> I count myself as a "pro-porn feminist," in that I think porn played a
> useful political function in the transition from feudalism to
> capitalism (cf. Lynn Hunt), that GLBT porn (like GLBT bars, discos,
> etc.) probably has helped many young GLBT teens (especially for those
> who are stuck in conservative families and communities), and that porn
> as a genre has a lot of potential, aesthetic and political. But it
> must be admitted that much of straight porn is made by male capitalists
> for male consumers, most women in the industry just non- union workers
> whose jobs are drudgery like most jobs (rather than female
> libertines). The only attraction for women workers in the porn
> industry (as well as other sorts of sex industries) is that they get
> paid far better than working Wal-Mart and the like (and in this
> industry actresses get paid better than actors).
The problem with porn work is the same as the problem of any type of work in a capitalist society: alienation. Workers are economically exploited to produce surplus value for the capitalist class. Of course capitalists produce porn that appeals to male consumers, just like they produce TV shows or deodorant or cars that appeal to male consumers!
Male centered porn's not the problem; it's just an obvious symptom of a fucked up thoroughly capitalist society.
Miles