Yoshie writes:
> It is my view that men and women should equally
participate in production and consumption of such
portrayals and that lack of equal participation in the
current straight porn industry is a problem.
Agreed. In fact, in all areas of production and consumption that affect human lives there should be equal production. The fact that such equality does not exist in the porn business is not a fault of porn, but rather the fault of the patriarchal culture in which it is produced.
>It seems to me that a critique of porn from the left
is essential to reform of it, but constructive criticism
of porn is hard to come by.
Because it is not porn that needs to be critiqued, but the culture strictures under which it is made. A more equitable society may produce different porn or it may not -- who knows? But the focus must be on reforming patriachal privilege. That is what might/ will lead to different porn.
>Children are not recognized as sexual beings who
have sexual needs of their own, the right to sexual
expression, etc.
But aren't women in the same boat? Might that not explain the absence of women-centered porn better than some essentialist shibboleth that "men like porn and women don't." For me, it seems clear that the production of porn is done by those who feel they have the right/privilege to express their sexual desires as well as the right to have access to representations of their fulfillment.
Women, who historically have been discouraged from being vocal about their sexual desires (even among/to themselves), are therefore discouraged from claiming the right to porn, since such a claim would be indicative of independent female desire - a big cultural no-no.
> The porn industry is probably better than very
conservative brands of religions, but it's much worse
than higher education, to take just two points of
comparison.
And? Several decades?/centuries? ago it was thought bad to educate women -- it could give rise to desires in them that were unwomanly. As you point out, some progress has been made on that front. But it is just another example of society's determination to constrict women's desires. The battle for equity in porn is no different than the battle for equity in education -- the principles are the same; they are merely taking place on different playing fields.
boddi sattva writes:
>Porn equality? What the heck would that even be?
That would be porn produced without shame or constraint for a wide variety of desires.
> Sex work in general reflects the degeneracy of
pimp culture.
Sex work is not different than any other kind of work.
> Think about it, sex work that serves heterosexual
men is a business in which men have absolutely no
value to add except to instruct women on what
porn-loving men will want and to persuade women to
expose themselves for less money than they should
be getting.
a) Sex workers comes in all genders and orientations.
b) sex workers would be much better paid if it was not illegal and there were regulations that provided protection for both customers and workers.
> Kinder, gentler porn could conceivably be produced,
but would men and women who could work together in
a healthy and productive way ever choose to produce
porn?
I know many who do.
> Don't cooperation and recirprocal altruism generally
imply a level of mutual concern and respect that tend to
encourage more positive endeavors than pornography?
Pornography is very positive. It can help people realize that their desires are normal and that there are ways to realize them that are not tinged with shame and destructiveness. Pornography can also provide an avenue for sexual fulfillment when others are closed. The same hold true for sex work. I have a friend who is a sex worker and most of his clients are older gay men, many of whom are married.
These men are not going to leave their wives, so they seek sexual fulfillment with sex workers. In an ideal society, such work would be regulated to prevent the spread of AIDS and other diseases. My friend feels he is doing a great service in helping these men have queer sexuality within parameters with which they feel comfortable.
He also provides sexual release for men with handicaps and others who have no realistic chance of meeting/dating someone and finding sexual release that way. All humans have sexual desire and for it not to be satisfied can lead to many pathologies.
A final note: my friend is in a stable, loving relationship. His lover knows what he does and supports it. He has strict limits on the type of release he will offer and those clients who do not like it are free to shop elsewhere. To me that is what sex work and sex workers can be at their best.
> Finally, let's get real, do women want more porn? It's
really not hard to create. Isn't the truth that women don't
really demonstrate a desire for porn anywhere near what
men do?
Please refer to my comments about about essentialist thinking around the subject of porn.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister