Sex Films Question Roles of Porn at Cannes

The problem I have with such promiscuity is that it places both partners on the level of objectivity. The women in pornos mean absolutley nothing to those watching except for a piece of ass, and no one deserves to be seen as just a sex object.

The problem I have with such promiscuity is that it places both partners on the level of objectivity. The women in pornos mean absolutley nothing to those watching except for a piece of ass, and no one deserves to be seen as just a sex object.

I believe our bodies are beautiful but I think porn is being exploitful especially when it is in the hands of children, etc. Sex is amazing and she be viewed as something special, not to be used just to have it. I see sex as a connection of two people.
-Kristen

Well yes, porn is exploitative and shouldn't be in the hands of children. But if the children have responsible parents, porn shouldn't even be an issue. And honestly, the objectification only comes from those who watch the porn. The two people having sex on screen are definitely connecting, however briefly.

This goes along with another argument. Are sex and love similar? Do they need to go hand in hand? Personally, I don't believe so. And if love isn't needed for sex, then where's the real problem with these filmed random sex acts.

I've seen porn before, and I've never thought less of the women involved. Oddly enough, I've always objectified the men...which kind of throws a strange kink in my argument.

But these films presented at Cannes. I see no problem with them at all. We as a society need to be a little bit more accepting of sex and educate everyone about it rather than hide it and hope it will go away.

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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/whitejabberwocky

i dont agree wiht porn it usually gets in teh wrong hands

I used to live in an environment where Sex was taboo. Well, not really taboo, but just something that you really only talked about in hushed whispers. You also never really participated in it unless you were planning to have kids. Yes, I used to be a part of an extremely right wing church environment.
Well then the question for you, rabbit, is: What brought you to the brim of the magician's hat?

My big question is, what's the big deal with sex?
The big deal is that is creates new human life. Without science labs its the only way to make new people.

Why is it such a problem today?
Its been a problem for thousands of years, why wouldn't it be a problem today?

Honestly, to be human is to be sexual.
Obviously. We're mammals; how else could we be?

Men and women are meant to enjoy themselves to the full,
Wait just a minute - here we must clarify. Do you mean that men and women are physiologically capable of immense sensual pleasure during intercourse? If so, then I'll readily admit as much. However, if you're implying that the regular objective of intercourse is for both partners to enjoy themselves, then I have to object (especially if the partners are of "opposite" genders). Only in the last 100 years has our society been moving in such a direction, and we still have a long way to go before that is true.

and sex is definitely enjoyable.
This is more often true for men than for women. It is unfortunate that it has been this way for much of history, and that it continues to be the case in places where our Western sexuality has not yet been integrated into soceity. However unfortunate, that's just how it is for now. The encouraging thing is that we're starting to move away from such stifling ideas about how sex "ought to be."

Is there anything wrong with the human body that it needs to be covered up?
Not inherently, but society has some pretty strong mores about clothing. And one musn't discount the protection factor that led homo sapiens to cover their frail, relatively hairless epidermis. Granted, the ability to control climate has allowed us to move more away from that particular necessity, but the power of the social mores is very strong indeed. Many people are not even consciously aware of such deeply instilled motivations.

I respect what these guys at Cannes are trying to do with their movies. They're demystifying sex...or something to that effect, while not crossing over into the realm of exploitative porn.
They're attempting to portray sex as it actually occurs with real people. They're not filming sex to make money; they're doing it as an art - to make people question what they think they know. I think this is pretty admirable.

But then again, is porn really exploitative if those involved are enjoying themselves?
Herein lies the question that may not have a definitive answer. "Pornography" -- the explicit depiction of sexual acts, is not "bad" and it is not necessarily "exploitative" if those participating in the filming and those watching the film are doing so of their own volition. That's what these folks are doing with their arty Cannes films. What I find morally questionable is not the mere existence of graphic sexual acts in print and film, but the entire sex industry that is based around pornography. I'm not even against prostitution, per say, but the existence of a multi-million dollar pornoghaphy/sex industry makes my mind reel. Where are our priorities?? Its a troubling situation I'm glad to see that others are considering it and pointing out that things needn't be that way.

I, too respect what these directors are trying to do, and I'm not offended by it at all. I actually think its a very healthy step in the right direction.

This is such a strange issue and one that I'm extremely interested in.
It is an incredibly complex issue. What has sparked your interest?

We condone violence in movies, but as soon as breasts are shown bare, the R rating is immediately applied.
In our culture, violence is pretty much accepted. I don't mean "accepted" in the sense that it is condoned as a virtuous value, rather that violence is literally accepted as a matter of fact. Our culture admits that humans have a prediliction towards violent behavior, but it does not readily admit our undeniable sexual nature. Society is full of innuendos, and sex is indeed prevalent is modern culture, but the fact of the indisputably sexual aspect of life is not made clear. In order for breasts to be shown in film in passing, as the part of everyday life that they actually are, soceity would have to step back, take a deep breath and re-assess puritanical ideas about sexuality. We are moving towards that, but as I said before, we still have a LONG way to go before sex can become an unequivocally enjoyable part of life for everyone.

Death and destruction aren't beautiful. Our bodies and our enjoyment are. Right?
Right. But this is subjective - it depends on who you ask. I would agree, and argue that these movies are an indication of a move in the direction that society needs to be going as regards our views of sex. However, there are people (I would say those with negative views about sexuality) who think that sexual acts are "dirty" or "ugly." At the same time, there are people who "get off" on voilence. As disturbing as this is, its true. There's no accounting for personal taste.

What does everyone else think?
I think its good that there are people out there who are trying to further healthy sexual attitudes, because there are certianly more than enough people out there trying to further twisted sexual ideals.

That's just the opinon of this female humanist.

/jkh

There's a difference between senseless nudity in mainstream teen or other genre of films and the nudity/"porn" in an artsy film that is actually about something, esp. if the film is original and there was a lot of meticulous effort put into the screenplay and whatnot. It's called nudity with a purpose. Not saying one is more comfortable than the other but I would say that nudity with a purpose does add more dimension to the characters while films that use nudity without a purpose trivialize relationships and men/women in general.

I fear no man(Nazgul)...i'm no man(Eowyn) -LoTR

You know, it's funny. In public, people shy away from subjects as taboo as sex. In private, they're completely different people. Most people, anyways.
Sex, like n\most things, has to do with individual interpretation. I hate when people want to put a collective label on it (and other things) and have people think of it the same way.
The whole exploitation thing is wrong, esp. where underage/unwilling participants are involved. That's sick.
I think if you are comfortable with sex, then indulge in it in whatever form.
If not, then stay away from it.

I fear no man(Nazgul)...i'm no man(Eowyn) -LoTR