Re: Re-Post of message below:
Yes, that was a very insightful post, especially this paragraph...
"The most unfortunate thing that I've learned about p 0 r n (aside from the male-dominant industry standards) is that it has REPLACED (EMPHASIS MINE) true sexual intimacy. Where once women and men would actually seek different techniques to please one another, and themselves, there is no longer any need for foreplay, tenderness, or genuine affection. Pop up the computer screen and there's instant (INSTANT) turn-on. No more need for partners to strip-tease, or anything else."
but also that there really is a difference between depictions of nude recreation and perversions...
"(not just p 0 r n, but perversions)".
When we were young, some parents weren't always patient enough to show us repect along with the love they said they had for us (in other words, INCOMPLETE love that did not fulfill our "ideal" of what love was). It is understandable to some extent that they just weren't prepared to handle the rigors of life properly while they also showed us "love", nonetheless, our heartbreak did leave a void in our hearts of an unconditional, deep love that also included respect (genuine love). Now that we are adults, we still have that long lost dream/fantasy of unconditional love.
Of course p 0 r n o g r a p h y cannot truly compensate for the "void of childhood" (after all, it's only a photo and cannot provide SENTIMENT), but our imaginations are creative and compensate for the absence of sentiment. p 0 r n has no requirements,...no petting or foreplay required, no preparation or stamina required, and no sexy clothes or body tone needed for seduction or getting the partner into a "mood",...complete (good enough) unconditional love (the MOMENTARY fulfillment of a life-long pursuit).
Of course, that void should never have existed and this is no excuse for being inconsiderate to the spouse, but this is only an understanding of a REASONABLE attraction to p 0 r n o g r a p h y.
Children that came from families that were more affluent and TRULY loving and respectful to their children often get attracted to p 0 r n o g r a p h y as an ADDICTION because they learned a disrespectful attitude towards life (bitterness) from school, the stress of workplace competition, strangers, "friends", etc. and they have learned to have "a little bit of larceny in their heart" (schemes, etc.).
So, Soulful Survivor's distinction between "p 0 r n" and "perversions" was not just very insightful, but very compassionate to the human race.
There is another way of looking at the human body that is not p 0 r n o g r a p h i c,...NUDISM (nude recreation, there are even Christian nudist organizations). People enjoy gathering on beaches or at resorts to play nude sports, have picnics, nude hiking, nude bike rides, etc. even with their whole families including their young children because they enjoy the freedom of not being restricted to clothes that cause "phony socialite personalities" (the primal innocence of a child, I imagine).
(I can almost understand, but this is certainly not disrespectful p 0 r n o g r a p h y, it is a worldwide legitimate practice that is no longer "questionable" and illegitimate as it was in the 1960's).
The naked body has been an integral part of art all throughout history and has only been hidden because of prudish ego but has always been a legitimate part of NUDE photography (stygma=reputation).
So, the ["reasonable", and to a large extent the "addict" also] p 0 r nographer today thinks of their attraction to p 0 r n o g r a p h y as illegitimate because of a "STYGMA" of illegitimacy, but if that stygma was removed by understanding nudism (in other words, they have been condemned by the stygma and have no choice but to live their reputation), based on their DECENCY, they would probably become more respectful and even SENTIMENTAL (EMOTIONAL intimacy) lovers. (my opinion)