Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Pornography and Christianity have something very fundamental in common

bbrown4 · 12-15-2004, 07:46 AM

I apologize, in advance, that this post is so long.

Let me start off by saying that these are guesses and guesses only. I don't buy porn, I don't work in porn, and outside of the occasional internet venture to a free-movie website, I have no idea about the industry. I do think that people who bring religion into the fight are skirting the issue and using God's name to fight their own political battles.

Idea number one: if there were a way for the government to tax porn heavily and regulate it so that the billions of dollars it generates would be more susceptible to the government tax code these anti-porn folks would not get half the attention they are getting. It is a "shady" business. I'm not trying to insult the industry or anyone in it here, but it involves a lot of independent contractor work, cash money, and off-the-books accounting and distribution methods. All of these nuances tend to attract government interest in terms of non-taxed revenues. Combine this with our predisposition to elect leaders who will protect our children as much as possbile and no one would ever get elected supporting anything to do with pornography. The religious implications are the easiest way for the anti-porn cursaders and government leadership to skirt this issue. Personally, I don't like the idea of my dollars going into an industry that is light years behind safety standards and yes, I'm sorry, is resonsible for some serious degradation to women. I don't however, think just because I am not willing to be a part of that economy, that others don't have the right to do so. Bottom line? Like everything else, eliminate the demand and the supply will fade away.

Idea number two is simple, it's a case of old money versus new money. The government, again this is only my opinion, has always had ties to old money elites.
They support elections, they support legislation and they mix within the same circles.
New money, which is what the porn industry would fall under, tends not to support the current political dynamic. The guy shooting the film, the stars in the film, the guy producing the film and the guy distributing the film doesn't operate within the same system and therefore is counter-productive to government, and "reputable," old-money business interests. Again, no one gets elected saying I support new money business interests - in order to get elected one must develop a relationship with the establishment, and that is old money.

I ask myself a lot about the morality of looking at porn and I vacillate back and forth with the question of faith, spirituality and the "sinfulness" of porn. Ultimately, what I come up with is that it is a poor replacement for passion. It is an empty action that is a substitute, and apoor one at that, for the passionless and those who have forgotten what the act of love is. In absence of love, pasison, tenderness and the tactile human contact that we all deserve to fill our hearts with elation and joy; porn is often the only medium by which those people without those great joys, feel wanted, alive, or passionate.

Instead of perhaps bemoaning porn for being a detriment on our society (even the most avid porn fan would have to admit that some of the fringe elements of porn are indeed very frightening and grotesque) we should teach our children that it is a scripted, empty act that serves only to temporarily fill a void where human emotion and tenderness are supposed to exist. If in fact we were to appreciate each other more as people and take the time to develop a relationship based on emotions in addition to tactile sensation - porn would eventually return to being what it was in the 70s and 80s - an entertaining and yes, fun novelty for stag parties and college dorm rooms.

12-15-2004, 07:46 AM	#15 (permalink)
bbrown4 Upright	I apologize, in advance, that this post is so long. Let me start off by saying that these are guesses and guesses only. I don't buy porn, I don't work in porn, and outside of the occasional internet venture to a free-movie website, I have no idea about the industry. I do think that people who bring religion into the fight are skirting the issue and using God's name to fight their own political battles. Idea number one: if there were a way for the government to tax porn heavily and regulate it so that the billions of dollars it generates would be more susceptible to the government tax code these anti-porn folks would not get half the attention they are getting. It is a "shady" business. I'm not trying to insult the industry or anyone in it here, but it involves a lot of independent contractor work, cash money, and off-the-books accounting and distribution methods. All of these nuances tend to attract government interest in terms of non-taxed revenues. Combine this with our predisposition to elect leaders who will protect our children as much as possbile and no one would ever get elected supporting anything to do with pornography. The religious implications are the easiest way for the anti-porn cursaders and government leadership to skirt this issue. Personally, I don't like the idea of my dollars going into an industry that is light years behind safety standards and yes, I'm sorry, is resonsible for some serious degradation to women. I don't however, think just because I am not willing to be a part of that economy, that others don't have the right to do so. Bottom line? Like everything else, eliminate the demand and the supply will fade away. Idea number two is simple, it's a case of old money versus new money. The government, again this is only my opinion, has always had ties to old money elites. They support elections, they support legislation and they mix within the same circles. New money, which is what the porn industry would fall under, tends not to support the current political dynamic. The guy shooting the film, the stars in the film, the guy producing the film and the guy distributing the film doesn't operate within the same system and therefore is counter-productive to government, and "reputable," old-money business interests. Again, no one gets elected saying I support new money business interests - in order to get elected one must develop a relationship with the establishment, and that is old money. I ask myself a lot about the morality of looking at porn and I vacillate back and forth with the question of faith, spirituality and the "sinfulness" of porn. Ultimately, what I come up with is that it is a poor replacement for passion. It is an empty action that is a substitute, and apoor one at that, for the passionless and those who have forgotten what the act of love is. In absence of love, pasison, tenderness and the tactile human contact that we all deserve to fill our hearts with elation and joy; porn is often the only medium by which those people without those great joys, feel wanted, alive, or passionate. Instead of perhaps bemoaning porn for being a detriment on our society (even the most avid porn fan would have to admit that some of the fringe elements of porn are indeed very frightening and grotesque) we should teach our children that it is a scripted, empty act that serves only to temporarily fill a void where human emotion and tenderness are supposed to exist. If in fact we were to appreciate each other more as people and take the time to develop a relationship based on emotions in addition to tactile sensation - porn would eventually return to being what it was in the 70s and 80s - an entertaining and yes, fun novelty for stag parties and college dorm rooms.