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alexandra_k said:
I don't think it is particularly heated...

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My own baggage then... I'm very uncomfortable with conflict! One of the things I'm in therapy for....

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I guess it is an empirical matter... Whether people can acquire phobias later in life due to experiences... Whether people can acquire sexual preferences later in life due to experiences... Whether people can acquire fetishes later in life due to experiences etc etc etc.

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I guess I made my opinion known already on that one. Though I thought phobias resulted more often from traumatic events? (I could be wrong there -- not really my field of knowledge.) I do think traumatic events (rape, etc.) would impact a person's sexuality. But I don't think porn has the powerful impact of experience. Though it could certainly shock the hell out of someone. I tend to think that's more likely to result in revulsion than a decision to try to figure out how to like something that's not appealing. Even becoming desensitized to the graphics of porn doesn't make a person change who they are.

It's interesting (to me) that I'm arguing in favor of porn here since I don't much care for it myself. I do think it has its uses though. I know I've occasionally read pornographic stories in order to become aroused (when I was having difficulties with sex). That's really useful. I've also enjoyed the relief of being able to talk about some of the fantasies I'd never act on (I do have a few of those!) -- to be comfortable with having a dark-fantasy side to sexuality. Porn can help with that (for me, I prefer porn stories to graphics, but I think that's just personal preference and others might like visuals).

What I'm saying overall is that I don't think pornography has that much power. I don't think it can change what a person wants or make someone do bad sexual things. I think it's just there to gratify our tastes for the naughty (or whatever someone's tastes are!). I think there's a bigger case to be made that participants (porn stars) are involved because of abusive past experiences (which has already been discussed here), but I also don't believe that would apply to all participants -- and in any case I support the freedom of individuals to make their own choices (even if they make bad choices based on bad events from the past, even if they make choices solely for money or based on low self-esteem, etc.). And I'll toss in the fact that some people may like that line of work. I say that because of an earlier post of mine in which I mentioned that I sometimes like feeling like a sexual object etc. (I mentioned that I've thought about sharing photos from my own sex life before). It's not hard for me to imagine that someone else might be much more into the idea than I am and choose it as a lifestyle. I'll never know what other people's motivations are, but their choices are their own.

I guess all this is just describing why I'm not particularly offended by porn. But I'll always want it kept away from the kids!

Interesting discussion!

Sidony