[YourTokah]

Quote by: Flip Jackson When I said "I don't think we should have it all over the place," I meant the way it streams through every brance of the media known to man whether we like it or not. I did not mean sex itself, but the way we treat sex as a toy in magazines, television shows, commercials, billboards, movies, games, and whatever other outlet you can think of. Almost every thing and everyone seems to say that sex has no emotional purpose and should be had with whoever, whenever. This is the ill effect of porn. Especially unavoidable, mass porn.

I agree that sex is everywhere in the media. Sex sells, plain and simple. Everyone wants to be desirable, sexy, lust and love-worthy, so sex sells. I'm not sure how you justify the belief that everyone seems to say that it has no emotional purpose and should be had with whomever, whenever. If it had no purpose and should be completely random and meaningless, then it wouldn't sell. It sells because it has a purpose (a variety of purposes, at that) and because people who buy into it are hoping that Their own personal sex will sell to someone. Maybe their spouse, their boyfriend or girlfriend, their lover, or a stranger they meet out somewhere. No one wants to be undesirable.

Also, you say that this is the effect of porn, unavoidable mass porn. So the sexed-up advertisements that show a woman in the shower with some body soap or shampoo or thta show Paris Hilton eating a Hardees burger are porn? Examples of mass porn? I think our opinions of what pornography is obviously differ quite a bit.

Quote by: Flip Jackson And while I have other reasons for thinking we treat sex too lightly, I do feel it is sacred. It is kind of tied with my view of marraige, with I consider sacred also. Sex has so many other pieces to it than just satisfying a physical need. It allows for an intimacy and emotional connection with someone you are close to. While I agree sex is natural, I consider humans above animals. Having sex merely to procreate is what animals do. There is a lot more involved when humans have sex. This is what makes it detrimental to people and society.

Some individuals feel as you do, that sex is sacred (whether for religious reasons or not) and belongs within the institution of marriage. I feel that it would be fair to say that the majority of individuals do not reserve sex as a sacred act for their someday-spouse. It's a charming romantic notion, like right up there with the soulmate you'd be having that sacred sex with. In reality, however, lots of people are having lots of sex, for lots of reasons. Not just to satisfy a physical need. Perhaps it's to satisfy an emotional need. Maybe it's exercise. Maybe sex is their Tuesday morning suburbian ritual. Maybe it's purely about desire. Lust and Want. There's nothing wrong with lust, it's necessary for the sustainment of our species.

"This is what makes it detrimental to people and society." I am assuming you are referring to porn, not to sex. ??? And if you Are refering to porn, then please explain just exactly HOW it is detrimental to society. What does porn DO that makes it detrimental?

Humans can't be "better" than animals - we are animals, we're mammals. We're a little higher on the food chain, that's all, because our brains function differently and quite well compared to other animals. BTW, Dolphins also have sex simply out of lust and the desire for the pleasureable feelings they can receive - not necessarily to procreate.

Quote by: Flip Jackson When I say commonplace and dirty, I mean we show no respect for the act anymore. It is done by people who don't know each other, but want to slick their lusts. There is no requirement but being human sometimes. Porn seems to encourage sex with anyone just to quench your sexual appetite. This is a problem. We can't act as if sex doesn't have emotional and phychological effects. If there was nothing beyond the physical act, then why do affairs cause so many problems? Why is it worse than shaking someone's hand? Because there are emotional ties involved. Another human's feelings are at stake. Sex has powerful effects on the participants, and we should respect that power more than we do.

Why should we show respect to the act? We should be thankful that someone thought of it, somewhere way back in the beginning of our kind, because it can be highly pleasurable. But it isn't an entity deserving of respect. It's an act, an activity, a part of nature, of human nature, and of life.
And so what if two people don't know eachother and are feeling randy and want to give it a go? Sex doesn't Always have to be about an emotional commitment to one another. It can be about an understanding that a mutual need and/or desire is present, and you can go somewhere and very easily satisfy that need/desire, and as long as you take proper precautions, everyone walks away unscathed, and indeed, feeling much better than before they had their go-round.

"Porn seems to encourage sex with anyone just to quench your sexual appetite. This is a problem."
Porn isn't a mind-control device encouraging individuals to start having sex with people As Seen On TV. Porn is an erotic tool, something to get you turned on and juiced up, something you might enjoy when the wife's at work and you're lonely or you're single and you'd like a little visual stimulation along with your solo masturbation. That said, that porn is NOT encouraging sex, it's simply a venue for sex to be viewed by those already interested in Having sex (and in that state, you don't really need any encouragement) - That said, Why is quenching your sexual appetite a problem? Surely you don't believe that we should deny ourselves something that our body is saying it wants?

Sex CAN have emotional and psychological effects, but it doesn't have to. Some married couples swing (i.e., wife-swap) and the sex is purely about fun, friendship, physical fulfillment. Then the spouses swap back and get to go home and tell eachother all about it, which usually leads to more sex.

Affairs cause problems because they're affairs. They're infidelities. They're lies and broken trust. The affair is 9.9 times out of 10 not about sex at all, although sex is likely to be present. It's about a FEELING that one spouse or the other isn't getting from their spouse. A feeling of fulfillment, of being needed, of being wanted, of being good enough - you name it. But sex and sex alone is RARELY the factor that will cause a spouse to cheat. And in those instances where sex WAS the only factor, what does that have to do with pornography?