In your opinion, is pornography a bad thing

[Prince Oberyn Martel]

All you'll ever need to know is here: http://pornharms.com/
All facts backed up by science with multiple trusted sources to prove it

I'd like to hear your own thoughts and opinions and why instead of simply being linked to a site that seems very politically motivated. You've mentioned phobia, suicidal urges and celibacy so surely you have personal points to make without having to resort to such sites.

Plus I saw nothing on there about genocide. I could just be overlooking it though.

Slippery fish.

Just a reminder of what the topic is: Porn. So make sure we're only posting porn in this thread.

I think you are missing a very important word from that sentence... or is that permission?

 

[Folmarv Tengille]

Pornography is a good and bad thing in my opinion of things here are the reasons why:
1. It is a good tool (For reasons most of us know) while used in moderation.
2. It is an addictive because it can become a serious issue if you have an addictive edge to your personality.
3. To me its a way to have safe sex, without getting anyone pregnant.
Those are my points on Pornography and how it is to me good and bad.

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

No.


That's it.


Just no.


But seriously, what's wrong with porn? It's not snuff, as long as the actors are willing, what's the issue? Yes, it can become addictive, but so can anything nowadays. It's just a way to release sexual tension, a way to escape your real world. There's nothing wrong with pornography. I find that the people who have the biggest issue with it are the ones who have the worst fetishes to hide, or sexual secrets. It's not cheating, it's not horrible, it's tissue material. It's not destroying the world, or morals.

The only way that it's not something I believe in is if it is snuff, or if it features unwilling actors. There's a scary amount of underground porn done with unwilling victims and you don't know about it because you think it's acting. I would like to see that stop, but since it's mostly in third world countries, there's really nothing we can do about it.

 

[Josef Hare]

As long as pornography contains consensual human adults then there is absolutely no problem.

Having said that, I think that the media today is far too centered on pornography and I do actually believe this detracts from things that are more important. But that's just a feeling I have.

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

Because annually, literally hundreds of billions of dollars are wasted on the pornography industry. Calculating the numbers, a single year's worth of money wasted on it is enough to give every person on Earth 3 meals a day for more than a year.

It's basically a chief cause of world hunger, IE death, IE genocide

Not to mention its effects on people like me with such a massive phobia, who have been driven to suicidal urges

Well not really, because you can guarantee that if that money was not spent on porn, it would not be spent on solving world poverty. In the exact same vein, you can blame various governments for genocide. Or even each and every one of us.

Also, because of those figures spent on porn, you can thank the porn industry for a large amount of 21st century technological luxuries we enjoy. Mainly Broadband and HD. The popularity of pornography meant there was a demand for higher speed internet. The money that floats around the porn industry has, in that respect, brought about a lot of good.

Personally I'm another one who doesn't really give a damn. It's a thing that people enjoy and that's about all there is to it.

 

[Davey Gaga]

A lot of people are discussing consent and money but a huge part of the debate is currently based around the psychosocial, and even physiological, impacts it can have on us. For example - some argue (and have evidence for) the fact that high "levels" of watching porn is associated with difficulties in maintaining relationships (note: correlational is not causal - could be a chicken/egg situation). In other studies, men have increased rates of erectile dysfunction, and likelihood of it developing increases with hours spent watching porn over periods of time.

So is porn damaging us more than we know?

 

[Big Casino]

No.


That's it.


Just no.


But seriously, what's wrong with porn? It's not snuff, as long as the actors are willing, what's the issue? Yes, it can become addictive, but so can anything nowadays. It's just a way to release sexual tension, a way to escape your real world. There's nothing wrong with pornography. I find that the people who have the biggest issue with it are the ones who have the worst fetishes to hide, or sexual secrets. It's not cheating, it's not horrible, it's tissue material. It's not destroying the world, or morals.

The only way that it's not something I believe in is if it is snuff, or if it features unwilling actors. There's a scary amount of underground porn done with unwilling victims and you don't know about it because you think it's acting. I would like to see that stop, but since it's mostly in third world countries, there's really nothing we can do about it.

Aye sorta what you said.

It still comes down to the fact that despite it being 2015 now wer all still a bit sheepish when it comes to sex and whether its acceptable to watch it or pay for it or whatever. Sex is the only reason wer here today and its why wel keep on living. I cant understand why anyone would have a problem with pornography being available to watch and download. As long as it isnt illegal and its all consentfull then whatever weird stuff your into is your bushiness. I might find it a bit gross and i dont understand it but its just another way everyones different. Porn is there to cater to such fantasies and desires and it probably lets a lot of people know that they arent alone in their strange obsession with Hentai. If that gives a person pleasure and release or whatever then i dont see it as a bad thing.

If i had to guess who had the most problems with porn id take my first guess being people of certain religions whos beliefs will bias them no matter how much you discuss it. You cant argue with them no matter how hard you try.
My second guess is parents worried about their children. I wouldnt want my son watching porn at a young age but eventually as he gets older that will happen. And in aboslutely no way would i ever get angry for that or tell him not to look at those sites ( which is what i was told as a young teen) Its a normal part of growing up and sex is likely gunna be something which is a big part of his life and with STDs and infections going around id sure as hell want my kid to be aware of risks and what can happen. Id also wanna be someone he felt he could confide in without fear of disapproving eyes. Fear that stems from the hush hush attitude with the s e x word.

When hes still young its my duty as a parent to make sure he doesnt see things i deem inappropriate at the time. Parents. Dont buy your wee kids ipads and laptops then go crazy when they stumble upon sites you dont want them to see. ITs your duty to parent them as you see fit but sometimes no matter what you do you cant shield them from everything. And ISPs and parental control can only do so much. In the age of the internet id wager it to be near impossible. Educating is more effective than shielding them imo but all in due time obviously.

There will be feminists who clearly hate it and other groups like anti abortion and safe sex groups that will no doubt bash i dont see anything in their argument worthy of note. Then theres people who just dont like porn. Simple as that really but i dont see why they would be against it either. I dont like flying but i dont want the skies closed.
As for the debate on whether or not porn is addicting or its dangerous and can make people sexual deviants etc. Personally i think the latter is a load of rubbish and il never believe it. Addicting? I dunno about that either. I think the word addicting is the wrong term because addiction is a whole other level of problem. Relentless and obsession seems to fit better but i think in most cases that obession will go away then they find a partner of their own.

You can apply the argument that its bad and messes people up to anything in life. Video games cause voilence. I bet not a single person on this site believes that. So if you believe porn leads to sexual violence then thats a sign that your bias because its the same process using a different subject. Films cause voilence, drugs killing society, even things like junk food rotting childrens brains is the same kettle of fish. Once you open that door you cant go back and you aint arriving at a destination either because its all just speculation inspired by what people read in the paper or what their parents say or even whats written in a 2000 year old book way out of touch with the modern world of today. I bet they never had issues like this 2000 years ago either. I wouldnt worry about porn when the Romans were on their way to conquer my land. Put things in perspective that does.

So aye im sure you can tell already but i would consider myself pro-pornography and i am proud of that.

 

[Ethics]

Pretty sure I've already posted here before, so this is gonna be semi off topic. I'm glad that, according to the poll, levels heads have prevailed. Faith in humanity restored.

 

[Bambi]

To answer the Q. As long as it isn't illegal, then I don't see a problem. No one is forced to watch it at gun point are they?

 

[Donald Trump]

To answer the Q. As long as it isn't illegal, then I don't see a problem. No one is forced to watch it at gun point are they?

The CIA did play Rage Against the Machine and other things like that to torture Terrorists, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility, though Mrs Browns Boys and Nickelback would be worse.

To be fair to the people who are anti-porn, they're generally concerned with how the way porn depicts sex, and how people, particularly people younger than ourselves, will think the sex in porn is how it should be in real life. Added to that, there are many places with no, or an abysmal level sex ed. So in some places virtually everything some people will know about sex will be learnt from porn, which is clearly problematic.

There are other problems with it too, like that it is sexist etc etc, but they are fairly straightforward.

 

[Harlequin]

I bet they never had issues like this 2000 years ago either.

That's a good point; back then something like porn would have been a complete non-issue. What most traditionalists forget whether intentionally or otherwise is that males just over half our age would have been whoring on a regular basis and could expect to be married soon thereafter - sometimes to multiple women. By the standards of their day these guys would have grown up to be perfectly well adjusted men. Nowadays we've got joke problems like sex addiction to vilify someone with a high sex drive, despite being surrounded day to day by the most sexual stimulus in human history.

My faith aside, the biggest issue I have with porn isn't watching it. I wouldn't be involved romantically with someone who did/does porn and I wouldn't like it for a relative of mine to do it, let alone a child of mine. For those reasons I can't be dishonest by saying it's not a bad thing even if I myself enjoy it.

There are other problems with it too, like that it is sexist etc etc, but they are fairly straightforward.

How is porn sexist?

 

[Big Casino]

I dont think he was calling it sexist himself. Rather that its a common argument made by anti porn peoples. A claim easily cast aside. Or maybe hes serious i dinna know
@Harlequin Sex and religion just have no buisness mixing. You have these old men telling you you shouldnt do this or that etc because the book says so or it and then in the paper theres sex scandals involving the top brass. The two should jsut stay away from eachother altogether. Why listen to anything they say when they cant lead by example? Porns here to stay so i think folks instead of pointlessly trying to ban it could spend their time helping to make the industry safer etc and harder for kids to see or whatever. At least its something that makes a difference. Protesting that its horrible and has to be banned is like spitting in the rain.

 

[Harlequin]

Big Casino

I think you're right about not taking your moral cues from those religious guys running the show and I don't believe in organised religion like Catholicism. It's dangerous for people to rely on the example of others because no one is perfect and a belief in that is only going to make cynics out of people who shouldn't be taught that some people are holier than others simply because they talk a good game.

Watching it is one thing but for me the issue is people as young as 18 making big decisions by getting involved that are likely to affect them for the rest of their lives. A woman ten years later could be sweating over that skeleton in her closet because her husband or kids might stumble across that videotaped gangbang that's floating around the internet.

 

[Sheechiibii]

Harlequin

The problem is that people have personal responsibility. An adult is an adult and they are free to make their own mistakes. Sure some people might regret working in porn but everyone has regrets or mistakes or just things they wish they'd done differently. It's part of life. I don't see why an adult who is old enough to have a house or children or a car, shouldn't be able to do whatever they want and if that's working in porn then nobody else has any right to stop them really. Personally I think someone who is married with kids shouldn't be keeping a secret like that from her husband anyway. She is who she is and she's made her own decisions in life and that's part of who she is and if her husband loves her he shouldn't care if she got paid to be gangbanged 20 years ago.

 

[Bambi]

A woman ten years later could be sweating over that skeleton in her closet because her husband or kids might stumble across that videotaped gangbang that's floating around the internet.

that's a choice someone makes though. i was an 18 year old woman once, i didn't decide to do porn, if i did, then that would be my own problem and something i had to deal with. if someone makes a decision that they aren't otherwise coerced into, then tough shit, you gotta deal with it whatever it is. we all make mistakes.

There are any number of mistakes I could draw upon in my past, if doing a porno happened to be one of them, well, I'd have to live with that regret. Assuming it was something I even regret. I may not regret it, it may just be a part of my past, something I did to get by and I am fine with that. . Plenty of people make life decisions at 18 that haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Or maybe they don't regret it, the woman in your sig seems body confident enough - and I'm not trying to draw that as any example because it doesn't compare to porn, I am just saying you have a woman on show who is happy enough to show off her boobies. She is obviously being sexually provocative. Some people are happy enough to either be involved in porn or just get their knackers out for the local rag or go all out in a porno. Many people regret many things and sex tapes/pornos are just one of many things. If that person is willing at the time then I don't see a problem, you have to live with the actions of your consequences regardless of whether you regret them later.

edit* just to note I agree with a lot of what you said, it was just this point that stood out to me that I felt I wanted to address, I wouldn't like to get with someone that had been part of the porn industry. Obviously, male, from my point of view, but again, that is something someone who did and may regret being part of porn would have to deal with. Some people would simply not like it. I would like to think I could look past it if it was in someones past, but tbh I personally, don't think I could.

 

[Harlequin]

@Sheechiibii

I'm hearing what you're saying about self determination but I don't agree with your last point. I don't mean to offend but I think if someone is looking for someone else they're entirely entitled to their preferences but they can't expect the person they're looking for to forgo their own preferences. Men and women are different and the prioritise things differently.

Sexual history is markedly more important to men than it is to women and women come to realise it. It's only in our society of voracious consumerism that tries to dispel this obvious natural male imperative as "social stigma" that women come to realise it much later than women of other cultures. It's something males just understand, in ideal circumstances even your most liberal minded man isn't going to commit to a lady whose been ran through by every Tom, Dick and Harry; that's strictly for the bottom feeder guys who don't expect to do better.

Understand that I don't mean to offend and I say that because I understand that in today's world what I'm saying is prone to offend people who subscribe to liberal and feminist rhetoric. Imagine committing to a wimp of a man - no backbone. By and large men don't prioritise that stuff, women on the other hand... you might be able to do it but you'll be swimming against the current and in the long term you're going to be swept away.

@Bambi

I think you're right women are the freest they've ever been and freedom comes with responsibility.

The only issue however is the driving force behind women's liberation is also attempting to remove responsibility. According to modern day feminist rhetoric a man scrutinising a woman's sexual past is misogyny because it leads to oppression. The solution? Not taking it in their stride but rather attempting to brainwash men into accepting what is against their sexual imperatives. It's like trying to shame women to not be attracted to those tall, confident, masculine men. It won't work because it can't work.

Is a girl of 18 equipped to make a decision that has the potential to stick with her for the rest of her life? Under those pretenses I wouldn't say so. I'm not saying we should abolish porn by any means, it's just something to think about.

 

[Sheechiibii]

][/B]I'm hearing what you're saying about self determination but I don't agree with your last point. I don't mean to offend but I think if someone is looking for someone else they're entirely entitled to their preferences but they can't expect the person they're looking for to forgo their own preferences. Men and women are different and the prioritise things differently.

When I spoke about her husband loving her anyway I was speaking about after he'd already fallen in love with her. Obviously he's not obliged to love her when he first meets her and if she'd told him about her porn history at that point preferences certainly come into play. But if they've been together for 20 years and have children together, then I don't think knowing her porn history should make him suddenly not love her. If that is the case then I don't believe he ever actually loved her in the first place. Love doesn't just turn off and on like that.

Sexual history is markedly more important to men than it is to women and women come to realise it.

I don't think that's true.

It's only in our society of voracious consumerism that tries to dispel this obvious natural male imperative as "social stigma" that women come to realise it much later than women of other cultures.

Care to explain how the number of men a woman has slept with is an 'obvious natural male imperative'? Does that have any sort of biological evidence or is it entirely your own ideas about what sounds like a completely unnatural social expectation?

It's something males just understand, in ideal circumstances even your most liberal minded man isn't going to commit to a lady whose been ran through by every Tom, Dick and Harry; that's strictly for the bottom feeder guys who don't expect to do better.

That has nothing to do with nature. Could you maybe explain why you think it does because everything you've mentioned is all to do with culture and society and gender roles. None of which comes from nature.

 

[Harlequin]

Sheechiibii

When I used the term natural I meant it in the sociological sense rather than biological. Throughout human history up to this very point in time women have prized strength in a man higher than men have in women. Conversely, men have prized chastity significantly higher in a woman than women have in men. You may think differently but the overwhelming majority of human history is weighted heavily against any counter argument. To deny these factors as anything other than natural human inclinations is to deny reason itself.

 

[Sheechiibii]

When I used the term natural I meant it in the sociological sense rather than biological.

Ah, okay when you said natural I thought you meant biologically speaking.

Throughout human history up to this very point in time women have prized strength in a man higher than men have in women. Conversely, men have prized chastity significantly higher in a woman than women have in men.

The difference here is that a woman's desire for a strong man does come from a biological standpoint. It comes from wanting protection from predators for our babies, and also wanting a man who can hunt down food. Desire for chastity however, has nothing to do with any sort of biological instincts. What men value in women from a natural perspective is the ability to make babies: larger breasts for feeding, larger hips for surviving childbirth.

You may think differently but the overwhelming majority of human history is weighted heavily against any counter argument. To deny these factors as anything other than natural human inclinations is to deny reason itself.

I think when it comes to history you're definitely correct. I don't think chastity is as relevant by today's standards when it comes to women vs men. There are many women who don't want a man who has been around the block so to speak, and many men who'd rather have an experienced woman who knows what she's doing in bed with him over an inexperienced virgin who has no idea. *shrugs* personal tastes these days don't follow a strict gender binary like they used to because we as people are far more free in today's world.

 

[Harlequin]

@Sheechiibii

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the sexes because I'm not, but the proof is in the pudding. Strong men turn women on. The biology goes further than caveman problems but it's those problems that keep a woman invested in the long term as well. Unfortunately for women whose libidos are closely tied to their choice in long term partners, males differ.

A male can be attracted to her biologically but choosing the best long term investment isn't akin to choosing the most attractive mate. Biologically speaking a man cannot be certain a child is his, but investing in a woman who's difficult to bed is a good place to start. Not to mention the more masculine a man is the more territorial he's likely to be as a display of strength, a power move. Having exclusivity to a chaste woman is a direct expression of that masculine power. It's even more relevant today if only because of its rarity.

As for the chaste women being worse lays. It only takes one man to teach his woman. If he's frustrated I suppose there's always the more experienced ones, but only for a night or two.