Fleshbot: straight, debates

The Debate Over Topless Sunbathing Rages On...And Keeley Hazell Shocks Us All

Lux Alptraum — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Topless sunbathing—once de rigueur on European beaches—has fallen on hard times. Last summer, we heard it was officially out of fashion, now some French beaches are even fining women who attend the beach sans top.

Fine, upstanding news source that it is, London's Sun has decided to wage a debate about the subject in today's paper. On the pro side is noted feminist Germaine Greer, who no doubt offers the opinion that bodies are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. On the con side is...Keeley Hazell?

Yes, unless The Sun is outright tricking us, the Page 3 princess and owner of some of the world's best boobs now thinks that girls should keep their tops on while on the beach. We...we just don't know what to say. Keeley, how could betray us like this?

This kind of news calls for drastic action. Readers, what say you: should Keeley be stripped of her coveted Crush Object status? On the one hand, we value all the good times we shared, and memories we made; on the other...how can we laud someone who's against topless sunbathing?

This is going to take a good deal of deliberation, we'll tell you that.

· Is it a boob to go topless? (thesun.co.uk)
· Thumbnail: Keeley in more topless times (dailypoa.com)

Debating Porn (Again): What Is Obscene Anyway?

Dashiell Bennett — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:12:30 EDT

"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.

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

Is Porn The Same As Cheating?

Dashiell Bennett — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:45:20 EDT

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."

The conflict also has something to do with a "moral continuum," which we thought was some kind of weapon on "Star Trek" but apparently is something that measures how much trouble you're currently in with your girlfriend. Which leads us all back to our original question: Is looking at porn the "equivalent" of cheating on your significant other? We were going to make this today's poll question ... but given our readership, we think we know how that one would turn out. Leave your thoughts in the comments anyway.

· "8 Signs Your Partner is Addicted to Porn" (foxnews.com)
· "Honey, I Think You Should Know, I’ve Been Seeing Joanna Angel" + "Porndultery" (juliansanchez.com)
· Porn and Adultery (Culture Wars) + Part (II) (theatlantic.com)
· The Douthat-Carter Continuum (willwilkinson.net)
· A Post Calculated to Boost TNR's Web Traffic (tnr.com)
· To the People: 9. He Blogs Less (tothepeople.com)

· Thumb via Cheating Strap-on Lesbians (lesbianstraponparty.com)

Porn: The Root Of All Evil?

Dashiell Bennett — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:19:57 EDT

Of course we all know that porn is a horrible blight on our culture, but is it worse than watching emo kids get kicked in the balls by squirrels on YouTube? Lewis Black's "Root of All Evil" is a new comedy show that asks stand up comedians to debate useless questions like this one, and last night Greg Giraldo took the side that believes porn will destroy us all. Or at least destroy the part of us that thinks one-on-one missionary sex can still be hot. (We hear that it still can be, but we might be watching the wrong movies.)

· Lewis Black's Root of All Evil (more video @ comedycentral.com)

Monique Alexander, Master Debater

Dashiell Bennett — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:51:40 EST

If you're not currently a student at Yale University, good for you! However, you probably missed out on last month's Sex Week festivities, which culminated in a public debate between two anti-porn "pastors" and rival porn spokespeople Ron Jeremy and Monique Alexander. Portions of that debate aired on ABC's Nightline last week, but you can watch the entire thing online right now. (It's quite long, so take your time.) To give you just a taste, here's Monique giving an Ivy League answer to the charge that all porn women are broken down hussies abused by the system. And here you were thinking she was just another pretty face?

· "Nightline Face Off - Is America Addicted To Porn?" (abcnews.go.com)

The 50 Greatest Sex Scenes In Cinema, More Or Less

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:45:04 EDT

Summer television usually consists of the worst of reruns and reality show castoffs, but occasionally a network will put in a little effort and produce something that's actually worth watching, like IFC has done with their mini-documentary series "Indie Sex." Starting ~~today, (which actually meant this morning at midnight so we already missed part one)~~ tonight, the program looks at sex in film from the early days of motion pictures through the Hayes Code and the shocking shockers of today. (Ooh! Maggie Gyllenhaal just got spanked!) As a supplement to the show, IFC's website has teamed up with Nerve to make a list of the 50 best scenes ever to come out of the non-XXX cinema, which like any list is almost certain to leave you seething in disagreement. (They also roped Dita Von Teese into this for reasons that are not entirely clear.) You'll either have to watch the show or wait a couple of days to find out what's at the top of their heap, but we're guessing you already have your own list in your head for the best date night movie romps. Share your favorites in the comments ... unless you're scared to tell us what turns you on. (Yes, we're resorting to threats now.)

· IFC Indie Sex: The Four-Part Mini-Series Event (ifc.com)
· FAST TIMES (review @ nypost.com)
· The Nerve Film Lounge (nerve.com)

Previously: Top Lesbian Movie Scenes (Non-Porn Edition)