Why is pornography bad?

[nnmartin]

Yet to a culture that believes eating in public is a really bad thing, McDonald's is worse than porn...

did you just make that up or can you actually give an example of this?

 

[nnmartin]

anyway, as for the debate - isn't porn really just used by men who can't get any or enough of the real thing (or of not good enough quality)?

so porn is not the problem but just a symptom of a sexually repressed society.

 

[Drolefille]

anyway, as for the debate - isn't porn really just used by men who can't get any or enough of the real thing (or of not good enough quality)?

No.

And again I feel like you think women should be accessible to men as if they were not people.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

did you just make that up or can you actually give an example of this?

He probably made that up, but even so that is how culture works. We cringe at the idea of eating dogs, cats, rodents, and insects, but they are common dishes in other cultures. There are even some cultures where any sort of public displays of affection, including holding hands in public, is considered very inappropriate.
Or a more extreme example is how we find female circumcision to be abhorrent and have movements to end it globally, but to some of the cultures that practice it their women view it as a very important right of passage.
Anything that is viewed as right or wrong is solely defined by culture.

 

[nnmartin]

No.
And again I feel like you think women should be accessible to men as if they were not people.

I think statistics would back up the theory that it is mainly men who watch porn.

Not sure where you get the idea that I think women are not people.

 

[Dezzie]

:areyoucraI can assure you, nothing bad will happen just from viewing pornography. Some people do become addicted, but the typical viewer will have no mental or physical ailments. They will find something that floats their boat, view, gratify themselves, and go on with their life.

My hubby still hasn't got the article for me... I was going to post it a few days ago but I forgot. I guess what it was, was a discussion between porn addicts and those that view it on occasion. Some people actually mentioned that they have issues physically because their views on sex are different than "reality" (example: some men can't even get hard during a real sexual encounter... but are perfectly capable while watching porn... sorry if that seems vulgar ).

Personally, I know people with issues... they are messed up mentally and think wrongly about sex and women in general. One of them is family...

The stuff I said wasn't meant to put everyone who watches porn and all porn stars into one category... I realize that some porn stars do it because they enjoy it... some do it because they've had issues in their past... and some just do it for the money and "fame". Statistically, more porn stars have been abused though. The porn stars that say they love it, may only love it because it's the only "closeness" they might have had. It may make them feel whole. Some of them could be blinded by how they really feel inside. Who knows... I've never done any studies on it, but there are people who have.

I personally, do not watch that crap because what if one of the women, or even men, were raped as a child... why on Earth would I feel comfortable with it? What if that was their reasoning for their desicions? I can't watch someone that has been through something so horrible. I don't know how anyone could. :areyoucra

But again... I wasn't trying to put all people into one group... I know everyone has different intentions. That's what makes us human!

 

[Dezzie]

If all former porn actresses felt the same way that'd be one thing. But while individual experiences are important and can have influence, they're not necessarily representative of everything.

I have no doubt that the mainstream porn industry has plenty of problems. I'm going to leave it there. However there are also companies run by women that make porn for women for example. And, there are also porn actresses with really positive stories about their careers.
An Interview with Christi Lake » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names (Unfortunately the original source changed their website and this is a bit poorly formatted.)
You might find The Naked Feminist to be an interesting watch as well.

But personally the article you posted with the anti-gay views is not a former porn actor, it's a former porn consumer. And there are many porn consumers with differing opinions as well. Once anti-gay views are posted, to me, that's an immediate disregard of the individual's opinion on sex - and probably about quite a few other things as well.

Thank you for your reply! I will take a look at the interview and stuff once I get home from work!

I agree with you about the anti-gay thing. I disregarded that too... but just because that may be wrong (or you just don't agree with it), it doesn't mean everything else should be disregarded as well. As I said in the post before this one, everyone is different. If someone is anti-gay, fine... They can think the way they want to... it's not going to change my beliefs... but you also have to take into account, everything else they say. Some things may only be based on opinions BUT some other things may be based on statistics and reasoning... Sometimes, you have to look past certain things people say... but that doesn't mean you should disregard everything else.

 

[Drolefille]

Thank you for your reply! I will take a look at the interview and stuff once I get home from work!

I agree with you about the anti-gay thing. I disregarded that too... but just because that may be wrong (or you just don't agree with it), it doesn't mean everything else should be disregarded as well. As I said in the post before this one, everyone is different. If someone is anti-gay, fine... They can think the way they want to... it's not going to change my beliefs... but you also have to take into account, everything else they say. Some things may only be based on opinions BUT some other things may be based on statistics and reasoning... Sometimes, you have to look past certain things people say... but that doesn't mean you should disregard everything else.

But that article had no statistics, and wasn't by an expert, it was based on a former porn 'addict' perhaps, although it's unclear from that website. Their opinion has no more weight than anyone else's, and, as noted, anecdoatal evidence is still not the same as data.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

My hubby still hasn't got the article for me... I was going to post it a few days ago but I forgot. I guess what it was, was a discussion between porn addicts and those that view it on occasion. Some people actually mentioned that they have issues physically because their views on sex are different than "reality" (example: some men can't even get hard during a real sexual encounter... but are perfectly capable while watching porn... sorry if that seems vulgar ).

Personally, I know people with issues... they are messed up mentally and think wrongly about sex and women in general. One of them is family..

I'm sorry you're going through with this. But you gave the reasoning why. Some people do have difficulty separating fantasy from reality, and some people do develop unhealthy views and expectations of sexuality. They do have mental issues, but they can be helped.

The stuff I said wasn't meant to put everyone who watches porn and all porn stars into one category... I realize that some porn stars do it because they enjoy it... some do it because they've had issues in their past... and some just do it for the money and "fame". Statistically, more porn stars have been abused though. The porn stars that say they love it, may only love it because it's the only "closeness" they might have had. It may make them feel whole. Some of them could be blinded by how they really feel inside. Who knows... I've never done any studies on it, but there are people who have.

As with any thing, different people have different reasons. Some people do while they are down on their luck, need extra money, or pay for college, similar reasons some people strip. Some do because of drug addiction and the promise of more drugs (this form is more typically found in sex slavery), some do it due to abuse that caused some mental issues, some do it for fun and pleasure, and some do it just as a job.

 

[Sunstone]

For me, the biggest issue with porn is the safety and well-being of the porn stars. The industry is almost completely unregulated and I hear many porn stars are injured in the production of porn.

 

[nnmartin]

I am sure like most things ,if you just watch a modest amount of porn then it is no big deal - but obsession and addiction is going to be unhealthy.

Hard to really see how the industry could be effectively be regulated with the internet nowadays.

Also remember the costs involved.

In the past , porn was very expensive - now it is free on-line so that is good news for the consumer.

It's all a product of free market capitalism.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

In the past , porn was very expensive - now it is free on-line so that is good news for the consumer.

It's not free today. All the "free" porn on the web is still being payed for. Either by advertisers or premium membership holders, it is all payed for.

Hard to really see how the industry could be effectively be regulated with the internet nowadays.

Not really. It would be very similar to regulating prostitution.

 

[JacobEzra.]

I think statistics would back up the theory that it is mainly men who watch porn.

Not sure where you get the idea that I think women are not people.

Im not sure where you get the idea that women are saints. Some are just as freaky.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Im not sure where you get the idea that women are saints. Some are just as freaky.

Very true. There are even a number of sex and porn companies that are run by women who make products for women. And there are also companies that have parties that are for women only, and the main discussion is sex while sex products are being advertised.
The idea that women are not sexual beings is a lie propagated by a sexually repressed patriarchal society.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Very true. There are even a number of sex and porn companies that are run by women who make products for women. And there are also companies that have parties that are for women only, and the main discussion is sex while sex products are being advertised.
The idea that women are not sexual beings is a lie propagated by a sexually repressed patriarchal society.

:clap