Adult Media Under Fire

This blog makes a clear distinction between rape and other forms of abuse, especially the abuse of minors, and loving, consensual sex (mosty between adults). I like to include links to resources for people looking for more information about preventing and dealing with child abuse. This blog also makes a distinction between media made by and enjoyed by adults, and media made through the abuse of children to perpetuate the abuse of children. Just as this blog condemns rape and abuse, this blog condemns such material.

At We Are Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Neglect, which is a webite I think can be much help for a lot of people, I found something written by Diane that attacks telecom companies, hotel companies, and credit card companies for allowing people to enjoy sex-positive media. I had to write my objections to Diane's commentary.

The porn industry is larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink.

That means a lot of people like it. It isn’t for everyone, of course. But some people can’t seem to grasp the idea that not everything has to be enjoyed by everyone to be available. If you don't like, don't watch it. You don't have to make stuff up about how bad it is for those who do watch it, which is what Diane (or her source), does.

Here are some of the common, but false messages sanctioned by these providers:

Sex with anyone, under any circumstances, any way it is desired, is beneficial and does not have negative consequences.

Ever hear of fantasy? I mean really. Jason Borne films promote the idea that I can us a rolled up magazine to successful fight off someone who is trying to kill me. Fantasy is often about things we can’t actually have or do in life. Ever hear of fairy tales?

Women have one value – to meet the sexual demands of men.

Asserting this doesn’t make it true, any more than saying soap operas promote the idea that men have one value; to meet the financial and romantic demands of women.

Marriage and children are obstacles to sexual fulfillment.

Sometimes, for a great many people, this is true, especially when talking about monogamous heterosexual marriage, epecially when those marriages are not really monogamous because no sex is taking place. Not everyone is cut out for heterosexuality or monogamy; some people aren’t cut out to have any partner, or not cut out to live with a partner. To these people, monogamous heterosexual marriage is an obstacle to fulfillment.

As far as children; they’re great. Children are wonderful. But even the happiest parents will admit that having and raising children greatly limited their sex lives. Raising children takes a lot of energy and time, and takes a certain kind of household. Spontaneous sex and sex in other rooms than the bedroom becomes more difficult when where are children in the home. It takes at least 18 years for the children to be raised at out of the home. That’s a long time.

In Linda’s case, having children has turned out bring her sexual fulfillment. But it took a couple of decades, and I don't think it is what Diane had in mind.

Everyone is involved in promiscuous sexual activity and infidelity.

Again the Jason Bourne movies teach that everyone is an assassin.

So again, what was the problem?

The Department of Justice said, “Never before in the history of telecommunications media in the United States has so much indecent (and obscene) material been so easily accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few restrictions.” And that was stated 14 years ago. It is only getting worse.

Yes, communications advancements make all media much more accessible, including educational media and religious media. But there are many controls parents can use; more than when that repot was written. We can’t structure our society based on the idea that children are going to do/access everything that exists. For example, there are more automobiles now than there ever were before, so it is easier for children to climb into one and take a deadly joyride. Is that a good argument against cars?

One of the major concerns is, like I stated in The Media’s Sex Education Campaign, that millions of children who are sexually abused every day, millions of women who are raped every day, and the brutality of domestic violence occurring all around us, doesn’t mean a thing to these media executives.

How does that follow? These terrible things were going on long before cinema and photography. At least one study links adult entertainment with a reduction in rape.

Has anyone ever heard of personal accountability? Let’s blame rapists for rape, not entertainment producers. Let's blame child abusers for child abuse, not a DVD.