Yes, I'm going to write about pornography. I've written about it in the past. In particular, I've written about pornography addiction and about sex in general, including pornography. This time I want to put an emphasis on the industry itself. That is, instead of having an introspective view of a person viewing porn looking at emself, an extrospective view of the person viewing the porn and how ey thinks about the subject of the porn. I believe I have done a good job keeping my blog from having "adult content". Yes, this is an adult topic and I wish to discuss it in an adult manner. But I will not include graphic detail.
I think that one of the biggest problems we have in our society concerning pornography is the way we perceive it--the way we perceive the industry. I just watched a movie about a gay man who is trying to become an actor and the only job he can find is doing gay porn. I imagine this is probably reality for many prospective actors--even straight ones. This wasn't something he wanted to do, and he only did so reluctantly. I imagine that may also be a common theme among porn actors--that perhaps many of them do not participate in the industry without believing it to be their only option. It would be best if only people who wished to be porn actors did so. Perhaps that may be another discussion for another day.
What I wish to discuss is along the lines of what might make a porn actor reluctant to engage in the business. I think that a large part of it is the stigma that we have concerning pornography. We live in a society where porn is not appropriate--that perhaps a majority of people look at porn, enjoy it, and even aren't embarrassed to admit it. But to talk about it is not refined. It is not professional. It's a "dirty industry". I do not believe that this is healthy--not to the public, not to the individuals repeating the tale, and certainly not to those in the porn industry.
I think that it would be much better for our society to think of the porn industry simply as any other industry. We do not look down on people who keep shops selling general good, groceries, books, other forms of entertainment. We do not look down on people who teach math, science, English, foreign languages, and art. We do not think that someone is "dirty" for having a desk job. Why do we do this with porn actors? What if we were to view them as no different than teachers or firefighters or big film stars? They provide a service, just as any industry provides a service or a good. (I suppose that's sort of a technicality--they provide "goods" in the form of DVDs, magazines, and books. They provide a "service" in the form of erotic entertainment.)
I think most importantly we need to treat the people in the industry better. It may be that someone who is a porn star is treated as a sex object by eir fans. And perhaps one might say "Of course that's how they're treated. It's only natural for the people viewing the porn, turned on by the images they see, to want to actually have sex with the stars in real life." Yes, that may be the case. It may be natural for people to feel that way. But we oughtn't do everything that is "natural", ought we? I may very much want to eat what the person sitting next to me is having for lunch, but that doesn't mean I reach over and grab it off eir plate. I may want a house that's much nicer than my paycheck can afford, but that doesn't mean that I should go out and buy it and run myself into bankruptcy. Just so, I think that a person should learn self-control and not treat a porn star as a sex object.
It is the case with many professions that it can be hard to separate the person from the profession. I have a brother who is an automobile mechanic. Nearly everyone who knows that asks him for help on eir car. In this way, he is treated not as a "whole person", but as a "car fixer guy". I know he doesn't mind when close family members ask him for help, but to be constantly asked by even mere acquaintances surely becomes annoying. I also don't mind when people ask me for math help, but if everyone I met saw me only as "the math helper guy", I'd go crazy. There's so much more to me than just teaching math (as much as I enjoy teaching math). And I think it's perfectly reasonable to view porn actors in the same way. They are not dirty people selling their bodies to horny men who can't "get any". They are "whole people". There's so much more to them than the simple fact that they act in pornographic productions. And they should be viewed and treated as such.
I have a subscription to a pornographic website. It seems to be one of reasonable repute, and it seems to treat its actors well. They seem to enjoy what they do (I know they are just acting in the videos, and they may or may not be enjoying what they're doing as much as they seem to in the film, I just mean that they seem to be happy with their job). I am glad to support these actors with my subscription fee (which really isn't all that much). I think of it no differently than going to the theater or eating at a restaurant. I pay for what I get and I am pleased with the service.
I think that one of the biggest problems we have in our society concerning pornography is the way we perceive it--the way we perceive the industry. I just watched a movie about a gay man who is trying to become an actor and the only job he can find is doing gay porn. I imagine this is probably reality for many prospective actors--even straight ones. This wasn't something he wanted to do, and he only did so reluctantly. I imagine that may also be a common theme among porn actors--that perhaps many of them do not participate in the industry without believing it to be their only option. It would be best if only people who wished to be porn actors did so. Perhaps that may be another discussion for another day.
What I wish to discuss is along the lines of what might make a porn actor reluctant to engage in the business. I think that a large part of it is the stigma that we have concerning pornography. We live in a society where porn is not appropriate--that perhaps a majority of people look at porn, enjoy it, and even aren't embarrassed to admit it. But to talk about it is not refined. It is not professional. It's a "dirty industry". I do not believe that this is healthy--not to the public, not to the individuals repeating the tale, and certainly not to those in the porn industry.
I think that it would be much better for our society to think of the porn industry simply as any other industry. We do not look down on people who keep shops selling general good, groceries, books, other forms of entertainment. We do not look down on people who teach math, science, English, foreign languages, and art. We do not think that someone is "dirty" for having a desk job. Why do we do this with porn actors? What if we were to view them as no different than teachers or firefighters or big film stars? They provide a service, just as any industry provides a service or a good. (I suppose that's sort of a technicality--they provide "goods" in the form of DVDs, magazines, and books. They provide a "service" in the form of erotic entertainment.)
I think most importantly we need to treat the people in the industry better. It may be that someone who is a porn star is treated as a sex object by eir fans. And perhaps one might say "Of course that's how they're treated. It's only natural for the people viewing the porn, turned on by the images they see, to want to actually have sex with the stars in real life." Yes, that may be the case. It may be natural for people to feel that way. But we oughtn't do everything that is "natural", ought we? I may very much want to eat what the person sitting next to me is having for lunch, but that doesn't mean I reach over and grab it off eir plate. I may want a house that's much nicer than my paycheck can afford, but that doesn't mean that I should go out and buy it and run myself into bankruptcy. Just so, I think that a person should learn self-control and not treat a porn star as a sex object.
It is the case with many professions that it can be hard to separate the person from the profession. I have a brother who is an automobile mechanic. Nearly everyone who knows that asks him for help on eir car. In this way, he is treated not as a "whole person", but as a "car fixer guy". I know he doesn't mind when close family members ask him for help, but to be constantly asked by even mere acquaintances surely becomes annoying. I also don't mind when people ask me for math help, but if everyone I met saw me only as "the math helper guy", I'd go crazy. There's so much more to me than just teaching math (as much as I enjoy teaching math). And I think it's perfectly reasonable to view porn actors in the same way. They are not dirty people selling their bodies to horny men who can't "get any". They are "whole people". There's so much more to them than the simple fact that they act in pornographic productions. And they should be viewed and treated as such.
I have a subscription to a pornographic website. It seems to be one of reasonable repute, and it seems to treat its actors well. They seem to enjoy what they do (I know they are just acting in the videos, and they may or may not be enjoying what they're doing as much as they seem to in the film, I just mean that they seem to be happy with their job). I am glad to support these actors with my subscription fee (which really isn't all that much). I think of it no differently than going to the theater or eating at a restaurant. I pay for what I get and I am pleased with the service.
http://www.cjanekendrick.com/
ReplyDeleteMonth-long posts on pornography. Don't you agree pornography hurts a lot of people, not just the actors who contract diseases and are physically damaged?
Thank you for sharing that. As a recovered porn addict, I certainly agree that porn addiction, as any addiction, is very harmful.
DeleteI think that responsible actors and porn producers do a very good job protecting the actors from being infected with VDs. I also think that to say that an entire industry is harmful simply because some people are addicted to it is overly simplistic. Some people are addicted to morphine, and yet I think morphine serves a good purpose. Some people are addicted to video games, and yet I think that video games are (in general) beneficial and have positive entertaining value. In just the same way, I acknowledge that there are some people addicted to porn, and I am happy to help any such people in any way I can to recover from their addiction. Yet, I do not believe this indicates that porn itself is harmful.
I do hope that many people visit this blog you have linked. Having read just a bit of it, I thank you for posting it and have enjoyed what I have read.