The one blog that I believe has been consistently solid throughout this whole semester has been jessie's <a href= http://jwarning237.wordpress.com/2006/03/31/sex-lies-and-strippers/ > in which she seems to take immense time and effort in formulating her ideas </a> and about class and the related material.
I believe that not only grammatically and structurally are her blogs sound but I also think that the content is very insightful.
Lecture 20 brought about many important issues. Finally we are beginning to deal with the effects of the pornography world on behavior and attitudes. I thought that this quote was especially unique and worth commenting on, that the effects of porn, "foster a lack of respect for social institutions such as the family and traditional sex roles for women."
I believe that in a lot of ways, pornography has made our society less wholesome and moral. While pornography may be a somewhat healthy alternative to satisfy our sexual desires, it does bring to mind many alarming aspects as well. The number one aspect having to do with pornography and aggression.
I found it very interesting that there have been studies done that have shown no empirical evidence that pornography leads to violence towards women or even adolescent delinquency. It seems such a natural assumption that certain types of porn would lead its viewers to believe that aggressive sexual acts are welcomed by most women. However i was relieved to hear that a 1986 study showed that from the 70's porn did progressively get worse and that it affects seemed to be more lasting than previously thought.
How could these sometimes violent acts possibly NOT have an enormous impact on the people watching. I find it hard to believe that some rather aggressive pornography is taken lightly by younger male viewers. I think that at a young age there is a line that should not be crossed and that some young boys may become confused over such overt acts of sexual aggression in these movies.
Am I alone here or do other people agree?
I have come to the realization that I get extremely upset when the issue of child pornography is discussed. Sometimes I think that technology and its creators are contributing to a downward spiral of moral goodness.
Take for instance, Thomas and Janice Reedy. These two individuals are a prime example of what is wrong with the world and with those who abuse the internet’s wonder.
I must say that I was appauled to hear Dr. Halavais talk about the estimated 350,000 people who had something to do with the Reedy’s website. So much for making a honest living! It amazes me the lengths that people will go to make an extra dollar.
I believe that adult pornography and child pornography are two completely different areas. One is largely voluntary, the other is not.
I feel so strongly about this issue that I would like to go to Washington and lobby to have every child porn website creator sent to jail for the remainder of their days of earth. Child porn on the internet, I believe, is the most heavy contributor to child abuse around the world as well.
Brian McCutchen is one such individual who preyed on young girls, raping them and causing immense pain in their young and fragile lives.
The Government needs to crack down harder on these problems. Forget all the petty issues that they are currently addressing. Here is an issue that should be obliterated, and the sooner the better.
Lecture 17 got me thinking about a lot of things over this week. I titled this week’s blog “times are a changin’”, and to all accounts, I believe this to be qutie true.
As many others have stated this week, as far back as 300 years ago, what we wore and how ‘sexual’ we were, was largely based on the beliefs of the time. It seems that everyone is inclined to follow a set of ‘norms’ for the specific time period in which they live. In the 1700′s it was acceptable to show off boobs but not acceptable to show your knee’s. For whatever reason, these ‘rules’ kept people in check. Since all of the rules seemed to be observed, no one had to feel uncomfortable at such an overt show of sexuality as a women showing off her breasts.
Nowadays, if a teenage girl or god forbid a young woman show off their assests they are most often labled a slut. It seems that while we live in an age where most everything is basically accpeted, these limitations seem to be oldfashioned.
What can one say about the 21st century? Do we believe that it is ok to talk about sexuality, sex, etc. and then to criticize people for their clothing choices. Does this strike anyone else as hypocritical?
I believe that through the years, the world should be progressing towards more of an accepting nature. Do not confuse my rant as an invitation of accepting the harsher sides of the porn world, but see it as more of an ‘awakening’ to the fact that as times change, so do people.
So, Lecture 14 seemed to be centered largely on women’s participation in the porn industry. This participation seems to stem from not only from a consumer point of view but also as more of an economical standpoint. Professor Halavais shared with us the statistic that 42% of all visitors to adult sites are women. I was extremely surprised by this stat. When one thinks of a ‘type’ of person visiting these websites, one usually thinks of a man. It doesn’t matter his age, race, or creed, he just has to be a designated male.
While I am surprised by this statistic, I must say that I find myself quite pleased with this. The world may not be in the same sexual revolution as it was in the 1960′s but it still appears that pornography and sex draw the same curiosities, same as generations before it. Although I can see why, in this day and age, that women still feel the need to keep this aspect of their lives ‘secret’.
I think that it is more acceptable for a man to view porn than it is for a women. I am glad that women feel they can somehow live sexual fantasies through these websites, but am saddened that they should be almost required to keep it to themselves when a double standard clearly exists.
I think that women who explore porn on the web should be able to make this fact known, regardless of the backlash or inequalities that they may face when compared to men participation.
I am writing this post in response to Lecture 16 and the SPAM mail that we have all received at one point or another.
Personally, I find that SPAM mail or ‘pop ups’ are more of an annoyance than anything else. For those of us that are surrounded by children, I think that it is in poor taste of the people who create them. These pop up and SPAM can just jump out at you at any time. They are not only inappropriate but vulgar and suggestive.
I truly did not know that SPAM is or was such of an issue. Sure, I have definately run across this while surfing the web, or even trying to do school work but after listening to the lecture, I have come to realize what a truly damaging thing this kind of advertising is.
I also wonder what the people who make such SPAM, hope to accomplish from their disbursement? I boggles my mind how perverted some people can become through using porn as a way to reach new audiences. I think that pornographic SPAM is a type of perversion. While I may be a bit extreme in my opinions, I also believe that there is not a person who would disagree with me that these SPAM messages can be damaging to a younger, naive, generation.
It is my future hope that SPAM is either eliminated completely, or more closely monitored by government officials. Maybe then, the widespread porn industry will not be able to reach so many impressionable young people.
I completely agree with Ross29′s blog entry about sex traficiking and that it should be considered for immediate global attention.
I must admit that I was quite surprised after watching the Frontline special. I knew that the sex trade business was an ongoing occurance around the world, but never have I been so sad and disappointed at communities around the world who turn a cold shoulder to this issue.
Sometimes I find myself wondering why we have a Government at all. I believe that it is the Government’s job as well as the people’s to stop these issues from furthering themselves. I just cannot believe that some people would actually stoop so low as to lie to young, unsuspecting girls, just to get them into the underground world of the sex trade. I have heard that in areas such as the Ukraine and in Russia, these stories are very frequent.
For people who think that this issue is not relevant to their lives here in America, I am sure that there are cases that no one has been made aware of. No matter where you live, there are always people who try and exploit young and nieve children. I don’t know how many believe that Natalie Holloway, (who has gone missing) was the unfortunate victum of the sex trade network in Aruba but it just shows you that we can become confronted with these problems no matter where we are from.
I hope that television programs such as this continue to focus on relevant and important issues that everyone should be aware of. The more people that tune into these programs and are made aware of the problems, the more people that will hopefully do something to change the dismal circumstances surrounding these cases.
I can hardly believe that Spring Break is right around the corner and that my senior year is coming fast and close to its end. This is the first time that I’ve ever even attempted to take an online course. I have found that in the seven or so weeks we have been blogging, that each time I write an entry my thoughts seem to flow that much easier then they did for any previous entries.
I am surprised by this fact. I never thought that I would have so many opinions on pornography and the internet but it seems that it is a very relevant subject in today’s world. I find myself noticing articles in newspapers and television reports about porn that I never would have previously cared to watch. I believe that I have become a more objective writer since this whole process started. I hope that my opinions have sparked some controversy and have actually welcomed the comments that have been polar opposties of mine.
I only hope that in the coming weeks, that I continue to improve the ways in which I see this course and also the porn world at large.
Am I the only moron unaware of what a temptation party actually is? While watching this weeks stream of lectures, I found myself concentrating on this one small aspect. The lecture was more interested in distribution of the ‘toys’ used at this party but it got me thinking.
How many people know a person, who knows a person, that has had a temptation party? I guess you would define one of these parties as a small get together, composed of either women or males that talk about and possibly use such devices as dildos, etc.
I was quite intrigued at the possibility that these parties actually existed, so much so that I decided to google the topic and find out more. What I found was as equally interesting. On eBay, they have items for sale that can be used at some of these parties (certain unmentionables). The only thing that I can compare ‘unique’ gathering of people is if someone were to attend a wild bachelor or bachelorette party.
I have definately been to some of these parties where the bride receives some of these gifts. Of course it’s all in good fun and they’re given more for a laugh than anything else. I guess that’s what astounds me about these parties. Why would anyone want to throw a party such as this? If I attended one of these parties I think that I would first try my best to shove a few glasses of wine down my throat. Does it appear odd to anyone else that women and men actually enjoy going to these?
I would love comments on this issue. Have any of you been at a similar ‘party’? If so, how did you feel during and at the conclusion?
I think that this writer makes some very valid points, points that even I wasn’t aware of. Am I really one of the only people who thought that porn stars were using condoms while ‘performing’? In response to this surprising news I find myself wondering, why? If a person is going to star in a movie about sex, than at least some good could come out of it by reinforcing the usage of condoms. I think that this is completely crazy.
With all the disease out there today, do these stars think that just because their in this kind of a business, that they are somehome immune from catching STD’s or worse, AIDS? I’d like to think that the majority of these people know whether their fellow coworker is disease free or not before they perform such acts but I know in reality that this is far from true.
I also wonder whether these actors are even putting up a fight about this issue. Doesn’t it seem odd to people out there that no one challenges the non usage of condoms? I say, if you have to be in a porn film, at least demand the guy use a condom.
