General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: As a gay man, I certainly don't feel the least bit dehumanized by gay porn. [View all]DirkGently
(12,151 posts)There's no reason not to discuss and criticize degrading, dehumanizing, misogynistic content in porn. Nor do I think social criticism requires any proof of direct cause and effect. The bad porn isn't somehow not bad because it doesn't walk up to people and kill them.
What I don't get is why some people dig in their heels and try to defend the abominable crap we all know is abominable crap. They stand on semantic pinpoints and argue about freedom of expression and whether criticizing porn for being misogynist and morally bankrupt is somehow the same as puritanical censorship, when they know that's not the issue.
In fact, the sensibilities people rightly criticize in porn are a kind of manifestation of puritanical views of sex. Puritans think sex is dirty and debasing and empty. A lot of porn just brings that concept to life. It seems to thrill in the emptiness and soullessness, which is not even a fair depiction of reality.
If you want to limit all discussion of gender and social issues to legislation, that's fine, but that's not an argument to which you can hold everyone else.
Edit: Two responses seemed one too many, so I'll repeat here that I agree completely that religious repression of sexuality is the basic recipe for sexual perversity. And I'll add that a lot of porn feeds that exact deviation.
Which is the problem.