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?
