My point of view about porn is as follows, and you may take it as you wish.
The Good: Porn provides a sexual outlet for people who for whatever reason cannot easily achieve that release otherwise, whether it be because of lack of companionship, lack of appropriate companionship, lack of opportunity, social anxiety, lack of time/readiness for a relationship, or any of a number of other factors.
The human body is designed from the ground up, literally, to be sexual and reproduce at every opportunity, which is why humans are only outnumbered in the animal world by insects. Denying this innate fact is only going to damage and distort things. Expression of the natural sexual urge is important to maintain health, physically, emotionally and mentally. Porn helps facilitate that.
The Bad: Porn is like a drug. It is the purest form of something that we normally cannot achieve, but always try to, in nature. It therefore overloads our circuits, so to speak, and this can lead to rapid addiction response, escalation of interests and other undesirable things.
Furthermore, since humans are designed to learn through what we observe, porn in effect helps train/teach us that sex, sexuality and other people (or gender) are going to act in unrealistic manners. This can lead to a severely skewed point of view concerning the subject of one's particular pornographic desires, and inhibit successful real-world interaction and sexual success with them.
The Ugly: As for the argument that porn is degrading to [take your pick], it is important to remember that nobody can legally be forced to be a porn actor - in the United States, at least; therefore, given the strict legalities of the matter, and the strict enforcement, wherein an actor must be over 18 years of age, sign at least one model release stating their consent to what they are doing, and it's publication, etc. etc., the subject of degradation seems to be a personal one. Therefore, if an individual sees it as degrading, they should not become a porn actor; beyond that, it is not their choice, or their business what someone else chooses to do with their time or sex organs, as long as what they do is legal. Taking away someone else's rights and freedoms is not going to make anything better, especially since I guarantee you that every one of those who insist it's degrading to whomever have used porn in the past, and probably still do.
Guilt and shame concerning sexuality and porn is about the worst possible response, and only results in mental and emotional damage. Therefore, these are not good, and not desirable; when you don't force it, or try to hide it unduly, or try to make it taboo, you normalize it, and it becomes no bog deal. Humans are humans; we are sexual by nature; and that sexuality is NOT GOING AWAY. So we might as well treat it as natural and normal, respond to it in healthy ways (moderation!) and do something more productive and healthy with our time than to say that there should be guilt/shame/fear involved, or that it should be banned/etc.
The United States is one of the only countries in the world where there is such a ridiculously puritanical and infantile response to sex. It's embarrassing.
(Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread.)
The Good: Porn provides a sexual outlet for people who for whatever reason cannot easily achieve that release otherwise, whether it be because of lack of companionship, lack of appropriate companionship, lack of opportunity, social anxiety, lack of time/readiness for a relationship, or any of a number of other factors.
The human body is designed from the ground up, literally, to be sexual and reproduce at every opportunity, which is why humans are only outnumbered in the animal world by insects. Denying this innate fact is only going to damage and distort things. Expression of the natural sexual urge is important to maintain health, physically, emotionally and mentally. Porn helps facilitate that.
The Bad: Porn is like a drug. It is the purest form of something that we normally cannot achieve, but always try to, in nature. It therefore overloads our circuits, so to speak, and this can lead to rapid addiction response, escalation of interests and other undesirable things.
Furthermore, since humans are designed to learn through what we observe, porn in effect helps train/teach us that sex, sexuality and other people (or gender) are going to act in unrealistic manners. This can lead to a severely skewed point of view concerning the subject of one's particular pornographic desires, and inhibit successful real-world interaction and sexual success with them.
The Ugly: As for the argument that porn is degrading to [take your pick], it is important to remember that nobody can legally be forced to be a porn actor - in the United States, at least; therefore, given the strict legalities of the matter, and the strict enforcement, wherein an actor must be over 18 years of age, sign at least one model release stating their consent to what they are doing, and it's publication, etc. etc., the subject of degradation seems to be a personal one. Therefore, if an individual sees it as degrading, they should not become a porn actor; beyond that, it is not their choice, or their business what someone else chooses to do with their time or sex organs, as long as what they do is legal. Taking away someone else's rights and freedoms is not going to make anything better, especially since I guarantee you that every one of those who insist it's degrading to whomever have used porn in the past, and probably still do.
Guilt and shame concerning sexuality and porn is about the worst possible response, and only results in mental and emotional damage. Therefore, these are not good, and not desirable; when you don't force it, or try to hide it unduly, or try to make it taboo, you normalize it, and it becomes no bog deal. Humans are humans; we are sexual by nature; and that sexuality is NOT GOING AWAY. So we might as well treat it as natural and normal, respond to it in healthy ways (moderation!) and do something more productive and healthy with our time than to say that there should be guilt/shame/fear involved, or that it should be banned/etc.
The United States is one of the only countries in the world where there is such a ridiculously puritanical and infantile response to sex. It's embarrassing.
(Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread.)
Subliminal Audio Specialist & Administrator
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
The scientist has a question to find an answer for. The pseudo-scientist has an answer to find a question for. ~ "Failure is the path of least persistence." - Chinese Fortune Cookie ~ Logic left. Emotion right. But thinking, straight ahead. ~ Sperate supra omnia in valorem. (The value of trust is above all else.) ~ Meowsomeness!
