(Rant warning in effect till the end of this post.)
Since we are talking about sex..... (oh yeah, thats what porn is, watching two or more people having sex for what constitutes to some entertainment. Or as a nice break from reading Emma)
There are as usual, many layers to this subject. The start of this thread suggested a dichotomy where viewing sex is either (using my words) harmful or immoral vs "not as harmful" to "not harmful at all, and morally, its relative".
If I might suggest, this goes to a basic tenant of Judeo Christian influence and one that, when we observe the times that we live in in context, shows how far our society as progressed. (not regressed)
Millions, tens of millions actually around the world and probably higher, have a negative view of sex that affects their mental health and quality of life. Most all religions, for whatever their reasons, tend to teach that things that are physically pleasurable must be sinful, even though it was God who supposedly created these very desires within us. These same repressed people, who have been taught this sexual repression, view anyone who actually enjoys sex, whether privately or filmed sex, as immoral and thus, in need of censure.
I respect the fact that parents esp need to control this with their kids, not by demonizing sex, but by educating at age appropriate times what sex is, and that it isn't wrong. How many of us former JW's were told that sexual arousal as teens, that led to masturbation, was horribly sinful, thus causing so many of us very difficult guilt feelings and resulting behavioral problems into marriage and beyond?
The point is, there is only one group who tries to control what sex is appropriate, religions. God doesn't control anything. I don't' mean to derail the thread, other then to make a point: it is people who demonize sex, though it is pleasurable. They can claim their ideas are from god or a space allien or a talking rock for all I care, all 3 are the same as far as a testable source for information on sex..
Thus, we poor humans must rely on what we know and observe and experience about sex. In other words, we are actually allowed to individually make our own decisions, and have our own moral standards regarding sex. That includes watching porn.
Bluecanary made an excellent point, if one learns about sex from porn, male or female, then yeah, its distorted, in the same way that if life were explained to a kid by watching the original Star Wars trilogy. It's fictional entertainment. Unfortunately, where sex is demonized and oppressed, we sexual beings (and btw, you have are a sexual beings if you have functioning genitalia that uh, gets aroused) will seek out an outlet. So if teens, or even young adults, didn't learn about sex from their parents or another responsible adult, then yeah, porn is a pretty bad substitute. Esp for men, to think of a woman only as a walking vagina and to learn that from porn is bad. So I for one do think that parents and responsible society needs to make sure that adults view porn. (I know that isn't the point, but I wanted to say that.)
Adults who want to have sex for pleasure, and don't subscribe to distorted religious views that make you think the sexual function and resulting pleasure is offensive to god, actually ARE mentally healthier. They don't deny their sexual identity, and are more open about who they are. (hopefully)
Sex is a form of communication, just as it is about reproduction or just plain fun. It is highly offensive to me that guilt and resulting mental health issues continue to result from the attempted demonization of sex. Porn is free speech, it should be available to consenting adults, and the other issues on the periphery of the subject of Porn (children and teens, moral relativism, mental health issues) should be discussed as legitimate separate issues.
Porn is..... Mostly Irrelevant. (except for the 15 minutes when you are watching it...)
Ok, rant is done. It was admittedly rambling and not well organized, but, few things tick me off more then the real issues that result when sexuality is controlled by religion and religious people at the expense of the pragmatic well being of the population in general.
