Is that porn is inevitable. At the end of the day, we're social primates, and monkeys really do enjoy watching each other have sex. I won't speculate on what goes on in the head of the average baboon, but they do stand around watching troupe members get it on. No matter what our societies through history condemn, we've always done the same, even if only by proxy (i.e., pornography)

Basically, pornography is just going to be a part of the human condition; we're a species that creates representative art, and we're a species that thinks sex is really fun. Put 'em together, and it's just unavoidable.

However, that doesn't mean that pornography must be exploitative. That's an add-on, a cultural artifact of both fear of all sexuality, and general misogyny. And yet as you note, much of the porn you can find today adheres to these artifacts in some way or another. Not all, granted, but you have to actively search for the exceptions, while the rest just falls into your lap.. .so to speak.

What I'm curious about is how to fix the problem.

Last edited Fri Nov 23, 2012, 06:56 PM - Edit history (1)

Most porn is kind of dull and I wonder if that isn't why there seems to be a demand for more extreme types.

To fix it, oy. I don't know. There is the occasional random scenes in movies, I'm thinking of two by Robert Rodriguez of all people, on in "Desperado" and another in "Planet Terror" while they didn't show much in the way of nudity and were very short scences, were quite erotic.

It had to do with the setting, the lighting and hints of activity. I think the charectors being reciprocal, without being cheesy (even in a Rodriguez film) helped as well. That isn't to say what's erotic shouldn't or wouldn't include nudity, or explicit acts.

It is a problem.

Young people are learning 'how to' about sex via pornagraphy. I was talking to a community health nurse who said they're going straight to sex toys, not understanding the build up before release. A bit scary. Then you have the recent religious oppression revival types with their resistance to sex education and 'purity balls' Where do you think those kids are going to go?

As an interesting aside, a fairly new genre of books--urban fantasy uses the erotic a lot, although most of it seems to be sexist old fashioned bodice rippers only with werewolves and vampires insread of cowboys and pirates. Many of these books are written by women, and a few of these women seem to be able to stay erotic without being exploitative.

are you injecting your very today, human perception on what the monkey is thinking, feeling?

lets say a couple monkeys start getting it on. amongst a group of monkeys. and they watch. so? lets say they are standing around, and a couple monkeys start playing tag, or something and they watch. so?

the point is, are they watching cause they necessarily are into watching "sex" in the context of porn that we are discussing? or, are they looking at an activity that is no more a big deal than any other activity. cause to them, sex is a no big deal to do. it is an urge, with none of our human conditioning involved.

see, this is where i have an issue. if the monkeys were standing there watching, grabbing their very little penis's, grabbing a mate to get it on, then there would be some correlation between watching in a porn like manner, or standing there while a couple monkeys are getting it on. and having nothing to do with our porn like attitude of gotta watch a sex act.

there are more than plenty of people that are not into watching a sex act. i have never felt the need or even necessarily the desire. i have. i get off in a few minutes, done, thanks... big deal. but, i dont particularly want to watch someone do it. plenty of people dont necessarily want to watch another do it. voyerism has never been my thing. i much rather do than watch. i read a book, and i dont need to read the sex scenes. boring. what can they say that hasnt been said and done a zillion times. peruse to get back to the story.

again, another projection of assuming....

before porn was accessible, there were people for a lifetime going without it.

now.... we all gotta have it cause it is nature and we really need to watch.

we make things up today, and call it fact.

putting up christmas tree and other stuff. this is a mess of a post. just wanted to throw a little out their, on all the assumptions you make viewing thru your own lens, wanting to draw a line to your conclusion. hasnt convinced me.

Perhaps I shouldn't have said "they like to watch" or whatever. But they do watch. And they seem pretty fascinated by what they see. Social animals tend to have some predictable patterns in their behavior.

And of course, not everyone is "into" porn. I didn't say that. I simply said that it's a long-established part of human culture.

Also, please don't put words in my mouth. I never said we've got to have it and we have to watch. Simply that it is an inevitable product of human societies. It may not be accessible to everyone, but it's always been there. Even the pilgrims were mouthbreathing over the Song of Solomon, you know?

So they, at least, could make the argument that pornography is not exploitative or harmful while thinking that women's role in society is in no way in conflict with their pro porn ideas. And they view all women as prostitutes anyway.

I can't think of many others who could simultaneously claim that pornography and prostituion are not by nature exploitative and harmful given the status of women and our place in society.

Good question and insight. Interesting stuff.