New York Magazine Offers Surprisingly Insightful Commentary On The World Of Porn

Just when we'd given up hope that the mainstream media could tackle the topic of adult entertainment in a sane, nonjudgmental fashion, New York Magazine released a series of articles that are actually smart about sex. Hallelujah!

Though the cover (and somewhat misleading headline "Drowning in Porn") make it seem like New York is just serving up the same old rhetoric we've heard before, the issue's three articles are surprisingly smart, thoughtful, and hysteria-free—even when discussing the affects that the prevalence of porn has on the youth of today.

We'd tell you more, but you really should just do yourself a favor and go read the pieces for yourself. There's Benjamin Wallace's In The Geek-Kings of Smut, on how the internet (and Brazzers) have changed porn, possibly for good; Alex Morris's They Know What Boys Want, which calmly and rationally talks to tweens about how sex and the internet have shaped their middle-school years; and Davy Rothbart's He's Just Not That Into Anyone, which examines how porn may be transforming the male libido. Though we don't agree with each and every point that's made (and would love to hear our male readers weigh in on Davy Rothbart's thesis), it's nice to see adult entertainment treated respectfully, as a serious topic that's worth engaging (with the hysteria left at home). Kudos to New York for showing it can be done—and everyone else, you're on notice until you bring your sex coverage up to this level of maturity.

· Drowning in Porn (nymag.com)