) some time.

The whole “industry” could go away tomorrow, and there would still be more porn available than anyone could possibly watch in a lifetime, made by bored housewives, enthusiastic college kids, many-tentacled things washing up on Japanese beaches, and a cast of millions more.

This is why God invented Linux. Friends don’t let friends use Microsoft operating systems.

14

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Feminism was the joint architect of a misogynist male chauvinist playground. Life couldn’t be better for the man who thinks the sole purpose of a woman is his sexual gratification. Women everywhere are busying themselves dutifully reinforcing his perverted stereotype.

15

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Feminism was the joint architect of a misogynist male chauvinist playground. Life couldn’t be better for the man who thinks the sole purpose of a woman is his sexual gratification. Women everywhere are busying themselves dutifully reinforcing his perverted stereotype.[/quote]

If one takes the view porn is only for the male audience, this might hold some truth, but then thats not really the case.

16

How about - Internet Pornography: mass education.

Seriously. Has anyone had sex with ‘the youth’ recently? My God! The age of innocence is over.

17

Dam, you don’t make porn movies with your better half?? The question is to why you put it online. Money? Kinkiness? Voyeurism? Just like to watch yourself" doing it" Who knows. I don’t really care cause I like it. Please don’t stop doing it.

Some people like to show, some like to watch. Most of porn is not sexual exploitation. If it is then take action. If not, live and let live.

18

Pretty well said by the majority already.

Perhaps a little :nsfw:
And let’s not forget:

19

No, it applies regardless of the fact that porn is not only for the male audience. It doesn’t matter how ‘empowered’ women feel when they produce porn and make it publicly available, or who they intend to watch it, the fact is that the male chauvinist watching it couldn’t care less. All he knows is that women and girls these days will get their gear off a lot more readily and a lot more frequently than at any time previously, and they’ll deliver it conveniently to his computer without even charging for it. And that’s exactly what he wants.

I’m not sure if feminism gave up the fight against porn because they thought men were simply too powerful to fight, or if they thought women should be encouraged to make porn because at least they can make good money for it (more than many other jobs in some cases, though giving it away for free defeats that purpose), or for some other reason, but I don’t think their capitulation has really advanced their cause. As if that weren’t enough, girls in Western society are groomed from a young age to make themselves look sexually appealing to men, and to conform to sexual imagery and expectations placed on them by men. The American Psychological Association doesn’t see this as empowering. A lot of feminist groups agree with the APA, but I think they lost their battle a long time ago. Regardless of what psychologists say, the average person on the street would probably laugh at the idea that sexualization of girls should cease, and most of the men would probably protest against the idea.

20

No, it applies regardless of the fact that porn is not only for the male audience. It doesn’t matter how ‘empowered’ women feel when they produce porn and make it publicly available, or who they intend to watch it, the fact is that the male chauvinist watching it couldn’t care less. All he knows is that women and girls these days will get their gear off a lot more readily and a lot more frequently than at any time previously, and they’ll deliver it conveniently to his computer without even charging for it. And that’s exactly what he wants.

I’m not sure if feminism gave up the fight against porn because they thought men were simply too powerful to fight, or if they thought women should be encouraged to make porn because at least they can make good money for it (more than many other jobs in some cases, though giving it away for free defeats that purpose), or for some other reason, but I don’t think their capitulation has really advanced their cause. As if that weren’t enough, girls in Western society are groomed from a young age to make themselves look sexually appealing to men, and to conform to sexual imagery and expectations placed on them by men. The American Psychological Association doesn’t see this as empowering. A lot of feminist groups agree with the APA, but I think they lost their battle a long time ago. Regardless of what psychologists say, the average person on the street would probably laugh at the idea that sexualization of girls should cease, and most of the men would probably protest against the idea.[/quote]

Hopefully, anyone with a daughter or goddaughter would prove the exception.