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debates

Debating Porn (Again): What Is Obscene Anyway?

"Should there be an obscenity law that outlaws a product that is made with informed adult consent with no laws being broken, and that is increasingly distributed and consumed in complete privacy?"

You can probably guess what our answer is to that question, but apparently some folks still think this is a matter of some debate. That's why the Los Angeles Times threw together a little point-counterpoint between associate professor of First Amendment law Barry McDonald and indicted smutographer John Stagliano. It isn't a debate so much as is it Barry offering up such proof for the value of obscenity laws as, "Because I said so," and John helpfully pointing out that America isn't supposed to work that way. Of course, Stagliano is facing up to 39 years in prison because of these laws, so he's understandably a little touchy about the subject. Maybe next time the lawyer will remember to mention the actual law.

ยท "Stuff so raunchy, it's illegal" (latimes.com)

11:12 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
286 views, 3 comments

We've already gone into a fair amount of detail about why that promised iPhone 3G porn revolution certain big media outlets seem so obsessed with lately is just a load of hooey—but it never hurts to have a second opinion about these things. Even if we still seem to be the only ones who think RubMyClit is the best reason to buy an iPhone in the first place. (sfgate.com)

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but what about the children?

Why No One Cares That Video Games Have Sex In Them

Some of you may recall that old lawsuit involving the game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and the "Hot Coffee" mod that allowed characters in it to have graphic sex. That's disgusting, of course, so some lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit and forced a settlement that would allow any of the millions of innocent, outraged people who bought the game to come forward and receive justice. So just how many of these folks were outraged enough to do so? 2,676. That's it. More »

11:15 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
4,529 views, 2 comments

Latest by bdve: Someone Digg this or something. more »

opinion

Is Porn The Same As Cheating?

A group of bloggers and their commenters who normally write about things like capital gains taxes and the legal ramifications of wiretapping are in a bit of slap fight over a recent column by FoxNews.com "sexpert" Yvonne Fulbright. The column was about the warning signs of porn addiction (Sign #1: if you're reading this, you have it), and the debate revolves around an offhand remark stating that many partners just assume that using porn "is the equivalent of having an actual affair." (Except Playboy! That's totally cool.) At least one guy agrees, saying that paying for porn is sort of like paying to watch a prostitute have sex with someone else and that sort of makes you a cheating asshole! Others responded with more nuanced arguments, like "that's insane." More »

10:45 AM on Fri Jun 20 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
10,967 views, 9 comments

Latest by n/a: It's all about love. People don't love porn stars; they love their lovers. more »

but what about the children?

Wikipedia Is Filled With Hardcore Porn! [citation needed]

As you may be aware, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that is written and edited by nerds who do all the work for free in an attempt to gather all human knowledge into one comprehensive database. But according to the conservative bulldog World Net Daily, it is also a repository for salacious, hardcore pornographic material. Like strippers! Gay homosexual sex! And titty fucking! In fact, they might as well start selling monthly subscriptions and buying ads in AVN Online! Check out their list of moral-destroying smut that's totally accessible to everyone ... More »

10:50 AM on Thu May 8 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
46,694 views, 16 comments

Latest by n/a: Anyone who would like to understand a bit more about the situation regarding porn on Wikipedia and the legal questions surrounding this type of content should read two very entertaining Wikitruth articles: The Sausage Factory and Sausage fest : [www.wikitruth.info] about more »

money

Is Porn The Harbinger Of (Economic) Doom?

According to some of the leading financial minds in the country, our current economic state is—what's the technical term? Oh yeah ... "not good." Consumer confidence is down, debt is up, and China is slowly poisoning us with lead toys that you can get for a $1.50 at Wal-Mart even though it cost you $4 in gasoline to get there. But that's not what worries Variety editor Peter Bart: It's the porn business, stupid! That's how he knows things are rough, because dirty DVD sales are down. We really are in trouble! More »

1:30 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
7,483 views, 7 comments

Latest by josereyes.theroof wishes to perform Tim Harris's sack-dance for you: But what about all the women who move into &/or return to stripping as the job market tanks & they get laid off? Is the gentlemen's club not the most public face of sex work? The sex industry is more more »

We missed Diane Sawyer's expose/Spitzermania cash-in "Prostitution in America" on 20/20, but apparently some people didn't feel it was an even-handed and informative report—specifically, people who have actually been sex workers. You mean a TV news program broadcast something that might have been somewhat biased or misleading? Shocking! (abcnews.go.com + sex-kitten.net)

1 comment

eliot spitzer

The Curious Case Of Client No. 9: An Honest To Goodness Political Sex Scandal

While the world waits to see whether he'll resign or not, media commentators, politicians, and even prostitutes are all theorizing, debating, and psychoanalyzing New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. The (formerly) rising political star with presidential ambitions has been identified as the target of a federal prostitution investigation that may leave him open to several serious criminal charges. It's still not clear whether he will be indicted or forced to resign and the talk has ranged from how to pay for hookers to the rules of impeachment to the Mann Act to Hillary Clinton's campaign strategy. But there's one big question that every single person is asking: How dumb is Eliot Spitzer? More »

Feature

11:05 AM on Tue Mar 11 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
17,815 views, 15 comments

Latest by n/a: That call girl just got offered $1 Million to do a porno> [www.videobox.com] more »

Feel free to argue all with this Details article that claims that guys with big dicks really do have it better than everyone else, complete with anecdotal "evidence". We're only saying that hey, at least it can't hurt ... unless you don't use enough lube. (Also: where can we get a giant blow-up peen like that? (men.style.com/details)

1 comment

Maybe it's a sign that we're too dirty minded for our own good, but an article titled "Valentine's Day and Porn" that opens with lines like "Valentine's Day is about porn" and "I want everyone to vow: This year, I will have sex only with someone I love" comes off sounding like a pro-porn plea for more masturbation. Unfortunately, it's not. Fooled again! (newsweek.com; thumbnail via ann-angel.com)

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Was Abby Winters' white cotton invasion of the AVN Expo a telling sign that "real" porn content is overtaking the more polished (and expensive) brand we're used to? Or does everyone just dig chicks with foreign accents? (wired.com)

2 comments

So if everybody buys porn that means everybody likes porn, and if everybody likes porn ... how come you can never find anyone that will admit to it? That $374 gajillion-per-year of revenue doesn't grow on trees you know. (brockpress.com)

6 comments

Worrywarts are up in arms over Mass Effect, the video game they say is filled with sex and alien nudity. Except it isn't. But why let something like the actual content of game get in the way of a good TV argument. Oh, and if you can scare folks with a gratuitous and completely irrelevant porn reference, that always helps too. (news.com.au + pcworld.com)

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complaint department

Why Does Digg Hate Porn?

(See update below.) Fans of the Digg phenomenon know how valuable it is for any site to get a link featured on the social bookmarking behemoth. That's why our fellow Gawker Media siblings are constantly sending out emails asking us to check out their Digged stories ... emails that we immediately delete. You see, to us gentle pornsmiths, a Digg button is little more than a useless hunk of code, one that automatically rejects any submission deemed "obscene" or "pornographic"—i.e., any link that includes Fleshbot.com as part of the URL. More »

Feature

12:12 PM on Fri Jan 4 2008
By Dashiell Bennett
4,237 views, 21 comments

Latest by josereyes.theroof wishes to perform Tim Harris's sack-dance for you: @BLAKELEY: @luxnightmare: Actually, with the might of Gawker Media behind him, I would think that Denton could compel the Diggers to acquiesce to Fleshbot getting the same diggable planets as the Gawker sibs. But maybe not for the end-of-day "Fleshflick" more »

Is feminism dead ... or has it never been more alive? We guess it depends on how "empowering" you think it is to be on the cover of Nuts. We always thought Page 3 girls were pretty darn powerful, but they might be talking about something different. (bbc.co.uk)

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Porn is bad, then it's good, then it's bad again, now it's worse than ever. We sure hope Crush Object Rachel Kramer Bussel can sort this out, because our head is about to explode. (alternet.org)

1 comment

Nope, we were wrong ... everyone hates us sex again. Carry on! (scotsman.com)

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Wait, so do you mean to say that we aren't destroying all interpersonal relationship and generally bringing about the downfall of society by promoting pornography? Aw, shucks. That's half the fun of it! (boinkology.com)

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