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ArmyOfNone wrote (edited )

Here's an issue that is pretty hard to stand in defense of. While one form or another of porn is ubiquitous through history, it's not really something we'd defend as either necessary, even less healthy...

Tho for such a patronizing state as the UK, that's more of them white-knighting their way into "defending women", and justify more totalitarian policing.

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fortmis wrote

I don't think it's that hard to defend. There's good porn and there's not good porn and there's bad porn. Also, we need to not think of porn as only videos online.

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Spring wrote

I must admit this is a blind spot for me, but I thought porn was exploitative. If anyone would point me to further reading on the topic that would be awesome of them.

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rattledlove1139 wrote

i do not know exactly where read because mostly read just from casual blogs and things but
True can exploit and hurt very bad, but do not mean making porn is problem always. need be comfortable choice, with workers respected, taken care of properly, stop if boundaries are crossed. Not all porn producers do that (...but is that different from any other industry?) - but then there is also plenty indie porn, people who control their own material and make sure no one hurt. Possible to choose who and what support

And that is really what article say problem, not ask any actual sex workers for thoughts, only anti porn. There IS lots should change but not good change if just make all illegal, making harder to produce and share will only make easier for the worse stuff to survive, and be more dangerous for people involved
sometimes people so vocal anti porn will then deny same things happen in any other industry. It is not right or fair or good in any industry, but make wonder why people OK with 5 Marvels a year but outrage at porn producers, even indie, even enthusiastically respectful. Feel like not really concern about exploit

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anarresinfoshop wrote

I think there are two issues. One, is the issue of whether the workers control the revenues of their labor, or if part of it is siphoned off to create "profit" for third parties.

Second, is the issue of whether the workers have autonomy and meaningful choice in the circumstances and manner and quantity, conditions of their work. That is, whether their consent is active and meaningful and consistent through the entire labor process, and to what extent that consent is manufactured rather than authentic.

The thing is, these issues are ubiquitous throughout the economy. They aren't particular to sex work at all. But instead of interrogating these questions meaningfully, and defining one's terms and getting into the specifics of these questions in the context of sex work...usually the critiques of sex work in the social discourse created by statist politics, seem to rely heavily on the mystification of sex work as "uniquely oppressive", and totally ignore how the issues of sex workers heavily overlap with the issues facing basically all proletarianized people.

That isn't to say, that there aren't particular circumstances that are unique to sex work. Certainly, there are unique hazards and difficulties, which others could speak to. However, I just mean to say that, many of these often cited problems with sex work as it looks like in many situations today, are actually problems seen in many sectors of industry and commerce. They are the problems of capitalism, and exploitation, which affect many different types of people, and which I don't think can fairly be attributed to sex work alone, even if it looks particularly unique to someone outside the industry who hasn't thought about their possible shared struggles and the commonalities of experience they might have in common with sex workers.

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fortmis wrote

Sex work is at the absolute forefront of workplace safety issues. Every dangerous workplace dynamic is intensified in sex work, which is why the struggle to make sex workers safe is the struggle to make all workplaces safe.

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Darthmalak135 wrote

Exploitative in what matter? Exploiting labor? Any work under capitalism is exploitative. Does it exploit the body? All work exploits the body. Does it sexually exploit the person in porn? I wouldn't say so if consent is given. Some like their body being exposed and don't do it for money but as a fetish

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