So This Man Walks Into A Bar…(Edited)

…and starts hitting on a 16 year old?
     I don’t mean to be degrading, or criticizing this blog posted by a student in our class, but I do see some fallacies in the argument about the government’s “age of consent.”       The legal age to have sex isn’t determined by a magic number. Think about a few things before criticizing the government for its age limitations on legality of sexual conduct.  The government doesn’t just draw an age limit from a magical hat (though I heard George Bush does a sweet hidden bunny trick), they look at the psychology and development of teenagers. An 18 year old is much more mature than a 15 year old for they are no longer in the sophomoric halls of high school anymore and the raging hormones have settled down.
     The government puts the age requirement of 18 on buying lottery tickets, pornography, and cigarettes. This is also the age at which one can vote and at which one is considered an adult in the judicial system.  The government does this for a reason.  At the age of 18 you are legally considered an adult. You can claim your own independence, you can move out of your house and become emancipated from your parents, and you can even decide whether or not you want to pierce or tattoo your body.
     Experimenting with sex before you are able to even claim your own independence is dangerous. Call me old school, call me A prude, call me whatever; but don’t call me irresponsible. These days the credo seems to be “Get it now; think later.”  Yet there are certain things that a person needs to think about when s/he chooses to engage in unprotected sex.   One of them is “Am I ready to support a child?” If you can’t claim your own independence, are you ready, willing, and able to support a child? I’ll answer that question for you. No. The government is basing their age limits on the general ability to claim certain responsibilities. We aren’t just talking about pleasure here. Yes, a 16 year old can decide whether or not s/he wants to engage in sex, but can a 16 year old fathom the responsibilities they may be assigning themselves as a result of their actions? I don’t think so.
            What may be even more serious beyond the fact that a teenager would not be able to support a child would be the emotional factors.  If one is going to engage in sex at such a young age is it emotionally and physically safe even if it doesn’t produce a child?  Consequences often go beyond a baby in a bassinette; sometimes the emotional damage to sex at too young an age can be invisible and far-reaching.  Emotional scars, in my opinion, outweigh any other consequence resulting from underage sex.

Here is the link to the blog that I edited. 

 

 

Women #1, Men #2

     Men seem to be the dominant ones in the actual pornographic films, but in reality it’s the women who have the final say.  Pornographies often depict the woman under submission to the man.  They give into his needs, desires, and sexual positions.  The woman in the porno could easily be depicted as a real like blow-up doll where the man can do as he pleases with it.  After watching lecture 12 I found out that this was not the case behind the scenes and during them.  Women basically have the upper hand in pornographies for they get substantially paid more than men and can pick their sex partners.  They can also tell the men what they will let them do and won’t let them do during a sex scene.

            I find this totally ironic for women seem so helpless in these films where they want to do everything to please the man.  These men have little say in this industry because the majority of the viewers are male.  Males are looking to watch a gorgeous woman get it on and could really care less who the dude is as long as he is pleasing the female.  This could be a different story if there were more female viewers or if there was an equal amount of male and female viewers, but since there isn’t, women dominant in this industry.  No wonder straight men do gay pornography.  Getting paid almost ten times more for some sex scenes is unreal.  Here lies another aspect of the porn world that I do not understand.  Granted Viagra is the drug of choice on the set of many gay films where there are straight actors, how is one going to say they are completely straight if they have gay sex?  Sex can just be considered sex no matter who it’s with as long as you use your imagination to depict someone other than you are engaging with, so I guess anyone can have sex with a male or female, but how is this possible?  It seems superficial that a straight man can come off a gay porn set after humping a guy for an hour and be all macho and masculine.  They either are in full denial or are really good actors in front of the camera.  But I guess money can drive people to do extreme things.  If you think about it porn actors have to be open-minded, open about their sexuality, and comfortable in public to be successful so I guess it is not that difficult for a straight man to do gay porn, but watching the lecture and viewing how it looked so natural makes it hard to believe the actor was straight.

            Even though women are exploited, used for prostitution and receive the blunt of the social stigma surrounded by this industry they definitely are higher on the social ladder.  It is almost comical that in a business where women seem to be degraded or where they are not respecting their bodies is where they dominate and can tell a man what to do.  I know the right for women to vote occurred almost 100 years ago and that equality has been instated in this country between the genders, but there is obviously some discrepancies between the sexes.  It is always argued that in certain industries or businesses men have the upper hand at getting the job or promotion.  The porn industry is the exception, so if  any woman wants to be guaranteed a high position where they can tell men what to do, then porn is the way to go.

I Downloaded Child Porn?

       The issue regarding child pornography online and being arrested for possessing it is extremely controversial.  Although there is nothing controversial about child porn being illegal I just feel that since it is so easily attainable that the consequences should be reviewed.  In a blog post I just read from garyng44 he states that he read an article where a university student from LSU was charged with 12 counts of possessing child pornography.  Maybe this student is intrigued by child pornography, where in this case he should be arrested, or maybe he accidentally downloaded it.  I remember the introduction of this class warned us that we could be arrested if we download child pornography and I can definitely see this happening involuntarily.  These pornographic sites often cater to all types of fetishes and if one does not read the titles or skims through them very quickly, then they may come across and download a child pornography by mistake.

            This is definitely a federal offense, but let’s put this into perspective.  If I was online and wanted to download pornography for my personal pleasure and I accidentally downloaded a child pornography I could be arrested and publicly humiliated.  More times than none these child pornographies are found on a computer when the “Feds” confiscate it, but I can see how one could forget to delete it.  I have downloaded so many things in the past for school or from what friends have sent me via email and have totally forgotten to delete them.  I know one should not forget to delete child pornography on their PC, but it sometimes slips one’s mind and some people may feel it’s not a big deal or are not aware of the crime.  I don’t know much about computers, but even after the pornography was deleted maybe there is a way to detect that it was downloaded. 

            I in no way feel that the downloading of child pornography is acceptable, but some people do make honest mistakes and should not have to go through the drama and humiliation that it is attached to.  I honestly have no idea of how the government could produce a system where one would be able to know if it were by accident or on purpose, but it just does not seem 100% fair.  On the other hand if one is going to download porn they should be wise enough to know what is what and be cautious for the government watches our every move.

            This blog also intrigued me for is made me realize that the government is more a part of our private lives than I realized.  They have people watching everything we download from family pictures to S&M pornography.  I frankly think that it is not the government’s business what I download or what I enjoy sexually.  I know that to some extent the government is trying to protect the country is some manipulative way, but it should be made clearly aware that there are people out there sharing our personal lives over the internet.

Porn in the halls of academia

      I recently visited my aunt who thought it was the strangest thing that I was taking a class that revolved around pornography.  Like everyone I encountered she asked what exactly do I learn in this class.  I told her that I don’t simply watch porn all day, but learn about the history of it and how it has related to society. I basically said that sex is all around us.  My aunt is an avid newspaper reader and probably reads the Buffalo News front to back everyday.  Sometime in January she came across this article where two people take a viewpoint on an issue and state their opinions.  This article was based on if pornography college courses have college merit.  I read this short article and was surprised to find out that around 50 universities offer classes on pornography. 

            The first viewpoint was pro-pornography classes for Diane Glass stated that if one can understand pornography then one can understand how manipulative it is and how it can distort our perceptions.  She stated that the more one can relate and be less ignorant of pornography the better one can breakdown the sexual messages it portrays.  She is basically saying that pornography is seducing our society because so many people are ignorant of the industry.  No one wants to be associated with it so no one wants to learn about the history of it, which is why so many of us are sucked into the industry or stamp it as degrading or abusive.  This may not sound so “pro,” but what she is saying is that it is a great idea to have these college classes for it educates us on such a powerful and moneymaking industry.

            Shaunti Feldhahn took the con side of these college classes stating that the one reason college kids are taking these classes is to watch porn.  By watching this porn students are letting these images harm themselves and are being degraded, impacting their bodies and psychological status.  She also claims that a study was performed where it was concluded that pornography’s “addictive brain effects mirror those of heroin.”  Let us just stop there for she has plenty more negative things to say about these classes.  First of all pornography and sex is addictive.  Look at Hallie Berry’s ex-husband, Eric Benet.  He had one of the most beautiful women in the world as his wife, but because he was addicted to sex he cheated on her with several other women.  Anyways, even though that sex is addictive I highly doubt that college kids who are taking these classes are going to instantaneously become addicted to sex and pornography.  I am so sure that we can compare it to heroin for all my friends in this class are not wasting all their hard earned money on pornographic material and alienating themselves from their family and friends like a heroin addict.  Also, why does everybody feel that just because we are learning about pornography that we are necessarily watching porn?  Once you watch one pornography I think one gets the gist of what it is all about.  Finally, I disagree with Feldhahn about the claim that pornography degrades our self and bodies.  Yes, pornography is interesting to the college student and the number one answer to the question of why one registered for this class would be because it is about pornography, but honestly, does anyone really believe that we would be actually watching porn all day?  I don’t think so!  And if one is really going to let their bodies and psychological self be altered and changed by taking a class on porn, then they need some self control. 

            These classes are merely a way of understanding the industry of pornography that heavily affects our society.  Sex is all around us like Glass stated.  Whether it is in a magazine or on a billboard advertising a strip club sex has come full circle.  I believe these classes are aiding in our ability to understand our current society and learn how such a dominant industry came about.  I could not find the article online, but it was in the Buffalo Newspaper on January 22^nd.

Tourism…A whole other meaning

Just learning about Sex Tourism in lecture nine made my eyes bulge.  Although nothing graphic or too obscene was said or discussed in the lecture just the simple fact that people go on “tours” to other countries or act as tourists to other countries just for sex is just plain vulgar.  After researching sex tourism I found that often it is called “child sex tourism” because many travel to have sex with minors.  Whether it is underage in that country or just ours it does not matter.

            The countries that often advertise this over the internet are those who have more liberal and relaxed laws.  This is the main thing that attracts those who want to become a sex tourist.  If the age of consent is lower, then it gives them the opportunity to have sex with someone underage if they were in the United States.  Other things that attract people into these countries may be a certain ethnicity as well as more privacy since it is in a foreign country and simply because the law enforcements are not as meticulous.  As said in the lecture these sex tourists have flourished for a while, but after it was advertised over the internet and websites were created for them it started to “explode.”  I can just imagine how it would be for these people with this disgusting hobby.  They are probably like a kid in a candy shop.  It just does not make sense to me that a person would spend all that money to travel to a foreign country to fulfill a fantasy and have sex with a total stranger.  They more than likely do not even go visit any real tourist attractions.  Although the accommodations are cheap I know the airfare isn’t.  If one stays for just a weekend I bet it’s close to a grand just for airfare, meals, lodging, and for the service.  If I am going to travel thousands of miles all the way to India or Russia you better believe I am going to visit the Taj Mahal or St. Basil’s in Russia.  Sex would be the last thing on my mind for who has the chance to travel to a foreign country during their lifetime.  These people are taking for granted that they can finance such a trip where other people can only dream of going.

            Back to the legal issue of this topic in many of these countries it is illegal to have sex with whom many of these tourists engage with.  It’s just there are so many loopholes and there is so much disorganization with in these governments that people get away with it.  What I found extremely interesting and amusing is that if an American goes to a country where the age of consent is below 18 they still can be charged in the United States for having sex with a minor.  Many governments are getting tough with these sex tourists trying to discourage them from having sex with minors.  I think this is a brilliant way for the government to intervene, although they do enough of that in our everyday lives.  I think part of it is that these Americans who engage in these sex acts oversees represent our country and our government does not want that kind of representation occurring, especially since it involves underage girls or boys.

            I know that people get off and get sexually aroused in different ways, but can’t they do it in their own country?  I think it is a little extreme to go to another country to find sex.  It really is not any of my business to what these people do nor am I in a position to judge I just do not appreciate that type of lifestyle.

America OnLine or Sex OnLine?

     I knew that sex was all over the internet, but I did not realize how prevalent it is in correspondence to AOL.  I remember when our family purchased our first computer when I was in seventh grade and being connected to AOL.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  To know now that it is the center of porn in our country is pretty astonishing.  I knew there was sex on AOL, but after reading chapter five on ePocrisy I have come to the conclusion that my entire adolescent years were surrounded by sex and porn.

            When I was younger I used to go into those AOL chat rooms and talk with people all over the country.  I definitely remember there being sexually explicit questions as well as regular questions that, at the time, I did not think was related to sex or porn.  I guess I just figured it was normal for someone to ask for a picture or want to know my sex, age, and location.  Now that I think about it, those people were never going to meet me so what was the difference what I looked like and where I lived, especially when it is the first thing asked in a conversation.  Of course I was not about to send some total stranger my picture via the internet, and not just because I was illiterate at how to scan a picture, but I just thought it was an uncomfortable thing to do.  After reflecting on the chat rooms for AOL I can see where this article is coming from.  Perdue is right in the sense that any person can change their identity by their screen names.  Any middle-aged, over-weight man can appear to be young and in shape just by the appearance of his screen name.  Screen names are probably the most deceiving part of AOL.

Also, just as the VRC made it able to view pornography in privacy without being ashamed of it, the internet, in a sense, gives one privacy for there is no real physical interaction.  Any person can go on AOL into one of their chat rooms and pretend to be someone else and not feel guilty about it.  They do not know the person at the other end of the connection that they are talking to and there are few ways for one to be identified for there are privacy regulations with AOL.  AOL is a perfect way to let out some sexual tension.  I could easily go into a chat room without worrying about being identified by someone that I know and talk to another person and exchange pictures, porn, or even phone numbers.  It is such an easy way to sexually communicate for there is no vulnerability of that rejection that one feels when face-to-face with another person.  I bet if I knew all of this when I was 13 I would be afraid to go on the internet or at least portray AOL as skuzzy and dirty.   

            I can also definitely believe that AOL is like “a shopping mall for pedophiles.”  Once again any person can go on the internet and talk to whom ever they want.  They can lie about their age, appearance, and location.  AOL is like the modern way of trying to bribe little boys with candy.  Since AOL cannot interfere with private chats pedophiles are free to say and do as they please.  One would think that since 82% of the chat rooms on AOL deal with sex that there would be restrictions and monitoring of these rooms.  These private chats are basically giving pedophiles an open door to do as they please to an innocent, ignorant child in the worse case scenario.

            When I was younger I also thought that AOL was so family oriented.  With all the different activities for children to do and different links for health, family, and vacations as well as the family-oriented commercials sex was the last thing I thought of being on top of AOL.  Just viewing the statistics to how many of the chat rooms involve sex or how much money is paid for advertisements and links for sex sites proves that without sex AOL would not be half the powerhouse that it is today.  In my opinion, AOL is a place for those who are sexually frustrated to get a quick fix or a place for those who cannot find what they want out in the real world.  It is a fast, easy, and private way to deal with sex and is probably one of the reasons why it is so popular.

Repercussions of an adult movie actor

      I just finished reading a blog post by jrhallac who states that being in a pornographic film or being in the porn industry puts your life at too much risk.  Your livelihood, family relationships and significant other relationships can be extremely affected by this choice to be an adult movie actor.  As said in many of my previous blogs and probably in many of the future, pornography and sex, in general, is a social stigma.  Sometimes I think that stigma doesn’t even do it justice.  Some people are appalled by pornography and feel it degrades a person’s integrity as well as our society.  The blog that I read stated that after being an adult movie actor, one’s life can have severe repercussions.  This is definitely true if honesty is not instilled immediately in a relationship whether it is with family, friends, or co-workers.

            Personally, if I was in a pornographic film my parents would be the last people to find out, but in order for crap not to hit the fan I feel that a porn actor needs to be upfront with their decision to have sex on camera.  I am being such a hypocrite right now because everything I am about to say would more than likely be the opposite of what I would do, but since I don’t plan on being in a porno I think I’ll be safe with it.  Before one runs off and makes the decision to participate and get paid to be in a pornographic film they should just get the courage to tell anyone who is important in their life about it.  No matter what that person does there are going to be those in their life who will not understand their decision to be in an adult film and might even lose relationships over it.  When telling their children I think it would be wise to tell them at an age they can understand.  I would rather my parent tell me they were in a group orgy rather than seeing a clip of it or having a friend tell me.  Also, when meeting new people or being interviewed for a job an adult actor should just be upfront.  If someone really valued their friendship or was impressed with their resume or working skills, then revealing this past job will not affect the way others feel about that person.  If one cannot handle the truth, then they are not worth their time or energy.  Again, I would not want to hear from someone else that my girlfriend was in a porno.  I would definitely want to know beforehand.  Even though it would somewhat categorize that person it still is more truthful.

            No matter what one does in revealing their supposed darker side of life or showing the skeletons in their closet there is bound to be miscommunication and hard feelings.  These adult actors choice their life and if they did not go through the consequences before making their decision, then it is their fault.  But if an adult actor is going to be honest about everything and not feel ashamed of what they did, then the more power to them.  If they defend their position, then I feel they will be more respected by their peers.  Even if their peers do not necessarily agree with their decisions in life at least they know of them and are aware that the former adult actor is aware of the consequences when the decision was made.

Sex as Art and Sex as corruption

            One thing that presses my buttons is when society allows exceptions and excuses for art.  If a naked woman is shown on top of another naked woman, but it was taken by a famous photographer who was trying to capture the essence of their beauty no one, especially those familiar with art, would call it pornography.  In my opinion if there is a naked woman in a provocative pose I would call it neither art nor would I call it pornography.  I would simply categorize it as risqué or provocative. 

            I have nothing against those who feel that sex or nudeness can be reflected through art I just feel that when something could be considered pornographic and is thought of as art for it was created by a famous photographer, painter, or sculptor is where I draw the line.  Just because Terri Richardson, as mentioned in lecture seven, took a photograph does not mean that it is acceptable to call it art when it is a picture of something sexually explicit.  I would label that a picture of a “naked women” or of “two men kissing.”  I would definitely not call it art.  I just feel that it is ludicrous that the heavy social stigma of sex and pornography magically disappears when it resides under the category of art. 

            The other topic mentioned in lecture seven that made my eyebrows raise concerns Sweet Seventeen, the book created in England depicting underage sex and S&M.  It was thought that it was acceptable for the educated and wealthy to purchase and read this book, but not for the poor, non-white, or middle class for it could be corruptive.  I find that the tables have turned since the publication of this book.  In my opinion, at least in the United States, I feel that if one who is wealthy or educated should be the one avoiding such pornographic material.  Those who are educated are sophisticated and have better things to do with their lives then read or view pictures of underage sex.  Since pornography is such a social stigma it would only be right for the poor and uneducated ones to be viewing such material.  Since they have no degree in biomedicine or mechanical engineering why not turn to pornography.  The English said that the poor and uneducated could become corrupt if they viewed such material, but don’t we already view the poor and uneducated as already corrupt in our current society?  I just don’t understand where the English are coming from.  If anything the wealthy should be the ones who would become corrupt since their lives are full of business, social events, and family wouldn’t such material and thoughts of underage sex interfere with their everyday lives?  Educated or not educated a book about underage sex is not going to corrupt anyone.  If anything, it will simply turn heads. 

Friendster- more than just friends?

            Such social networking sites online such as ‘MySpace” or “Friendster,” which is mentioned in Chapter three, “Small Pornographies,” often do more than connect friends via the internet.  In the article it states that Friendster is like a virtual community that often becomes sexual.  I can definitely vouch for that statement.  My friend recently introduced my to Friendster and I thought it was just a waste of time, but I soon got into it.  I thought it was fun to see how many friends I could find, but these sites somehow always have some interconnection to sex.  I have heard that people try to meet other people for sex or try to “hit on” someone via Friendster.  Last time I checked it was called Friendster and not Hook upster.  As lame as that sounds it makes sense.  I have never personally been approached in any way that would commence in a relationship that was more than a friendship, but I could definitely see it happening.  There is a profile on Friendster that I believe many of you are aware of or more familiar with dealing with MySpace, where you can fill out anything about yourself.  They often ask what you are looking for such as friends, activity partners, or a relationship.  You can basically view anybody’s profile and pictures as well as see who has viewed your own profile.

            Since there has been this new technology of the internet and social networking through the internet it is so much easier to meet people from around the country of those living in your hometown that may or may not have the same lifestyle as you.  It is very easy for someone to meet another person over the internet through these social gatherings and have it turn into a sexual manner.  Let’s think of homosexuals for a moment.  Many who are ashamed or who have not accepted themselves as a homosexual may turn to the internet for it lets them chat with others and exchange personal information without being too vulnerable.  Often at times these interactions can turn into talking about sex or even making plans to meet in person for sex.  Of all those who have a profile on MySpace or Friendster I wonder how many of them have met a total stranger online and talks to them on a regular basis almost as if they were best friends?  I also wonder out of those strangers met over the internet how many of them talked about sex.  Especially with teenagers and young adults, where sex is on their top ten lists, it is almost inevitable for sex to come into play in some shape or form. 

            Even if you join one of these social networking sights simply for a hobby or because it’s what “all the cool kids are doing,” chances are they will sometime or another come across something sexually explicit whether it be a picture or a conversation.  The internet it full of sex and part of the reason why I feel sex is so freely conversed about between people over the internet is because you do not have to look at someone in the face when chatting.  It is much easier to talk about those personal and socially stigmatic topics by typing the conversation rather than hearing their voice or watching the reaction on their face.  The tension is cut in half as well as the vulnerability.  As stated in one of the lectures the internet enables us to view sex, talk about sex, and even engage in sex in the privacy of our own homes.  I think that sex is so normal and available through the internet because of this privacy.  Americans love their privacy for it enables them to do as they please without scrutiny. 

Human Trafficking v Iraq

       In order for this country that we live in to do something about any problem or situation there usually has to be some high profile and well publicized incident such as 9/11 to occur.  In response to the blog post about human trafficking I do not feel the government will take it seriously or let it be known as a serious problem until there is some catastrophe.  Since it does not affect the revenue of the country or directly endanger it the US more than likely does not feel it is a problem.  What would look better on the governments resume? A) Helping to reconstruct Iraq and develop a democratic state where equality is somewhat instated or B) Help stop the trafficking of European women into the United States for purposes of explicit sex and prostitution.  As much as women are valued and sex and prostitution are a social stigma in the country I feel that our government would lean towards option A.

            Our government has spent upwards of 80 billion dollars on funding for Iraq in 2004 alone!  In the blog that I am responding to it was stated that each of the 18 cities or counties in the country that is trying to stop human trafficking is receiving anywhere from $330,000-500,000 for funding.  500,000 multiplied by 18 is only nine million dollars, which is only about 1% of the money being spend over in Iraq and that is only in 2004.  To me, that says how serious the government is taking this human trafficking.  Don’t get me wrong I think human trafficking is extremely degrading and almost comparable to slavery, but in the eyes of our power hungry government it just does not match up to Iraq or hurricane Katrina. 

            I feel that in order for there to be a positive movement on this global problem the reality of it all needs to be displayed heavily in the media.  Something like the anti-tobacco commercials, that sometimes get annoying even if you are against tobacco, should be developed to make the public aware of the seriousness of this issue.  I 100% feel that the government should be doing more about this issue, but if this became globally known as a very serious issue in our world, then I feel that the sex industry would be put under even more scrutiny and become even a more social stigma then it already is.  I am just playing the devil’s advocate here for I could care less about the sex industry, but I feel many people in this country would blame pornography and the websites online that could supposedly put these ideas of trafficking women into their minds.

            Like the blog post stated, it is long overdue for this country to do something about this problem in our world.  I personally feel that this government needs to reevaluate what is important on their “to do” list.  As important as Iraq and impoverished countries are I believe that the problems within our own country should be taken care of or at least looked at before anything else outside our boundaries.