After reading over my friends list today, I saw someone had linked to a post in anti_porn. Out of curiosity, I clicked it to read.

Now, right up front, I should say that I am not, in any way, against porn. Frankly, I'm a big advocate of sexual freedom and liberation, and I think most people would be better off if they just relaxed and got laid. however, I'm also aware that not everyone likes porn, and that's groovy. You don't like it? Don't watch it. Hell, I don't care for organized sports, so I don't watch sports games or buy sports merchandise, etc...but I don't care if anyone else does, simply because they are them, not me.

Sex is such a charged issue in our society today. People are so up in arms about the smallest things (Janet Jackson's bejewelled nipple, for instance) and sexual harassment shit at the workplace is at an all-time high. Is this due to a rise in libido? Or is it just that people have become more sensitive to it? Stop and think about it; when you get a new item of some sort, you start to notice that same item everywhere. Or just get any sort of idea in your head, and see just how much you see it around you. Now, think of how much crap is shoved down your throat about harassment...and is it any wonder how much you may see? Sad part is that most of it really isn't harassment. Look up the definition of that word, and you'll notice that it means "persistent" irritation or torment. So one dirty joke that you don't like doesn't cut it.

Anyway, back on topic. The post in question was a girl, describing why she disliked porn...and the whole thing just made me laugh. First sentence, she's already jumping on the "porn degrades women" bandwagon. Why is it that people against porn seem to think that the women are helpless? Just like any hobby/job/situation, you have the power to walk away, any time you choose. Degrade? These people seem to think that sex moves you to a lower station. I got news for ya, kids: sex is life. That's the way it is. Your choice to fuck or not to fuck doesn't make you any better or worse than any other person.

She continues, though, making the most absurd accusations I've seen in a while. According to her, porn is bad for "the effect it has on men". Again, the sweeping generalization. how do you think she'd react if someone made a statement about how all women are a certain way? badly, to be sure, but it's OK to say that all men are affected by porn this way (the bad effect apparently being that it makes them say dirty things). She then goes on to say how porn "slowly smothers the conscience", leading to allow one to believe that it's OK to hit a lady's butt, grab her breasts, cheat on one's wife with a co-worker, and rape a little girl. Um...excuse me? Did we just make a leap of illogic of monumental proportions? Is this some extension of the effect porn has on men? I've watched a lot of porn in my time, and never once did I think it was OK to rape a little girl, or even grab a random lady's breasts or buttocks. I can't be THAT ahead of the curve.

Lastly, though, was the kicker. She asks "how do people get entertainment out of watching two (or more) people perform acts of pleasure on each other?" At this point, I had to stop, I was laughing so hard. How can it NOT feel good to see an act of pleasure visited upon someone...it's damn sure better than an act of violence and hatred, which is the primarily visual entertainment, from TV to movie to video game. She explains that sex is linked to intimacy, in her eyes, and thus, watching someone else have sex feels like an invasion of privacy to her. Now, I can respect that, but, at the same time, that is simply a case of 'don't watch', not a reason to be against it...after all, you've openly admitted that this is just an issue with YOU. All that, ignoring that this was made for the express purpose of being watched; it's not as if you are pulling a Peeping Tom act.

Oh, good to see that she's watched a porn flick once to base all this crap on. And admits she's a 'goofy teen with unusual morals' (thanks for throwing in that attempt at superiority). When you aren't old enough to have experienced the world, don't go denouncing it, doll.

Look, the point here is that, once again, the world is laying the blame for something at the feet of something not responsible. Why? Because humans don't like to think that they are, in fact, animals, with animals' tendencies. Someone watching porn is no more likely to make them go rape someone as giving them a gun is going to make them kill. You do what you do because you are going to do it. Accept that. If you rape someone, you didn't do it because you watched a porn flick (Hell, if you watched the flick, you probably got off, and didn't NEED to rape someone). You did it because you chose to do it, and you had the will to do so. Take responsibility for your actions; don't go trying to blame something else, making it an excuse for your own lack of self-control and intelligence. If you can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality, then your problem is schizophrenia, not the porn industry.

As with anything else in the world, if you don't like it, don't be involved with it...but don't go trying to make the rest of us into you. If I wanted to be you, I'd stalk you...but then, you'd probably blame that on porn, wouldn't you?