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Pornography seems to be one of those taboo subjects in society, with good reason. If sex is not to be discussed openly and seen as offensive for normal conversation, then for sure the depiction of sex in media form should also be obscene and lewd, inappropriate. Yet pornography is definitely out there, and many MANY people consume it on a pretty regular basis, especially nowadays due to the ubiquitous nature of it and ease of access, no barrier to entry (anyone with internet access, essentially).

Porn is one of those things that shows the opposite extremes of people and the opinions they hold (so it's not like ice cream cuz everyone likes ice cream!) Some people despise porn and say it's a hindrance on society, that it objects women (and really men too) into mere sexual objects and shows the exploitation of women, gives people the wrong image of what sex should be, what expressing love physically should be like. Then there's people who are totally fine with pornography, not only as a form of self-expression and art but also because it's the natural to the human race. In fact, there's Hollywood movies out there that are borderline pornography films, (Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Hanks comes to mind) so why shouldn't everyone see pornography.

I personally think that pornography is different for men than women, in the same way that sex might mean different things for men and women, men might use it as just an urge to fulfill their desires. I haven't met many women who have claimed to like pornography or even watch it, so it's hard to dissect, hard to form an opinion on the matter. I'm sure women do watch porn, but I wonder if it's viewed differently as a form of expressing love, or that their outlet is more romantic novels than the aggressive, even violent nature of sex. Also, I think general nudity is attractive for both genders, it's very tempting to look at nudity of the opposite gender and admire the various idyllic physical features. It's the "hardcore" material of actual sexual contact that probably sets apart what men and women want in the experience.

Personally, as I've grown older I've taken a more conservative stance on porn: I feel (unfortunately) very excited about porn before watching it, and then very guilty after watching it (too late) and realize it's like a bad drug, like alcohol or tobacco, without necessarily the health effects, but it lures you in with a physical response and is used to fund some shady organizations (not illegal organizations like illegal drugs do) but companies that trick women (and maybe some men) into performing sexual acts on camera and for all I know causes pain and suffering and a lifetime of notoriety for the female "porn stars." Essentially, I feel bad that every time I watch porn, I support an industry that manipulates women into selling their bodies, which even though they're past the age of consent and getting paid to do so, still inadvertently raises the market for such media, all so I can have a little bit of pleasure which is very momentary and turns into regret and feeling of wastefulness soon after. Especially because I have MJ now, have someone to share my life with, I don't think I need porn all that much anymore.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan