Thanks to all here who listen to me here, and for all the amazing things I have learned over the years. Last night, however, I was confronted with a disgusting pornographic image one poster left here. I am all for freedom, but I am so mad and so offended that I will have to boycott my own computer for a while. It's bad enough that the cable company puts this trash on my tv whether I want it or not. Some people enjoy these images. All the power to them. But I find it reprehensible at this stage of my life, and it upsets my emotional balance.

As a man, listen up men, how would you like to open a link and see the backside of your nude body minus hands, feet and head? As if you were a worthless piece of garbage? To be used.

There is no escape anymore in this world from influences like these.

Except to my own little world, with my little dog, and the innocence that remains to be found there.

How disappointed I am with this woman's life. So much freedom, and yet so much brainwashing and disrespect everywhere. How I pity the men in this world too, that these are the values that are embraced by their peers.

Oh, to be a child again, and to start over. And yet, that is also no answer. It is only a dream of a dream of childhood.

We should all be so much kinder, so much more careful.

See you later, sometime, when I can get that image out of my head. What is seen cannot be unseen. We should all remember that. Although, nowadays, they are dreaming of drugs which will wipe away our very memories, whenever we choose.

Is that life? I wonder. Perhaps I need to meditate on this subject for a while. What is life, but this great comedy/tragedy, sometimes trite, sometimes sublime, but more and more choiceless within a great supermarket of .... what next?

Off to my cave.... where my smiles are kept.... one for the road

Volu,

I take it you are 'okay' with sites which advertise 'teen' porn? Female trafficking? Just a 'choice'?

This is a very sick world we live in, and I resent that I have been manipulated by industries like this.

Who says I 'clicked on' the post? I merely clicked the 'last whatever number' of posts button like I always do. The picture was on the post.

That is completely outrageous and wrong and no apology is enough. I was exposed to this crap when I was very young and I RESENT IT!

My choice, to resent it, and you can take your twisted point of view wherever you choose.

Goodbye.

I don't believe in censorship of anything that might be deemed art. I do believe in censoring military intel and the like.

That being said I discovered porn at very young age and it has taken me years to become okay with myself for it. Some of it is definitely not for me, but some of it I think is quite beautiful, but I don't get the impression that you are talking about that stuff here.

I hate that you saw that picture, b2, because it violates your senses. But I would never deny someone their right to view something. What makes porn such a difficult issue is that one can "use" it and still know that they have not violated anyone.

The people who make this stuff are learning valuable lessons too, so while I hate that they are stuck--if that's the case, I know that every path ultimately leads to the same place. Some of us are just choosing a very round a bout way of getting there, I guess.

B2,

Do come back when you feel up to it.  It would be a shame to let one lone porn post drive you from this forum, when you've contributed so much already.

Volu is consistent in his libertarian views.  He takes pains to not judge, even those who many would think would you would be justified in judging.  Volu - your belief seems to be "to each his own, if he is not hurting anyone."

The only problem with "to each his/her own", is that it sets up, in some ways, a moral relativism, where, in the end nothing really matters. 

Of course we make our own meaning,  but as I've said many times, if one sets out love or PUL as the ultimate good, then what follows is action or thought leading toward love (right thought, right action) or away from love (hate, anger, etc.).   In this case, making a case for any value of the pornographic image rings hollow and does, to my outside eye, appear to be moving away from loving thought.

In any event, don't go.  Not for something like this.


Matthew

Sexuality and porn can sure be a touchy subject
I remember when my marriage was strained; especially towards the end, I felt lonely and disconnected from my wife, but I was trying to be faithful and not stray in thought or deed - especially thought. I would really hate those late night TV ads where the half naked sexy girl would ask me to ring her for a chat. I used to feel like throwing a brick at the TV. I also worked with many women, some of whom were sexually inviting, even blatantly offering, and I would get very annoyed inside at them, but remain pleasant on the outside. I was trying hard to be faithful to my wife, and I felt those TV ads and the women at work were making it difficult for me.

Nowadays I am single and celibate and have little or no desire for an intimate relationship, and women occasionally make advances but it is no great struggle to resist now and I just let it go by, or I find it mildly amusing. I found the TV ads and the tempting women at work difficult to cope with because of my own internal conflict. 

As for porn, sure, its often not pleasant to look at, especially if its up close to the "private parts", or if there is explicit detail, but it is just a scene, an image/picture. If we are overly emotionally disturbed by our eye sight falling upon a picture of someone's body parts then we might do well to observe what energies within our self are being stirred and brought into conflict with each other by us seeing the picture.

But yes I agree, some porn is pretty yucky. But if its consenting adults doing it, then isn't that the worst it can be, is yucky, like treading in dog poo? Its unpleasant but that's all. The discomfort/conflict is in us ?? isn't it?

B2, if you're still reading, I didn't see the picture, but what's the worst it could be? A close up of someone's smelly bum? Laugh it off and let it go. Worse things can happen to you than seeing a distasteful picture.     

Images are powerful things.

I didn't see that particular piece of spam. There has been enough spam lately to wonder if there is some concerted effort to disturb this board, but I think that one must have been over the top. More like harassment than advertising. Do Robert Bruce and Tom Campbell have this problem?

I don't see why more people aren't a little more sympathetic to b2. Is ti a guy thing? The description given was pretty gross. I recall the story from the 70's of the judge who sat through a porn movie that turned out to be a snuff movie, and never said a thing. The silence can be a powerful image too. This was an image with no head, hands and feet? (b2's description). yes, all some guys need is an inflatable doll, except that the decapitation sounds more like a power thing than a sex thing.