Re: sex
Interesting and thought provoking post Marie which makes a change for the last few! However I have to take issue with this:
We need to be able to distinguish fine art and its motives and effects from commercial packages of titilation floated from the 'sub-culture' into the culture with the implicit sales-pitch that to object, reject, or censor is 'uncool' or 'unliberated'. This does not infantalise adults - men or women - or reduce their freedom but rather engages their maturity in the necessity of deciding and working for the kind of community and society in which the position of those more vulnerable - the young - is respected.
Even leaving porn specifically aside for a moment, how can anybody realistically arrive at an objective or authoritative assessment of the intrinsic artistic "value" or aesthetic "worth" of any work when such things are largely (or wholly?) subjective. To attempt to impose rules in this context is to risk arbitarily marginalising that which is considered beyond the pale at any point in time and to stultify creativity. Just think of all the artistic works which, in their time, were considered offensive but which are now hailed as works of genius.
Interesting and thought provoking post Marie which makes a change for the last few! However I have to take issue with this:
We need to be able to distinguish fine art and its motives and effects from commercial packages of titilation floated from the 'sub-culture' into the culture with the implicit sales-pitch that to object, reject, or censor is 'uncool' or 'unliberated'. This does not infantalise adults - men or women - or reduce their freedom but rather engages their maturity in the necessity of deciding and working for the kind of community and society in which the position of those more vulnerable - the young - is respected.
Even leaving porn specifically aside for a moment, how can anybody realistically arrive at an objective or authoritative assessment of the intrinsic artistic "value" or aesthetic "worth" of any work when such things are largely (or wholly?) subjective. To attempt to impose rules in this context is to risk arbitarily marginalising that which is considered beyond the pale at any point in time and to stultify creativity. Just think of all the artistic works which, in their time, were considered offensive but which are now hailed as works of genius.