Porn - Degrading to women?

[DevilBuni]

Some would say yes - why? Obviously these women enjoy it. So do the guys - why is it just degrading to women when they're are guys in it too?

....the crazy arguments I have at 1 am....

so Im asking my fellow philosophers - what do you think?

and what about cybersex? Is that degrading too? Its essentially the same thing....

[Dragon]

As long as no one gets hurt.....unlike Prostitution...where you are actually getting physically involved and that can lead to diseases.

[Dromiceius]

Well, I think we have to define degradation first.
Degradation: A decline to a lower condition, quality, or level.

If a woman takes her clothes off in front of a camera, and then has sex with some fat bastards, she's probably in about as good condition as she was beforehand. If she feels bad about what she's done, that's her problem, not every woman's. So, "porn" can't be degrading to women.

Cybersex is more like regular sex than like porn, isn't it?

Obviously these women enjoy it.

What? They're obviously acting-- er, so I've heard... heh...

[Symptom777]

Clearly some women feel degraded by porn, so it must be degrading to them.
Some men feel degraded by porn, so ditto.

Some people feel degraded by having to clean toilets.

[DevilBuni]

Why would you feel degraded by what some else does with their bodies? Its their lives - they choose to have sex in front of a camera.

[Dromiceius]

They feel "worthless" by doing certain things. As if they're somehow going to be worth more by refusing and not getting paid.
Yes, I know. It's not aboot money, it's aboot one's value as a "person," not their assets. It's aboot not having to say to oneself "I am my job." or "I deserve this" and looking down upon themselves as what has apparently been deemed unfavorable.

It's totally arbitrary. A "degrading act" is defined by social standards and conditioning, which as we should probably realize, are only as meaningful to an individual as we allow them to be.
To allow social contracts to stand in the way of what otherwise seems like a good idea is just absurd.

[Symptom777]

Originally Posted by DevilBuni

Why would you feel degraded by what some else does with their bodies? Its their lives - they choose to have sex in front of a camera.

As a human being I would/could/do feel dgraded by the acts of other human beings, it undermines my humanity.
For example I find it degrading that some people will murder and sexually abuse babies.

[Matt14]

Perhaps the concept of porn being "degrading to women" comes from the idea that it degrades the feminine gender in general to have women seen as sex objects, and to create a stereotype that women are nothing more than toys to be exploited.

So the degradation applies to all women, not just the ones who participate in porn.

Men who watch porn are conditioned to value women less, IMO, and that may lead them to devalue the women they are involved with in their own lives, "off screen."

Originally Posted by Matt14

So the degradation applies to all women, not just the ones who participate in porn.

Men who watch porn are conditioned to value women less, IMO, and that may lead them to devalue the women they are involved with in their own lives, "off screen."

Do you think that’s because men become physically desensitized first? Too much masturbation and or sex while watching porn. Then men become mentally inadequate or incompetent when it comes to healthy relationships.

[practicepeace]

Originally Posted by Matt14

Perhaps the concept of porn being "degrading to women" comes from the idea that it degrades the feminine gender in general to have women seen as sex objects, and to create a stereotype that women are nothing more than toys to be exploited.

So the degradation applies to all women, not just the ones who participate in porn.

Men who watch porn are conditioned to value women less, IMO, and that may lead them to devalue the women they are involved with in their own lives, "off screen."

I will go out on a limb and admit that i visit porn sites where women have sex with men they probalbly would not unless they are getting paid for it. I for one don't feel that watching a woman in all her beautiful nakedness is somehow wrong or degrading. In my personal life I hold women in high regard and always encourage them to have self respect. So many women have low self esteem and i am always telling them not to view themselves so negatively. ie This woman i work with refers to her butt as "my big ass" and I tell her don't look at it that way tell yourself it is a perfectly proportioned plesantly plump peach shaped posterior. She says her husband tells her the same thing to look at your body positively but for some reason you can tell a woman a thousand times how beautiful she is and she will always think you are lying. Honestly my girlfriend is not always around when i am horny so why not visit a site where you can get aroused and please yourself i would rather do that then cheat on her.
To me the only porn that is disgusting and degrading is child pornography I will never understand why on earth someone would get aroused from a child being used in such illegal and immoral ways.

[Pitchforkpat]

Quite frankly, I think it’s more degrading to men. I’ll lump stripping in with porn and say that I think it’s fairly pathetic to watch the poor men who spend their hard earned wages getting drunk while trying to get a close up of a naked woman. As far as I’m concerned she’s got most of the power. She’s making money just from guys willing to pay to look at her.

Some men pay to look just cause it’s fun, but others pay because otherwise they’d never get to see anything that attractive in their own lives. That’s actually quite sad for the man. If a woman wants to take her clothes off for money, good on her. Why not take advantage of her assets? However, if there’s any degree of force involved, like she’s an addict and her dealer makes movies, that’s a whole other issue.

I agree with DevilBunni. There’s no reason for YOU to feel degraded by what others choose to do with THEIR bodies. It’s THEIR bodies. I think the west is very repressed still in so many ways.

[NickFun]

Virtually every human being on Earth is the result of some horny, naked guy getting it one with a naked woman who is also (hopefully) horny. Porn provides an outlet for people who don't get any otherwise. I think access to porn may also help provide release for someone who may otherwise be a rapist. Many women also enjoy porn whether it be in the form of "romance" novels or Playgirl. What's the prob? How many of us masturbate? When you masturbate don't you think of having sex?

[Dragon]

Good point Nick heheh, never thought of it that way until you mentioned it hehe.

[DevilBuni]

I dont get why other women are all about the romance novels? Its just 300 pages of idiotic dribble calling a guys genitals "Loins" and shit. :/ Call it what it really is people! But then again...Im one of those girls who likes porn....so...I guess Im just like a guy in a way.

[Symptom777]

Originally Posted by NickFun

Porn provides an outlet for people who don't get any otherwise.

Bollox. You seriously believe that most people who view porn aren't getting any??? How naive.

Originally Posted by NickFun

I think access to porn may also help provide release for someone who may otherwise be a rapist.

Even more naive.