Is Watching Porn Immoral?

This deserves its own thread. This is from
the Pope thread:

Quote: boymimbo

Watching porn is immoral as you are demeaning the parties involved. The woman and the man are receiving payment for your pleasure, and that's what is immoral.

If they agree to do it of their own free will,
how is that demeaning? By your definition,
actors in a play or a movie are immoral
because they're being paid to give us pleasure.

I agree with Bob. If thats the definition then watching all actors and athletes is immoral. Also is a steamy romantic sex scene in Titanic ok but just sex for sex's sake isn't?

It's immoral because it demeans the actors? That's lame.


While I don't agree that extra-marital sex is immoral, I'll accept that many people believe that it is. If they said that watching porn is immoral because it encourages others to have extra-marital sex, I would have a hard time arguing their cause and effect point.

Those with such a belief usually hold that masturbation is immoral too. Given that belief, it would seem a different argument could be that watching porn would be immoral because it often leads to masurbation. And again, I'd have a hard time arguing the cause and effect.


But watching porn demeans the actors, and therefore we shouldn't watch? That's a lame excuse at best.

Bottom line, I agree with Bob.

12% of all websites are porn.
25% of all search engine requests are porn.
its more popular than the news!

Quote: DJTeddyBear

It's immoral because it demeans the actors? That's lame.

Indeed. How about it demeans the viewer?

Of course, that depends on the kind of porn you're talking about.

Quote: WongBo

12% of all websites are porn.
25% of all search engine requests are porn.

And for that reason about 70% of all viruses
are gotten from porn sites.

Quote: Nareed

Indeed. How about it demeans the viewer?
.

It only demeans the viewer if you're looking
at it thru a keyhole.

The first porn I saw was in 1967 when they
opened the first hardcore porn theatre locally.
The women were not very attractive and it
was wildly bad to go there. It was also $4.00
and a regular movie was only $1.25 in those
days. Now you can see the most drop dead
gorgeous women in the world from your home
office. Where there's demand, there's supply.

Seriously, how can watching an all star beauty like
Jenna Jameson be immoral? She's the girl next door..

Boymimbo how is it immoral to pay someone to give you pleasure? Is a masseuese is the same thing as a whore?

Quote: bigfoot66

Boymimbo how is it immoral to pay someone to give you pleasure? Is a masseuese is the same thing as a whore?

You mean all those ladies advertising massages are masseuses ? really LOL

The big argument on the net seems to be
porn promotes lust, so its immoral. So that
means 50% of TV commercials are immoral,
every time a woman wears a short skirt its
immoral, anytime you see cleavage, like in
the Wiz's videos, its immoral. Because it all
promotes lust. Yet every human is the product
of lust, you can have sex without it, but its
not easy. How can lust be immoral if its what
keeps the human race from dying out.

an organization like the catholic church that shielded pedophiles for decades forfeits the right to preach on morality.

Quote: WongBo

an organization like the catholic church that shielded pedophiles for decades forfeits the right to preach on morality.

Well said.

Quote: WongBo

an organization like the catholic church that shielded pedophiles for decades forfeits the right to preach on morality.

As we've seen in years gone by, the coverup is as
heinous as the crime itself. It makes everyone
involved a co-conspirator.

Quote: EvenBob

Seriously, how can watching an all star beauty like
Jenna Jameson be immoral? She's the girl next door..

Oh, look, it's my skinny look-a-like.

Quote: Nareed

Indeed. How about it demeans the viewer?

Of course, that depends on the kind of porn you're talking about.

I think that's inside the viewer's heart, Nareed. If you watch it and feel demeaned, then it's bad for you. If I watch it and feel amused, then it's OK; I didn't feel degraded.

Quote: EvenBob

And for that reason about 70% of all viruses
are gotten from porn sites.

ACTUALLY, Bob,

Porn is generally safer than the rest of the internet, virus-wise. I'll find the study (it was recent, within the last 6 months) and edit this post to add the link, when I find it.

Edit: Here's one. This doesn't mean that it's safe, just that it's safer.

Quote: Mosca

Porn is generally safer than the rest of the internet, virus-wise.

But if you wear a condom while watching porn you'll get AIDS :P

Quote: HotBlonde

Quote: EvenBob

Seriously, how can watching an all star beauty like
Jenna Jameson be immoral? She's the girl next door..

Oh, look, it's my skinny look-a-like.

Burqua's for both of you!!!! And no driving the car either!!!

Quote: WongBo

an organization like the catholic church that shielded pedophiles for decades forfeits the right to preach on morality.

Couldn't have said it any better.
+1

Watching porn immoral? Deceptively complicated question... Free speech aside in MAKING porn, remember 9/11/01 nearly shut down the biz.
Perhaps people thought... "that's where the money went", to finance such an atrocity., but we didn;t stop buying mid-east oil, which is much more likely a source.

So based upon the lack of porn sales(Internet, rentals, DVD/CD) during the period following 9/11 (which has been published from time-to-time by several Adult Entertainment Stat-keepers and Co. owners/Execs), MHO is people did feel guilty about it, and knew they were doing something they shouldn't do. I'll call it immoral, the rest can call it late for supper, for all I care.

Hey, a thread about me. Look, I don't want porn outlawed. I *love* porn. But I don't pretend for one minute or justify that it's right for me watch porn, because in my opinion, it's not.

Of course the entire porn industry is quite immoral. First, it's extremely degrading to women. Do you think for a second that any of the women in the porn industry WANT to do that for a living? They're paid very poorly ($500 and up, per scene) to display their wares. They are selling and buying into a body image that is unrealistic. Most of the most popular porn stars, including Jenna Jameson (man, she was hot before the boob jobs) have had multiple boob jobs, ass jobs, bleaching, etc in order to last longer in the industry. Usually, women who enter the porn industry do it against their will -- they are recruited on college campuses, in malls. Do you think a young woman just walks into Vivid Video and say, "I want a career in porn?". No... it is usually a last resort choice. When you start having sex for someone you don't know for money, everything becomes okay. You've sold your body. Why not overdose on drugs and commit suicide, as your body image is low enough.

For men who watch porn, well we have a few things going on. First off, there is the commandment about adultery. We should not be fantasizing about other women and we should try to be completely "into" the one that we love. Secondly, we tend to normalize pornography in our lives and we get disappointed when our real lives don't meet the fantasies that we watch -- we expect the women in our lives to look the same as and *do* the same things that say, Brooke, Syren, Asia Carrera, or other favorite porn stars. Those expectations are unrealistic. Thirdly, if you watch enough porn, you get desensitized to the real thing, which can hurt your real relationship and real sex life. Fourthly, we objectify women when we watch porn. This comes into our real life. And I will simply say that objectifying women is immoral.

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" - Matthew 5:27 - 28.

Speak for yourself, why don't you.
You don't speak for all men.
Not every man is in a relationship.
Not every man is even heterosexual.
And not every man cares what the Judeo Christian bible has to say about anything.

Who else would I be speaking for?

Quote: boymimbo

Do you think for a second that any of the women in the porn industry WANT to do that for a living?

Absolutely. Its easy money, good hours and some of these women are
millionaires because of it. You've living 35 years ago when they were
all hookers and drug addicts. Times have changed.

boymimbo can speak for me on this issue. I think he is doing a fine job. I'm kind of tired recently of arguing the obvious on the forum such as the existence of God, contraception is bad for society, and now a question about the immorality of pornography, are you kidding me?

Quote: FrGamble

and now a question about the immorality of pornography, are you kidding me?

Why is it immoral? Nobody seems to know.

Quote: FrGamble

boymimbo can speak for me on this issue. I think he is doing a fine job. I'm kind of tired recently of arguing the obvious on the forum such as the existence of God, contraception is bad for society, and now a question about the immorality of pornography, are you kidding me?

The existence of god has not been proven or disproven.
Your opinion on contraception is the minority opinion.
And the porn industry brings in more money
than the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB combined,
Every male on this forum except you is a consumer of porn,
So if you are tired of the content maybe this isn't the place for you to preach your narrow views.

Quote: FrGamble

boymimbo can speak for me on this issue. I think he is doing a fine job. I'm kind of tired recently of arguing the obvious on the forum such as the existence of God, contraception is bad for society, and now a question about the immorality of pornography, are you kidding me?

Uhhhh... but you keep doing it, even starting the discussion.

Quote: FrGamble

boymimbo can speak for me on this issue. I think he is doing a fine job. I'm kind of tired recently of arguing the obvious on the forum such as the existence of God, contraception is bad for society, and now a question about the immorality of pornography, are you kidding me?

Hold on. You are saying that it's OBVIOUS that contraception is bad for society? Not that it's debatable, but that it's obvious? C'mon man.

I don't think revenue is a measure of morality. Bernie Madoff was taking in tons of money. Is he moral?

Quote: boymimbo

I don't think revenue is a measure of morality. Bernie Madoff was taking in tons of money. Is he moral?

Porn is not a crime, Ponzi schemes are.

Child pornography is a crime. We can talk about how children are hurt by pornography.

Here in LA an 8th grade female teacher's job is in jeopardy because she is suspected of being a porn star. I guess here in California being in porn is against the "MORAL code" for teachers.

Porn Star Teacher

I have never been to a strip club and it's hard for me to get turned on watching porn. I can't imagine what situation those girls must be in to lower themselves in that way. Molestation victims dont turn me on.

EDIT: TL;DR - YAY PORN!

Quote: boymimbo

Of course the entire porn industry is quite immoral. First, it's extremely degrading to women. Do you think for a second that any of the women in the porn industry WANT to do that for a living?

I'll grant you that a portion of the women aren't particularly excited at the prospect of doing porn but I'd say the majority are. Working in the casino industry for as long as I have I've met my share of girls with, well, different moral codes than most. During that time I've personally known 2 girls who did porn, 4 that became strippers, and countless girls that did risque forms of modeling.

Both girls who did porn did at least a dozen scenes and really liked it (mostly because of the money, travel, and party lifestyle). One of them did have a bad experience early on until she hooked up with a more reputable production company. That bad experience didn't involve violence or degradation, it was just a low-rent amateur place that wasn't what she was expecting.

Of the four that became strippers three eventually quit; two because they became involved in a serious relationship and their boyfriends asked them to stop, one became tired with all the B.S. and drama involved, and one who entered drug treatment. Only the one who entered drug treatment ever expressed regret for having been a stripper.

Quote: boymimbo

They're paid very poorly ($500 and up, per scene) to display their wares.

If $500 and up for a half day shoot is being paid poorly, I want your job.

Quote: boymimbo

They are selling and buying into a body image that is unrealistic.

So are party pit dealers, models, actresses, and basically any job that heavily employs females.

Quote: boymimbo

Usually, women who enter the porn industry do it against their will -- they are recruited on college campuses, in malls.

[Citation Needed] Really? They are abducted, thrown into vans, and raped? There are shady cheesecake porn producers who will lure aspiring models into cheesecake porn shoots but this represents a very small minority of the porn consumed in America and shouldn't be used to judge the industry and consumption of porn as a whole.

Quote: boymimbo

Do you think a young woman just walks into Vivid Video and say, "I want a career in porn?".

Yes, yes I do. In many cases the girls hear about it through friends who work in the industry and decide to try it for themselves. They are introduced by their friends to their industry contacts and go from there. You'll also see many girls who start out as "erotic models" on a site like Model Mayhem and get recruited for nude photoshoots and then, willfully, move on to sex scenes for the increased paycheck.

Quote: boymimbo

For men who watch porn, well we have a few things going on. First off, there is the commandment about adultery. We should not be fantasizing about other women and we should try to be completely "into" the one that we love.

I can agree with statement to an extent. Even as an atheist I don't like to obsessively watch porn since I'm in a relationship. This is mostly because I don't want my girlfriend to feel hurt. I still do watch some as for me it's just different; it's more of a relaxation thing than anything else. Still, even that argument would only mean it's immoral for men in a relationship to watch porn. That's not a judgement on the industry or consumption by single men.

Quote: boymimbo

Secondly, we tend to normalize pornography in our lives and we get disappointed when our real lives don't meet the fantasies that we watch -- we expect the women in our lives to look the same as and *do* the same things that say, Brooke, Syren, Asia Carrera, or other favorite porn stars.

Not in the slightest. I don't and wouldn't ever compare my girlfriend's looks to a porn star. I also don't expect her to do the things I see in porn, nor would I want her to do many of the things I may enjoy watching.

Quote: boymimbo

Thirdly, if you watch enough porn, you get desensitized to the real thing, which can hurt your real relationship and real sex life.

I'll grant you that, but again that only applies to men in a relationship.

Quote: boymimbo

Fourthly, we objectify women when we watch porn. This comes into our real life. And I will simply say that objectifying women is immoral.

Women have been objectified long before the first caveman drew some boobs on a cave wall. I can't say watching porn has made me objectify women or judge them any differently than if I'd never watched porn.

Quote: boymimbo

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" - Matthew 5:27 - 28.

When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge. - Leviticus 15:28 - 30.

I'm pretty sure these girls are already going to hell for not sacrificing pigeons to God to atone for their menstrual cycle, so what will a little porn hurt?

Boymimbo, you are so ignorant of the realities of modern
porn, I almost can't believe it. You're describing the seedy
porn business of 40 years ago, not the modern era. Have
you ever looked at YouPorn? Thousands of videos done
by very willing young women who weren't paid or kidnapped
or drugged or threatened into it. The stigma that was
attached to porn is long gone, women love showing off their
bodies and the industry is flourishing.

One of the big changes too is amatuer porn. That means couples and people willing to do this on camera for fun. Bob is right. Some of these girls are multi millionares. Also, looking at another woman and hugging and friendly kissing is not cheating in my culture and we are christians. Then again this is why the Greeks seperated into their own church over a thousand years ago and never looked back.

Sigh.

I am not ignorant of the realities of modern porn, at all. My comments are based on today's research.

The prevelance of porn today desensitizes men and as a result we seek out more extreme forms of pornography, including harsher, more violence, and more degrading images. Porn makers recognize this and are surprised by the demands for violence in porn.

The audience for porn is getting younger. The average age that a boy first sees porn is 11. Studies show that the earlier that men use porn, the more likely they are to have problems developing more intimate relations with real women. Some men prefer porn to actual sex. Some men are upset when their partners do want or enjoy the fantasies that they see in porn.

Porn also changes the way women and girls think about their sexuality and their relationships. The more porn images filter into mainstream culture, the more women are reduced to sex objects. For me, I see this - my 14 year old daughter has to accept the act of "grinding" as the norm at high school (and yes, middle school) dances. The reason that you see alot more women going into porn is because they are just "fine" being a sex object -- it's normalized in today's society. How humiliating. The proliferation of porn into today's society means that my daughter will be normally expected to perform acts that any 40 year old female today would find humiliating. My daughter, the sex object. This means, as a teenager, alot more pressure to perform sexual acts such as oral sex and sex with multiple partners without commitments (or really not even knowing the person) because hey, that's what porn is all about.

I see the liberal counterargument (which Bob, I find interesting coming from you) - that porn can liberate couples by introducing fantasy into their lives, that some men appreciate female beauty, and that some people don't have a problem at all with their relationships with their significant others, and hey, if you don't have a significant other, it doesn't matter.

But what I'm talking about is trending. Some individuals can watch porn and have it not affect their lives at all. But for society at large, I believe that watching porn is generally immoral.

> Do you think for a second that any of the women in the porn industry WANT to do that for a living?
Perhaps not but they sure dream about doing some of that stuff. Anyway most women making money in the porn industry are lawyers and distributors, not so-called sex workers.

>They are selling and buying into a body image that is unrealistic.
Women have done that for centuries. All advertising models bear little relationship to "real" women. Or as Richard Armour put it "Store window mannequins have slender fannykins". TV and movie stars have waistlines unlike the women you see on the street and don't even get me started on Extreme Corseting. (Corsets are another profitable business these days).

>You've sold your body.
Can you find me a female college student who hasn't? Or young female in the work force?

>For men who watch porn,
... Doctors, lawyers, programmers, accountants, mechanics, cops, etc. etc. AND their wives and girlfriends too.
For the last two decades female porn markets have been booming.

Quote: boymimbo

But for society at large, I believe that watching porn is generally immoral.

Then don't watch it, real simple. Its an art form,
like anything else. There's bad porn and there's
great porn. In heaven you and Jesus can talk
about how smart you were not to watch. Oh
wait, you can talk to him now, I keep forgetting.

Thanks for the generalization, Bob. I wouldn't expect anything more from you though.

I watch porn. I believe it's immoral for me to do so. I am therefore a hypocrite. I can freely admit that I'm less than perfect.

My belief in the lord Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it.

Quote: boymimbo

I watch porn. I believe it's immoral for me to do so. I am therefore a hypocrite.

You're a kid, you'll get over it someday, wait and see.

I dont understand why ppl on here are saying that watching porn is immoral? Like gambling is not a form of addiction or like gambling is moral? Gambling can actually hurt something in your life if ur addicted, waching porn never did! dueces xoxo

The Christian churches were offered two things: the spirit of Jesus and the idiotic morality of Paul,
and they rejected the higher inspiration...
Following Paul, we have turned the goodness of love into a fiend
and degraded the crowning impulse of our being into a capital sin.

Frank Harris

Quote: WongBo

The Christian churches were offered two things: the spirit of Jesus and the idiotic morality of Paul,
and they rejected the higher inspiration...
Following Paul, we have turned the goodness of love into a fiend
and degraded the crowning impulse of our being into a capital sin.

Frank Harris

I have no idea what that means :) but i have 3 words for you: I'm A JEW :)

Quote: EuropeanHottie

Gambling can actually hurt something in your life if ur addicted, waching porn never did! dueces xoxo

That's debatable. Judging by the comments in this thread there are many who suffer from chafing.

Quote: WongBo

Following Paul, we have turned the goodness of love into a fiend

Hey, just because Paul hated women and always traveled
with his young male 'assistant', that doesn't make
him a bad guy.

Quote: EuropeanHottie

I have no idea what that means :) but i have 3 words for you: I'm A JEW :)

So was Jesus ;)