Also, apparently, a lot of sermons this past Sunday dealt with porn, specifically the dangers and evils of porn addiction, especially in this modern age of unfettered access. Don't get me wrong, porn isn't necessarily my thing. Neither am I lashing out as a party who's rights are being infringed upon, nor do I think pornography is necessarily evil. It's just not what I'm into and largely strikes me as ill-produced, faked (top to bottom), and a little weird.
Let's talk for a moment about what porn is - recorded sex and/or sexual suggestion that is then made public. If you want to talk about the social injustices of porn, there certainly are some - a fair percentage of porn depicts women who have been augment, waxed, bleached, and made-up to the point where not only do they not really look like actual women anymore, but also it is a largely male dominated industry - men are behind the cameras, in the directors chairs, in the editing rooms, and in the production houses. I sit here assuming that, I haven't looked it up, so if I'm wrong, which I would be surprised and happy about, please let me know. This gender polarity doesn't make for the most socially equal footing and paints women, not necessarily as objects, but as pliable girlish partners who enjoy a slavish attention to male pleasure and are quite possibly pretending to enjoy sex that they do not actually enjoy. I'm not great with that. I think that if you're going to make films about sex and how great it is, have a little more female input. But, as a friend just pointed out porn is largely consumed by men, and it is not abusive towards women, so perhaps it doesn't need any sort of massive overhaul.
Porn is recorded sex. Why is there a market for recorded sex? There is something to be said for being curious and for needing release, BUT there are a lot of ways to achieve release and to alleviate curiosity for that matter. Is there a market, an audience for a recorded sex ritual? Yes indeed. Why? The human sex drive, as it happens, is second only to the human will to live. Is it because we are told from birth not to touch, not to play with ourselves. Also, let's look at the phrasing don't play with yourSELF. Sex is an essential to the human condition. Live with it. We crave sex. I also crave nutella. Giving into our basic urges all of the time is unwise and unhealthy. However, so is not acknowledging that we have urges at all. There is a market for a public sex ritual because people desire to have sex, enjoy sex, and watch others having and enjoying sex. Are we not getting the desired effects in our personal lives? Should we or should we not?
So, dear pulpits, I challenge you and yours to look at what you actually have a problem with. Is there such a thing as responsible, unobjectionable sex outside of marriage? If both partners are without religious restraints, is that sex now acceptable even from the viewpoint of people who are remembers of a religion that prohibits that behavior? Are people suffering from an addiction to porn? If so, is it because of an unhealthy personal sexual experience or lack thereof? Is it so tempting because the market is so saturated?
Porn is more convenient than ever. So are videos of welsh corgies playing tether ball. Access is great, even in a world where there are snuff films. When we lose access to each other, I believe, we are worse off. So we're going to let a little ugly in with the good. Also if your issue with porn is how it objectifies people (especially women), objectifying here means removing them of their humanity, again I would argue for access and not against. If you are worried you have a problem with something talk to a person about it. I get second and third opinions on things all the time.
Fucking is a part of being a person. Speak with candor and understanding. Be aware of your own desires in the world. Pursue that which brings joy and does not harm. Be responsible for your own actions. Help someone if they need it. And don't you dare lash out at the porn industry without addressing the larger problem of sex and it's importance in a healthy human life, you cowards.
Additional thoughts. Why is prostitution illegal and porn legal? It is illegal to have sex with someone for money. It is legal to be paid to shoot a video in which you have sex, not simulated sex, actual sex, with someone? That's a bit weird. I'm not condoning prostitution. I'm acknowledging a legal oddity.
I was raised in a christian faith, which I am attempting to retain. However, I do not believe that it is healthy to frighten and stifle a child who is, or will some day desire some form of sexual expression. You don't hear that premarital sex is dirty and evil and then magically feel great about sex once you get married, I don't think. I've never been married and can't say for certain.
Pornography and I can both exist in a socially responsible world. Perhaps we already do.
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