let me start out by giving a big fat warning. this post is about a mature subject. and, frankly, it's not really the type of thing that i usually talk about here on the blog. but, as it is, i came across an article that got the wheels turning. and then another article. and more thoughts. and, i realize that i many of my readers (hey, i get about 25 hits a day, so that's what, 4 people?) won't want to talk about this. because, frankly, it's a taboo subject. or, it was. so, here we go. oh, and another disclaimer is that although is that the links may not be safe for work. not that there were offensive pictures (that i remember), but still.
anyone care to defend porn?
some people claim that porn has become mainstream. i don't know if that's true, but i think we can all admit that sex is a commodity, it sells. and, hey, i'm not trying to tell you what to do in your own house. but, i read this rather frank article (warning, very bad words and accurate descriptions) and it turned my stomach at points.
and another piece.
now, i realize that these are only one side of the equation. i know there's bloggers out there defending porn, both female and male, but i haven't read them. the second article ends with this quote, "Is pornography misogynistic? In my mind there is only one response. How could it not be? Pornography comes from a culture that breeds misogyny. At least it seems to have done so in me."
now, i can't say that "a" has been proven, so that it definitely leads to "b". but, if you will, humor me. at least, let's talk about whether or not we are a misogynistic culture? are we a culture that breeds misogynistic attitudes and behavior? how does this happen? how can it change? and, if porn is misogynistic and if it is becoming mainstream, how do we move back in the other direction (i realize that those are two rather big if's i've emphasized there)?
let me throw another quote in the mix, "These are five movies depicting consensual acts between adults, exclusively for consenting adults, there is nothing criminal about these movies." oh, i hadn't mentioned that the star spoken about in the second article has been indicted for violating standards. some say it's a free speech case. others say that it's an issue of obscenity. now, i'm not wanting to argue free speech or the merits of this case. i'm interested in talking about porn and the relationship to misogyny.
this leads me to this movie, which i heard about and have recently seen previews for. i haven't seen the movie. but, when i read these articles, it made me think of that movie as the mainstream version. or, do we just live in such a screwed up culture that realistic portrayal of torture and kidnapping can be entertainment, and the porn is following suit?
but, something i didn't know, the scandal over the firing of whitehouse lawyers deals with porno cases. interesting twist. not the aforementioned case though.
finally, on an unrelated, and much lighter note, i just finished watching an hour of seinfeld. it was the episodes where jerry buys his father a cadillac. and, this causes him to get impeached as the president of the retirement village they live in. maybe we should allow art to inspire reality and impeach the president. but, another thing stood out to me: the laugh track. real audience or not, it doesn't matter, but i'm not sure if i really noticed it until i read the article earlier in the evening about the simpsons. it was a brief mention there, and i don't know how significant it is. i think i had noticed it, but whne you're thinking about it, it really stands out. is ending this post with this paragraph a cop out?
3 comments:
Wow there is a lot going on in this post. I also have to say that your conclusin paragraph left something to be desired... in any case I am going to be the first brave soul to attempt to address this post, so here goes.
Porn. Lets talk about it. This isn't something that I think much about and those articles were incredibly distrubing. Although I don't watch porn I did involve myself with the "who could find the most disgusting porn" awhile back and at the time found it to be a humorous activity. It is very easy to separate the actual individual from the pictures and/or films. You don't think about the fact that this is a person who has friends and family and their job is to be abused and humiliated in some sick and twisted ways for the pleasure of others. Yes these actors are for the most part there under the own free will, but in order to allow yourself to do this, you have to be screwed up in some fundamental way. The article that mentions the actress whose step dad is a towel boy and her mom parades her anal awards around clearly demonstrates that. However, maybe our puritanical roots that have shaped our view of sex as being a hush hush almost shameful act that has helped to propagate this industry. If it isn't ok to really embrace sex publicly or outwardly, well you can explore all of these sexual activities from home then. People are drawn to the forbidden. Clinton was also mentioned in one of the articles and as a society we made his afair with Monica Lewinsky a HUGE deal confusing other countries who couldn't understand what the big deal was. I am beating around the cliche so I am just going to say it. Sex is taboo in America, yet it is so weaved into our society (advertising etc [reminds me of the son "Pussy Galore" from the Roots) that we hardly notice it yet it lurks in the subconcious of our minds. It is a greatly misogynistic society and often times we arent even aware of it which makes changing that fact virtually impossible.
Ed I can now see why you concluded with the paragraph that you did. I feel like I have rambled on and I don't know how to achieve closure. I do have a question though. Does anyone know how porn is percieved in other countries? Do Americans watch more porn then most other countries?
i'm not sure on the numbers vs. other countries, but porn is a huge industry in the u.s., which i think gets mentioned in those articles.
it is true that sexuality is much more open in many european countries, but i'm not sure if that equates with porn. then again, they did talk about that max hardcore guy being highly recognized in europe.
but, i still think that there is a huge difference between being open about sexuality, porn in general, and finally the level of activity being talked about in those articles.
I haven't read the articles yet, but I'll address some things I've seen here.
Kasey said, "Yes these actors are for the most part there under the own free will, but in order to allow yourself to do this, you have to be screwed up in some fundamental way." I disagree (though I reserve the right to change that position after reading the articles). Where do you draw the line between being screwed up in the bedroom and regular sex in the bedroom? Is liking anal screwed up? Is liking it doggie style screwed up? There are some who would say yes.
I think the reason that our country has such a massive porn industry and why it is fundamentally misogynistic has a lot to do with religious repression. We live in a culture where violence in film is totally ok, but catch a nip and ZOMG!! THE HUMANITY!! Purity balls, abstinence only sex-ed, promise rings, pregnancy as punishment, the list goes on.
I would doubt porn is as big in Europe because it's, for the most part, a much more liberal collection of people.
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