I’m not sure pro- and anti-porn are terms that can apply to people without absolutist “all bad” or “all good” positions. Perhaps pro- or anti-censorship would make more sense, although, as noted, the debate doesn’t seem to have matured to that degree yet.

I think the anti-porn push is greater in America than it is here in the UK, probably due to our comparative lack of a religious lobby on that specific issue. Perhaps that is why, in my experience, the greater vitriol comes from pro-porn “advocates”, who continually insist that if someone does not enjoy watching other people have sex, they must not enjoy *anything* about sex *at all*, even having it themselves. The construction of not enjoying pornography as somehow being “anti-sex” is horrific and abusive, and I think anyone advocating for the harmlessness of porn for many people needs to make sure to steer clear of it.

Sadly the UK has gone down the prohibition route in recent years, because it pleases the reactionary mainstream press. The Government has yet to understand the benefits of legalise+regulate in any area of policy.

Anyway, great read, thanks.

I agree with Charlie that both pro and anti pornography arguments have many valid points that deserve our attention, and it is important to note that sexual desires and the ethical mind often send our minds two different signals. On one hand, I feel that the more pornography is accepted into the American Zeitgeist, the less guilt and shame we’ll suffer and the better off we’ll all be. On the other hand, I see that allowing a place for sex-positive, feminist pornography to thrive, also means allowing a place for pornography that may objectify and degrade women. The line between them is often blurred and hard to define, and may challenge how comfortable we feel with the ethics of our own sexuality. Personal accounts of these struggles are what inspired my interest in the psychology of human sexuality and pushed me through college with a fascination for the diversity of the human experience.