General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: With all the anti-pornography talk, can we have a sex positive thread? [View all]renie408
(9,854 posts)So far I have stayed on the edges of the whole 'rape porn' argument because I am not sure what I think yet. I do feel that what people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms is their business. I do get that, for some, a little (or even a lot) rough sex with some male dominance is arousing and healthy and normal. And their business, not mine.
However, I also understand that glorifying rape as something women find somehow secretly sexually satisfying might not be a great idea. Fantasy role playing is one thing; being held down against your will while a man shoves his penis into you until he ejaculates is something else. Something else entirely. Something else so entirely different and so entirely common in this world that maybe it might be worth it for some people to not have access to their favorite version of pornography if it means even one woman will avoid it.
But, I also get that rape has little to do with sex. It is sex used as a tool. I wish there were better information either supporting or refuting the link between rape porn and actual rape.
This is a hard thing for me to decide where I stand. Since it isn't my 'cup of tea', it's easy for me to say we should get rid of rape porn. Honestly, I kind of wonder about WHY that would be your cup of tea, but whatever. Before I say it is harmless, I would like to see some evidence to that effect. No one questions whether or not child pornography is OK or not. This is because we know that children cannot consent. They are being exploited. Period. Most would think that child porn that uses either adults who look like children or even computer generated images is a slippery slope. Some percentage of men who start there are going to wind up wamting the real thing. Why can we not acknowledge that rape porn might have the same result?
Like I said, I can see all the sides of this discussion, but my gut says it is better in this instance to err on the side of caution.