Unsexy Porn
by Steve Watters on 10/23/2007 at 11:56 AM
Writing from one of the biggest porn producing regions in the country, L.A. Times columnist Meghan Daum says that the porn age has lost its sexiness. She writes that "sexiness itself, which is rooted in mystery, has been replaced by the far less interesting -- and less titillating -- 'porniness.'"
"As the Porn Age marches onward," she writes, "it seems only logical that fake sex between fake people will become increasingly humdrum." She explains how it's already driving viewers to boredom:
Mainstream entertainment outlets were once forced to treat sexual material with coyness and innuendo; today's characters -- at least those on cable -- can just rip their clothes off and get it on. This is worth watching ... once. After that, it's easy to change the channel and get sucked into a Cold War documentary on the History Channel. And no wonder -- compared to naked bodies, Sputnik seems downright fresh.
Daum writes,"it's human nature to become inured to repeated images of anything, but pornography throws a kink in that assumption because demand for the product seems to increase even as genuine enthusiasm wanes."
This observation is very similar to the one made by C.S. Lewis -- that men and women have an "ever-increasing appetite for ever-decreasing pleasure." Ultimately, images and pleasure lose their "sexiness" when they are severed from the mystery of intimacy that God weaved into marriage. Our culture's current binge on cheap and easy pornography is proving it.
1. tom said the following at 12:13 PM on Oct 23:
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Plato called it the "hedonistic paradox": the harder we pursue pleasure, the more it seems to elude us.
2. noreen said the following at 12:28 PM on Oct 23:
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From what I understand (Dobson & Bundy interview) and other sources; porn is an ever increasing addiction with sometimes deadly consequences. I can only imagine what it incites in the pervert's brain; of course I don't want to. Porn is a curse. Too bad people don't recognize it for what it is.
3. nikki said the following at 2:15 PM on Oct 23:
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"men and women have an "ever-increasing appetite for ever-decreasing pleasure."
Or, you just have to keep feeding your desires heavier, harder-core stuff to satisfy them, to be actually (temporarily) satisfied. That's why pleasure decreases as consumption increases...it takes more to satisfy you.
4. Katie (the other one) said the following at 3:06 PM on Oct 23:
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As a student of Psychology, I can't help but look at this from a purely addiction-based perspective. If porn is an addiction (which most will admit) that is fulfilling some "need" and providing some "pleasure", then it's no wonder that as appetite increases and pleasure decreases. This is simple brain chemistry that we can see demonstrated with tolerance for drugs, alcohol, and any other addiction. The brain needs higher doses of serotonin (and other chemicals) to reach the same level of "enjoyment", and sadly this higher dosage become the norm and anything less is what drives a person to repeat the pleasure-inducing practice to keep the brain chemistry in a positive state.
Oh, and don't even get me started on behavioral conditioning and desensitization from a psychological perspective...
5. Gina said the following at 3:42 PM on Oct 23:
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Got a link?
6. Khalil said the following at 8:39 AM on Oct 24:
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My concern is if that the "glam" trash is going out of style and is not so attractive any more then something else will fill in the gap. I predict that there will be an increase in more amateur and voyeur material produced as well as some of the more bizarre things that are put out there. With web cams and digital cameras out there people can quickly upload things that might otherwise not see the light of day.
As Katie commented about the addiction aspect, there will be a push for more excitement and a demand for new things to satisfy. While all this is hurtful, I am worried specifically about the home produced material that may be posted.The people victimized will be wives, girlfriends, etc., those who did not know that a very private and intimate act was being recorded. There is nothing more desirable that the things that should remain unseen and private.
For what it is worth, I am a counselor who has worked with sexual addictions and abuse in a college setting. I currently work with teenagers in a group home. Just my thoughts.
7. Jonnali said the following at 1:15 PM on Oct 25:
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Oh! I look forward to a day when porn is truly "unsexy"! I don't know though...I don't know if that day will come this side of Jesus' return. I wonder if the fact that porn is so widespread it will turn the un-addicted viewers to the History channel or the like OR if so many are already addicted that the law of diminishing returns will just cause the porn/"adult industry" to produce/sell even more destructiveness to all involved, to satisfy the voyeurs/ consumers of porn.
I will continue to hope in Christ and be encouraged that nothing and no one and no industry, is outside of HIS redemption!