While perhaps not a directly political topic, politics certainly have and will play a major role. I haven't seen a thread on this and I'm really interested to read what folks think.

Look in the "Polls" section under "should pedophelia be legalized?".

No one will argue with you that porn should be legal. The argument is only on specific types of porn.

Actually my question has nothing to do directly with legality. What I want to know is if people think pornography, in it's many forms, is taking a negative toll on society. It seems like a no-brainer to me, but I thought it might be an intersting thread. Maybe I'm being too broad. Maybe I should have written a controversial essay to draw the crowds. Maybe I still should!

For about three years I use to drive down Market Street in San Francisco ever day to go to work and there’s a huge strip that’s nothing but strip joints and porn shops. I think where there’s a huge saturation of pornographic type places that it has a negative effect on that particular area. I know on Market Street and in other places I’ve seen like in Las Vegas it seems to attract a lot of “undesirables”. But as a society as a whole I don’t think it has much of an effect.

I see a lot more sex in advertising, movies, and on TV for example. But I don’t really see it related to what’s happening on the smut scene.

By the way, this topic is a little too broad lol.

Saying that porn harms society is about like saying marijuana harms society. I think that both statements are wrong.

Porn doesn't turn people into "deviants". They exist without it.

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Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness ~Thomas Paine

will always exist, and you couldn't stop it as long as there are filesharing networks hosted in other countries.
And, it doesn't have much of a negative effect on society, because the sell of sexual products has been a central part of society since the dawn of civilization. Also, I suppose it's good for the economy.

If people will buy it, then it should be legal.

I think certain drugs are an exception to that rule though.

That's a pretty rosey assessment. But you're right-- it can't be stopped so long as there is supply and demand and there certainly seems to be no shortage of that.

The overall consensus thus far seems to be that porn isn't having much effect on society. I'm not so sure. Porn is a drug-- it's been shown to be at least as addictive as many illegal drugs. The problem is so bad in some workplaces that companies are buying anti-porn software just to stem the huge losses in profit and productivity. Like any addictive drug, porn can alter attitude and behavior. The stuff is demeaning to women-- far more so than the Good Housekeeping image of the 1950's that liberals so despise. That something so blatantly degrading to females can be so widely circulated and accepted is a frightening commentary by it's self. Porn destroys trust and ruins marriages. Perhaps wives should be more understanding of a man's need to secretly glutton his sexuality on erotic images, but most women have more self respect than that.

Lardbeetle points out that "sexual products" have been marketed for centuries. That may be true, but pornography has never been anywhere near as accessible and mainstream as modern media (particularly the Internet) has made it. In much the same way that indulgent "pleasure" foods have become regular staple for the ever-fattening common folk, the gorging of sexual appetite has never been so easy or acceptable for the masses. Whether it's stuffing Twinkies or feeding your libido with eye candy, unrestrained indulgence always takes it's toll.

People still buy slaves, should slavery be legalized?

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What's this i hear bed? Word has it you and Pam are sleeping together.