Pornography - views?

C

Caveat

Registered User
Messages
4,007
(mods feel free to remove if this is inappropriate or contentious)

Was wondering how people on AAM feel about pornography?

For the purposes of this I'm talking about only what is legal.
I'm not interested in personal tastes/habits etc just how people feel about it.

It seems that every now and then the papers/magazines have short features and the conclusions seem to oscillate between:

It is immoral and exploits women

or

It's a relatively harmless vice and sure most men and women enjoy it.

I've no idea where the real consensus lies - I'd be particularly interested to hear what women think?

Sometimes I get the idea that it is one of last conversational taboos and that many more people than we might imagine enjoy it.
 
One man/womans fantasy is anothers porn...

In the Ireland of the 50s Page 3 would be considered porn but today it is considered harmless.
I remember a teacher in our primary school (about 25 years ago) telling us (the pupils) that we were going to hell because we watched Top of the Tops and the seductive dancers of Hot Gossip and Legs & Co that often featured on the show was pornographic.
Because what one person thinks as harmless and another thinks is filth there will never be a consensus of opinion.
 
The_Banker said:
I remember a teacher in our primary school (about 25 years ago) telling us (the pupils) that we were going to hell because we watched Top of the Tops and the seductive dancers of Hot Gossip and Legs & Co that often featured on the show was pornographic.
Click to expand...

Quite right too! It all went downhill after Pan's People left the show . . .
 
The_Banker said:
One man/womans fantasy is anothers porn...

In the Ireland of the 50s Page 3 would be considered porn but today it is considered harmless.
I remember a teacher in our primary school (about 25 years ago) telling us (the pupils) that we were going to hell because we watched Top of the Tops and the seductive dancers of Hot Gossip and Legs & Co that often featured on the show was pornographic.
Because what one person thinks as harmless and another thinks is filth there will never be a consensus of opinion.
Click to expand...

Ok I suppose 'consensus' was a badly chosen word - what I'm getting at is the 'moral barometer' of today. Are we perhaps nearing (or at) the stage where a lot of people are sufficiently desensitized that as a nation, on the whole, we just don't really have a problem with pornography? Of course there will always be the 'morally outraged' of any society but I wonder how your teacher feels now for example?

There are quite a lot of sex shops in provincial towns now as well as Dublin/Cork/Galway which don't seem to have attracted much protest as far as I can see. A lot has changed in even 10-15 years I think.

BTW, most people that I know well, male & female, admit to viewing porn at least occasionally if not regularly.
 
I would say that it is pretty mainstream but it is unusual in that, as a mainstreamish product it would be still deemed distasteful to discuss it in a mixed group of sober people.
 
It's no substitute for the real thing. Like a lot of things whether its harmful or not depends on the individual. If someone isnt playng with a full deck then I doubt porn can be blamed rather than a fault of mother nature.
I wouldnt even glance for more than 10 seconds at a playboy on the top shelf of a local spar. Its not news to me. What stands out to me would be people who make a spectacle of themselves protesting against such things while all around us both at home and abroad much worse things happen than adults voluntarily being paid a fortune to show us something complete predictable.
 
I've always felt kind of embarassed, which is mental probably, but it kicked off with a school trip to Holland 20 years ago and just being turned off by the whole scene in Amsterdam. I hate, in Easons, when I'm looking (anyone who's been to the Blanch centre can attest to this) along the sports section and then noticing a playboy lying on top of a copy of World Soccer.
 
Hate seing the magazines in shops. But then I'm a woman. How would you blokes like to go into a shop and see a row of blatant photos of dingly-danglies? (only women don't tend to be that interested.....)
 
Gordanus said:
Hate seing the magazines in shops. But then I'm a woman. How would you blokes like to go into a shop and see a row of blatant photos of dingly-danglies? (only women don't tend to be that interested.....)
Click to expand...
I take it that by dingly-danglies you are referring to genetalia? If so I am not aware of any top shelf magazines that show female genetalia on their front cover. Having said that I don't buy them or look out for them so I could be wrong!
Personally I don't see too much harm in it. There are far worse things for sale in shops.

I also agree that whatever consenting adults get up to in private is their own business.
 
Caveat said:
For the purposes of this I'm talking about only what is legal.
Click to expand...
Can you clarify what exactly is legal in Ireland so? It's never been clear to me. I did read recently that any adult store selling videos that have not been rated by the censor is breaking the law and there is no rating that could be applied under the censor's rules to most ("hard core") porn. So presumably the vast majority of adult stores (and their customers?) are breaking the law?

My own view is a fairly standard libertarian one on this and most other matters - consenting adults should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't harm the person/property of any non-consenting others. Obviously the prevailing laws of the land may also circumscribe on what is possible/legal in this context.
 
originally posted by Caveat
I'd be particularly interested to hear what women think?
Click to expand...
Why? (just wondering!;) )

From a woman.
Majority of porn doesn't bother me in the least, mags or films. Some of the films can be very entertaining, especially the dubbed ones, hilarious listening to an interpreter trying to sound sexy and stretch out the words to fit the facial expressions!!
 
I've only ever seen one episode when i was home, at the insistence of my sister, but you're probably talking about "Badly Dubbed Porn", which was funny for about 2 minutes then just got a little tired.

ACA said:
Why? (just wondering!;) )

From a woman.
Majority of porn doesn't bother me in the least, mags or films. Some of the films can be very entertaining, especially the dubbed ones, hilarious listening to an interpreter trying to sound sexy and stretch out the words to fit the facial expressions!!
Click to expand...
 
ClubMan said:
Can you clarify what exactly is legal in Ireland so?
Click to expand...

No I can't, but I was referring to the obviously illegal stuff (paedophilia, bestiality). But I think you are right about the censor (supposedly) having to consider each 'item' of pornography in isolation.

ACA said:
Why? (just wondering!;) )
Click to expand...

I suppose it's just that it seems to be mostly women who are bothered by it?
 
Asa woman I would say that I viewed it several times and find it harmless enough once as said before its consenting adults (not animals and other such things) also if you've seen one you've seen them all so it can get quite boring.
 
By no means a replacement for actually doing it....harmless, fun, and can be a healthy addition to any sexual relationship
 
It depends on what you call porn.

I think that some stuff is pretty innocuous and harmless, like the late night films on TV which have people getting it on, but dont show anything too graphic, and playboy magazine.

I do think harder-core porn exploits women - on a trip to Amsterdam my eyes were opened - dvds of heavily pregnant women with donkeys etc. Even though they are over 18, and presumeably consented to making the dvds, I still feel that they're being exploited.
I also think most porn is aimed at guys tastes.
 
I don't think women are exploited in gay porn!, it really is impossible to say who is exploited the most cause you look at the 'stars' and wonder are they happy doing this or do they view it as a job with great pay. My own view is that I don't see how a young girl could enter the profession and stay in it for say 10 years and leave it as a balanced individual. there are some tough people out there who can do anything in the name of money, but I would imagine that most ladies and men for that matter do not enhance their lives through working in the industry. And finally I would say it's safe to assume that there is a fair share of people that are in the industry but don't want to be there
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top