Reply #322: I think there's a difference between, say, 'critiquing' individual books and books-in-general

[Warren DeMontague]

You want to analyze the content of specific porn or specific types of porn, knock yourself out. Same with ads- specific ads, like the D&G ad, I think are certainly open to analysis and (well deserved) criticism, although interestingly enough, due to the outrage that ad has had a much longer shelf life than it would have had otherwise.

Same with movies; there's a difference between critiquing "Birth of a Nation"'s very obvious racist overtones (and yes, I realize it did facilitate the creation of the 20th century Klan...) and pretending that there is a monolithic film industry conspiracy, or that somehow ALL films are racist because that one is.

These 'critiques' are almost invariably fusillades aimed at "porn" or "the porn industry", which, aside from being ill-defined, are broad categories that are simply not monolithic. Your example of "frogsex.com", which I had never heard of until now... Upon what criteria are you basing your claim that it's a "mainstream" porn site? Where is the statistical data as to what constitutes the mainstream of porn sites? I don't know if you've noticed, but there is a LOT of porn out there on the internet; pulling one website and using it as an example of everything, everywhere, is like... well, pulling one website and using it as an example of everything, everywhere.

But I am glad you want to be specific and targeted in your criticism or critique. I note in these threads that despite a great deal of protesting around "no one supports censorship", I never see an explicit declaration that, yes, two consenting adults having sex in front of a camera is NOT inherently exploitative or degrading, pictures of naked women (or men) are NOT inherently degrading, and neither do I see a repudiation of the Dworkin-MacKinnon position that, somehow, hetero sex itself -not to mention pictures of it- is inherently degrading or 'damaging' to women.

Beyond that, who isn't 'allowing' you to discuss whatever you want? Just as you haven't called (as you claim) for censorship of porn, I haven't called for censorship of 'feminist critiques' of porn. Are we not allowed to critique the critique? :shrug: