Of Poldark and porn.

Poldark

My post yesterday and the subsequent comments prompted me to consider the the porn industry and the offerings of modern television schedules in general, further.

Pornography for me is neither particularly offensive nor a pleasure and I don't feel degraded by it as a woman or a human being. As Dale said in his comment, "in North America it is big business" and were there not a market for it we can be rest assured that in an era, where the mighty dollar is a God, it would not exist in the volume it does. There has always been, and doubtless will always be, an enormous market for the mainly low quality products this industry produces....The Sun's page three and Hugh Heffners Playboy are now institutions, they are in comparison to most more recent offerings tame stuff but none the less they appeal to the same base nature in a large proportion of individuals.

Sex is an inherent part of mankind and since time began a powerful driving force in much that we do. It is therefore no great surprise that human nature has an unending fascination with it in one form or another. One only has to google the word 'sex' to get an idea of how much is out there, it would not be so if there were no market. I cannot say that this is a 'man only' phenomenon though I would suggest that women prefer in the main, something slightly less 'in your face'......as an individual whilst I have no problem with pornography in essence, the unending close ups of random individuals engaging in multifarious acts that must on occasion defy even the most athletic body leaves me cold. At best it is soul-less. Porn is for the most part aimed at the male of the species and there is no doubt it is received with relish. Men and women are inherently different creatures (ok guys I know you didn't need that pointing out) and if you have ever tried to find pornography for women on the internet you will know how little, by comparison, there is.

I am of course talking here of what has become the 'legitimate' main stream porn industry, where those involved are involved of their own choice and free will and have not been coerced. Where coercion and deviance are involved I have like most a big problem with it, that is a whole different subject and a very tragic one. We all have our own opinion as to where normal behaviors end and deviance begins but there is no need for me to spell that out here.

My main concerns with what is on offer and how it is offered are these. Firstly pornography is for adults and spamming and advertising that is available to minors requires much tighter controls than are currently in place. Children should be bought up in a safe environment to enjoy a true childhood and learning that sex is only about self gratification is harmful. Porn most definitely does not promote sex as part of a loving and respectful relationship!

Secondly, like advertising, it concerns me that the presentation of all that is pornographic instills in people unrealistic standards and goals in life. The reality is that we are not all sexual Houdinis, with perfectly honed and well endowed bodies and nor are we multi orgasmic on a thrice daily basis! Is it any wonder that sex therapists are inundated with lost souls feeling unnecessarily inadequate and that the population at large feels they are somehow missing out?

All this brings me to my second point....the content of modern television schedules.

I was bought up in a household where television was a big part of our life, not because we watched it unendingly, quite the reverse, we, as children, where only allowed very limited access but because my father worked for the BBC for nigh on 40 years at the sharp end in production. He and his colleagues were proud of what they produced, they had been in from the very early days of modern TV, had watched it grow and were involved in its evolution.

Today, despite a vast array of channels and options the quality and choice on our screens, with a few exceptions, is dismal and for the most part is made up of reality shows, game shows, porn by another name and 'drama' that concentrates on either sex, violence or both. There is good work out there but you have to look damn hard to find. Anything mentally challenging or stimulating is generally well hidden. The days of treats such as Poldark and David Attenboroughs journeys around our natural world are sadly all but gone..........feel good, stimulating television is rapidly becoming a thing of the past!

And who do we blame? We blame the production and broadcasting companies... but while we turn on in our millions to watch this claptrap it is hardly surprising, in an industry that is like most, economically controlled that claptrap is what we get!!!