Please don’t get rid of phsyical sex…

Well even though we can either jump on the technology train or let it blow by, but this is certainly not a replacement for straight up sex.  How scary would that be if we could no longer have intercourse or touch at all?!

Sex is not only pleasureable and a way to procreate but it is a way to release emotions through the phsyical act.  The brain can do what it wants but without actually feeling someone and sweating with them the act just is not the same.  How impersonal would sex be if we only sat in front of each other and thought about it?

The scary thing is that despite the present the idea that the existence of mankind could actually be threatened by sexually transmitted disease.  If things got that far out of hand then we would be living in a rather depressing world just at that let alone banishing sex.

Technology is bringing our world to a new dimension despite what science fiction says.  We can already see how the Internet has affected porn which has already had its own effects on our society.  I think that the new routes that technology takes us will certainly bring more controversy but in the same respect they can bring us good things.

The pill has brought consequences both good and bad, along with condoms, and abortion.  New technology will follow suite and come with both the good and the bad, a never ending cycle of the grey areas of life.

A bit of a reflection…

Living in a world of black and white would just be way too easy so we settle for grey.  The epitome of this seems to be that of the concept of defining pornography.  Pornography now exists in a way that has not been seen before.  The cyber world of the Internet has now added the world of erotica into its ambiguity.  Socially we need to evaluate this reality and come to some kind of understanding, but HOW? How can we take the opinions of the entire world into account?

This class has done a great job in presenting the difficulty in making this transition but I feel that it was a little too one way.  This being an on-line course made it all the more interesting because we now have the opportunity to discuss such issues in an anonymous way.  I loved the idea but found out that it did not seem to work out in such a large class.  With just under 400 students I feel that some very good points got lost in the crowd and failed to come under as a topic of discussion.  Perhaps students just wanted to meet their quota or maybe the fact that it was online made the venue too impersonal to spark discussion.

The encouraging aspect of this class is that there are a lot of intelligent people who have some great perspectives.  This class engaged me in thinking reasonably in both ways pro and con.  For such a grey area of society it seems necessary that we are as informed as possible using many different points of view before we make a decision. 

Overall I think that having and online discussion venue is great as long as it is paired with an in-class meeting of some nature. 

Just being difficult!

Finding some way to "control", I prefer organize, the Internet has left people spinning in circles and left dizzy to only then feel as though they have gotten hit by a garbage truck.  With the recently posted article on Web labeling shows evidence for this.  However, all amendments aside, I feel that those web pages who host sexual, pornographic, erotic, or any type of adult material should take a step back and realize that it is in no way harming them to ad one more page to their site in order to give a Web surfer a heads up. 

I understand business and all of that jive.  I also understand that there is a business in Web porn.  They way I look at it is if someone wants to visit that site then they will.  The purpose of this is to make people aware that they have come upon a site which has potentially pornographic content, especially children.  I don't see reason to worry about getting hits on a web site at any means just to satisfy the counter. 

It seems that such sites are just being difficult.  They know who they are, and those who "don't" in my eyes want anyone to step into their web page regardless, a rather ruthless endeavor and dirty pull.  Here is an example of a site who has a disclaimer and that’s it; one extra web page just to let people know what they are about. Check it out: xnxx.com (I also referenced this some time ago in a previous entry).

Curious on Child Porn- OH NO!

This is a quick question that I have in regard to last week's topic on child pornography.

Did anyone ever get charged with luring but later was found to be underage themselves? Pretty much a 15 year old boy trying to "lure" girls around the same age.  The boy is actually 15 and a minor but comments etc. were thought of to be a potential predator. If anyone has some input on this that would be awesome.

Are we protecting them???-Part Deux

While doing some searched waiting for a lecture to load I cam across a very brief yet interesting statement made by the Law Librarian Blog titled: "Child Porn Not a Crime in Majority of Interpol Member Countries." It goes on to say that there are only 5 countries in the world that have child porn laws that are adequate enough to clearly label such material as a crime. WHAT!?! 

Granted societies differ greatly in many ways as you travel but what do we do to combat this when such material can come in from any of the majority's other countries particularly by way of the Internet? Last I heard it was the World Wide Web not the SoAfroAmerican BiEuro Aussi Web. So since theoretically the Internet is available to all of these countries, despite technological limitations etc, there is room for great danger to the rest of the countries that have some law which attempts to describe and curb child pornography.  

No doubt that there is necessity to have such laws but how do we protect kids from the virtual?  In my previous blog I referred to television and even the Internet as a tool for exposure. Again this is not active exposure where we are trying to show kids certain things, but it is a means of socialization.  

PROBLEM: If a means of socialization then what happens to an individual when they are exposed to the perspectives of another society? Here the issue is pertinent when discussing the content that a child or anyone can see that gives off impressions of what is acceptable or even legal, but in another country other than their own. So for a child to come across a web page based in another country which depicts children in sexual acts etc. expresses the difficulty that law enforcers are having.  

The only thing which seems reasonable is to increase monitoring of web use. Yes, there are "tools" that parents can used when they are not in the room, but No they are not effective. Kids will figure them out. Restricting web use will not work because it will only create the idea that kids want to use it more, and more secretively.

They only suggestion is to be cautious with the Internet, it can be more dangerous than wondering Jamaica Ave at 3 in the morning.  

Are we protecting them???

Everything that everyone does is "for the children."  Even some of the most outlandish political ideas have "the children" among their agendas.  Yes, we must consider a lot, even more so as the days go on, and our kin must be protected.  It's an instinct thing. Thank
Darwin. But what is protecting them if they can never learn on their own. 

Everyone knows that one day we are going to have to make decisions on our own and be responsible for what we do.  Perhaps that day does not need to be at the age of 4 but it has to come eventually.  Many people feel that we must "protect" our children from anything and everything, essentially shielding them from life itself.  The problem with this is that even though we ask our kids to develop right and wrong if they only see what is "right" or what is "wrong" then what is there to develop.  They have to see both.   

The issue more so comes up when the exposure levels increase at a faster rate than what the parents have planned for them. Life is full of unexpected things, having your son hear the word "shit" before you see fit may not always work in a parent's favor. Or say a kid is watching TV and comes across something not appropriate for them to see.  At that point the reasonable method to take would be to explain that it is inappropriate as the case comes.  Not blaming the television networks for having it on a station.  

All extremes aside I am not saying that people should walk up to every toddler they see and say "f*&k you!" But if they hear that then it is the time to educate.  "Protecting" may have just as much of a negative effect as promoting.  I have found and interesting article on Children and Profanity which shows how kids can be exposed to such things and the difficulties in curbing the First Amendment.  The article goes on to explain the efforts to keep "profanity", in its grayscale definition, in check.  Very interesting perspective but again, do not push the inappropriate onto children just be able to handle it when it comes, and it will come.

Mr. Lucas…any relation to…? j/k

Mr. Lucas: I think that this is a great perspective that you have to offer.  Something like this does not seem to come by often which in turn adds to its value. 

One thing that I would have to ask is: Do you find that when femenists engage in "anti-porn" sentiment that they tend to push off male gay porn or even both lesbian and gay porn.  Suffice to say that I am sure that there are women run lesbian porn creators out there and it seems that when the objectifying or degrading relationship a man has toward a woman is not in a porn then such activists really have nothing to say.  Majorities aside I am curious of what you have to say on the matter. Thank you.

Exposure is the way my brodda…

Being able to observe the Congressional hearing surrounding indecency, obscenity, and pornography was one of the most interesting things that I have been exposed to in some time. What made it so interesting was hearing the perspectives from both ends, however, even more compelling was the fact that nothing seem to be accomplished. The arguments and counter arguments during the debate were so well developed that they simply evened each other out.  This shows how difficult it is to propose solutions to such a vague problem. My exposure to this hearing was rather educating and this is why exposure in itself is so important to human and social development.

Another interesting portion was that even though there was anti-porn sentiment there really wasn't any pro-porn. The defense was coming from an angle of reason and practicality versus this utopian idea that we can in some way reduce or even eliminate the possibility of porn reaching those who should not be exposed to it.

To step away from the aesthetics and methods of the debate I find it more important to discuss the particulars within it. I do feel that pornography as well as smoking, drinking, and drug use should not be pressed onto anyone especially children. When it comes to the direct advertisement I feel that there is much that can be done to control such direct messaging. On the other hand we cannot eliminate pornography because for some it is a way of teaching right and wrong. We seem to use socially undesirable aspects of life as a way to mold society. If a child IS exposed to porn, drugs, etc. it is vital to educate on the matter as it comes up. We can not cure the headache by cutting off the head.

As far as internet exposure goes the idea of organizing porn sites with the suffix ".xxx" seems to be more of a good idea than bad. Yet I particularly like the fact that both sides of the noting were expressed when discussing it. Yes it could make porn more available but it will also be easier to track by parental and governing institutions. Considering the ".com" side, there are many ways to learn the Internet by typing in any word and .com. I remember when I was first using the Internet I tried to see what sites actually existed and found that virtually any word I typed in with the .com suffix led me somewhere.  A thirteen year old has heard the word pussy…think of how much pussy.com can bring up.

I feel that exposure is a necessary evil in shaping our society. We must see what is "good" and "bad" in the world we live in order to learn and make educated decisions in our own lives. Eliminating porn or internet access despite what it can do to children if they see is unfortunately necessary. Life is a bitch, but we can get though it. 

A world of loopholes…

What is it about some words that makes defining them seem so impossible?  The conundrum that exists here is the simple fact that defining words is left up to humans.  Now we all know that everyone in the world does not have a say in creating the meanings for words so who does?  The underlying issue here is that these definitions in some way are going to reflect the opinions of the creator.  Opinions can neither be true nor false. They do not follow such rigid guidelines. There is the problem.People rely on definitions to be factual.  By logic if these definitions are based on opinion then none of them can be factual.  This leaves too much room for others so voice their unheard perspective, mostly in the courtroom.  Specific to our class we have indecency, pornography, and erotica that all come under this incredibly incredible array of unreliable sources who define them in a way that “seems fit by consensus.”  To top it all off we are filled with a world of people who seem to want to be difficult just because.  So mix this all together and we find ourselves having a migraine that a whole bottle of Excedrin could not help.

The world of make-believe… porn myths

There is no doubt that the use of pornography harms relationships and the idea that it does not or even makes them stronger is most certainly a myth.

When individuals view pornography they enter a world of imagination. This world was also once the home of unicorns, fairies, jungle adventures, as well as the rest of make-believe.  When we enter this state of mind we can take far away journeys and even breath under water. Apply this to some of the scenarios that can be depicted in a porn video. This is where things become dangerous.

As couples are together longer and longer they become more comfortable with each other. Certain things that would have once mortified them to know of are now common to both of their days.  The two seem to become one, and when one has a problem they both do. Think of a man who just watched a violent erotic film. If he wasn't aroused then no harm done, but if he found some nerve in his body that seemed to tickle at the thought of what happened in the film then we see potential for issues.  The couple may be so close that they are very fun, playful, and open when engaged sexually. At this point the gentleman who was affected by this porn may decide to follow the path of the film plot. Things can get very out of hand if this would to ever happen.

The things we see seem to embed themselves in a way that we wish that we could do them except for the consequences. Since they are so close the man may lose his gentle side and start to get too physical since he feels they are so comfortable with each other. He hits and chokes her, and even though she says "STOP!" that is what the actress in the video said. This builds on the imagination and all of a sudden…he comes…and the relationship is ruined.

We can see that the use of pornography has the potential for detrimental effects on people. Why take the risk.

(all of this in light of opposites week)