So, I was listening to your podcast were you kind of avoided the porn conversation, but it did get me thinking. After pondering it a while I came to some conclusions that I'd like to share with your forums. Why? Well, because it's an older woman's job to try and inspire young men to become the kind of lovers she wants her sisters and daughters to experience.

I grow up in the 70's and the first time I remember being exposed to porn was in N. Hollywood where some porn vendors tried to put free magazines in empty newspaper bins across the street from an elementary school close to my mom's office on Ventura Blvd. She was pissed and formed a coalition to get them removed, and they were. I remember a huge six foot guy coming into her office with a big mustache and leisure suit, claiming to be a libertarian, and saying he had a right to put magazines were ever he wanted. My mom is a petite semi-reserved lady, but she physically picked him up and flung him around her office before throwing him out the door.

I decided I was going to keep an open mind about the topic and as a teen watched some videos with my friends that were kind of funny, but pretty gross too. I've only had one boyfriend admit his fascination of porn to be and I attempted to integrate it into our relationship unsuccessfully. So, that's been my personal experience with porn, not so good.

I realize that the adult film industry dwarfs the conventional movie industry and exceeds the revenues of rock and country music industries combined. The last study I read on this was in U.S. News 'The Business of Pornography' from 1997, but it's still relevant http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/970210/archive_006163.htm

With this being said, I know that porn has a huge following and from my perspective it cannot be ignored, which is why I'd like to share my analogy.

When I think of porn, I think of canned corn. Yes, it tastes ok, it's semi nutritious and easy to make, and still something is missing. But, you can drive to the store, pick up a can for a couple of bucks and fulfill your desire for a vegetable on your plate.

Or, you can weed out a plot of land in your backyard. Mix in a layer of nutrient rich compost top soil. Acquire some heirloom corn seeds of various varieties to plant (there are literally thousands of varieties of corn hybrids). Spend a few weeks watering, weeding and watching the tiny sprouts blossom into full stocks that will give you a bountiful yield of delicious fresh corn that you can make into numerous dishes that are only limited by your imagination.

Anybody that has gone through this process can attest tot the fact that fresh corn is much better than canned corn. But, that's the quandary isn't it - the process. It's long and seemingly arduous compared to the quick and easy canned corn alternative.

Consider the difference though. Everybody knows how yummy a can of creamed corn is. But, that's not real creamed corn. First off, you have to use a real corn scraper to the right consistency, like this one http://www.cornscraper.com/ . The canned version has water, modified food starch and sugar - yuck. Making it from scratch you can add raw milk cream top with butter, sweet minced shallots, more butter, maybe a little bacon, fresh herbs and did I mention butter. This isn't a side dish; it's a meal, or a foundation for seasoned meat. Start experimenting with different ingredients and varieties of sweet corns, and you just entered into a life time of exploration and personal perfection. Canned corn just won't cut it after that.

I'm not the first person to compare the secret, inner wild garden inside each of us that requires commitment and work with the physical one, and I won't be the last. But, it's a hard sell in a world of convenience and distraction even when the rewards are worth it. I'm pretty sure Adam will be with me on this one, but it's always best to ask. I hope the rest of you will consider it too. Canned corn is ok in a pinch I guess. So, c'est la vie, everyone's got to choose their own path.

I gave up watching porn 5 months ago which, for a single guy, is...fuck, crack addicts probably have an easier job. It took me about 10 million attempts but I finally said fuck it one night and haven't had the urge since. I told my friends about 3 months into giving up and they rip into me about it, but it really doesn't bother me. I feel like porn is one of the main reasons why the west is asleep to all the shit that's going on. I mean, think of how many people have miserable lives, whether it's their job that sucks, the people around them are idiots or they're depressed with the rise of tyranny. From the moment they wake up they're bombarded with this negativity, but at the end of the day they get to blow their load all over Jenna Haze's face and the world seems a better place. It's pure escapism and I'm happy I don't need it anymore.
I also think about the future of porn and the role it would play in a dystopian society if this tyranny isn't stopped. I think of the thousands if not millions of kids now who are inheriting $40k+ of debt and how the only way out for many of them will be to suck dick for a living, the millions of broken families created because mommy is a drug addict to balance the misery of her cock sucking lifestyle,. And what about the next generation of kids. What kind of outlook on life will they have having a parent who fucked for a living, what chance that they don't get abused knowing the kind of people their parents likely hang around with.

_________________
"It's easier to make strong children than to repair broken men"

And that's why, in so many ways, I LOVE older women.

But seriously ...

For the single man, your analogy still comes down to candy corn or starving. So, I'd like to make the distinction between using porn for regular healthy masturbation and choosing to indulge in porn beyond the point of diminishing returns. I would certainly be familiar with watching porn on the weaker side of that curve, but the exact point of when returns diminish might be hard to nail down.

Men evolved in an environment where if you got uncontrollably horny, yeah, you could go behind a bush, rub one out, and go back to killing animals and trying to impress the women in your tribe if you weren't getting laid enough to keep from being uncontrollably horny. So if masturbation is natural, masturbation aids can't be ALL bad.

However, modern technology is making the masturbation experience less and less distinguishable from the real thing, (yay for better candy corn!) and so the temptation to masturbate is higher. The biological alternative is to be outwardly uncontrollably horny and rape and pillage until satisfied.

So I don't mean to dispute your claims about porn, but I'm suggesting there is an enlightened middle way of masturbation for healthy single men that may involve porn, but is probably better without it. To me, as a driven professional who wants to grow a business and start a family, masturbation helps me regulate, but is a temptation that might distract me from my objectives, and that's the primary threat it represents for me.

[/quote]I gave up watching porn 5 months ago which, for a single guy, is...fuck, crack addicts probably have an easier job. It took me about 10 million attempts but I finally said fuck it one night and haven't had the urge since. I told my friends about 3 months into giving up and they rip into me about it, but it really doesn't bother me. I feel like porn is one of the main reasons why the west is asleep to all the shit that's going on. I mean, think of how many people have miserable lives, whether it's their job that sucks, the people around them are idiots or they're depressed with the rise of tyranny. From the moment they wake up they're bombarded with this negativity, but at the end of the day they get to blow their load all over Jenna Haze's face and the world seems a better place. It's pure escapism and I'm happy I don't need it anymore.
I also think about the future of porn and the role it would play in a dystopian society if this tyranny isn't stopped. I think of the thousands if not millions of kids now who are inheriting $40k+ of debt and how the only way out for many of them will be to suck dick for a living, the millions of broken families created because mommy is a drug addict to balance the misery of her cock sucking lifestyle,. And what about the next generation of kids. What kind of outlook on life will they have having a parent who fucked for a living, what chance that they don't get abused knowing the kind of people their parents likely hang around with.[/quote]

I don't think porn is bad or evil, but like you I do think it is a distraction from more important things. I also think you'll find something more satisfying if you look for it. Don't get to overwhelmed by the madness that you see around you. One of the things I really appreciate about Adams show is that he does talk quite a bit about government being replaced with better things and I do see that happening all around us. I'm starting to agree with the statement that they will go out with a whisper rather than a revolution.

My journey will be different from yours, but I got plugged into my local network of businesses, which gives me a lot of hope about where I live and the people I am building my community with. We have a ton of great farms in Northern Colorado, I signed up with an amazing local dairy that is run by two veterinarians. One of my best friends became a Doula (midwife assistant), we have an abundant amount of great charter schools and homeschool networks. All of these things made me feel more comfortable with the idea of having kids of my own and I see a bright future for them here.

I'm not going to ignore what is going on around me with the inherent debt, I'm just not going to subscribe my kids into that system. I don't have to get them social security numbers, I can have them at home, I can do whatever I feel is in their best interest. I'm not going to go 'The Village' on them, but I think giving them a chance to become individuals and decide for themselves whether or not they want to subscribe to this system is fair. You should be giving yourself the same respect, chances are you might see that things aren't that bad either and voluntarily decide to try and make this place a better world for free people to live in too.

They are doing a lot of great things in New Hampshire with the Free State Project. I get a lot of encouragement when I see how those individuals are self organizing. If you haven't looked into that, you should.

And don't worry too much about kids with degenerate parents. I don't think that is a new phenomena, and children are pretty resilient when they want to be. I read a book by Viktor Frankl 'Man's Search for Meaning' decades ago and I still flip to it now and again when I start to feel a loss for humanity. It's really short and I recommend it to anyone who thinks things are really bad and doesn't think they can overcome that feeling alone. I was kidnapped by a stranger when I was a kid and now when I hear stories about child abuse, torture, especially when it is done by people who are supposed to be caring for kids, I get that dark looming feeling and I just want to kill something or die. But, I consider what other people have gone through and what Mr. Frankl wrote about and the dark clouds part and a little bit of light shines through, sometimes that all you need to keep moving forward. But, just to come full circle in the conversation; don't devalue the need for human joy and exhilaration either. There's nothing wrong with reminding yourself why your alive by experiencing a little ecstasy, preferable mutual and at no one else's expense.

Thanks for responding and sharing your thoughts, and I hope you have one of those really outstanding days soon.

[/quote]For the single man, your analogy still comes down to candy corn or starving. So, I'd like to make the distinction between using porn for regular healthy masturbation and choosing to indulge in porn beyond the point of diminishing returns. I would certainly be familiar with watching porn on the weaker side of that curve, but the exact point of when returns diminish might be hard to nail down.

Men evolved in an environment where if you got uncontrollably horny, yeah, you could go behind a bush, rub one out, and go back to killing animals and trying to impress the women in your tribe if you weren't getting laid enough to keep from being uncontrollably horny. So if masturbation is natural, masturbation aids can't be ALL bad.

However, modern technology is making the masturbation experience less and less distinguishable from the real thing, (yay for better candy corn!) and so the temptation to masturbate is higher. The biological alternative is to be outwardly uncontrollably horny and rape and pillage until satisfied.

So I don't mean to dispute your claims about porn, but I'm suggesting there is an enlightened middle way of masturbation for healthy single men that may involve porn, but is probably better without it. To me, as a driven professional who wants to grow a business and start a family, masturbation helps me regulate, but is a temptation that might distract me from my objectives, and that's the primary threat it represents for me.[/quote]

Candy Corn analogy accepted and duly noted. Everyone knows what happens when you eat too much candy, temporary bliss with long term terminal effects. And, everyone knows what the world would be like without it, unhappily healthy.

Still candy is just candy, not very nourishing. I personally try to keep myself in check by limiting it as a reward for something I feel I did really well. If I can stay clean for a week on the paleo diet, they say to take a day off and eat whatever your want. But, I find that eating shitty that one day can make you feel sick for a good two days afterwards. So, is it really worth it once you get into a good routine? After a while those unhealthy things just aren't worth it and don't have the same appeal. I'm not sure how that relates to porn exactly since I don't watch it, but there might be a lesson there somewhere.

Of course, I fall victim to falling off the wagon just like everybody else. You fall out of your healthy routine, some natural disaster hits you, etc. You find yourself downing canned and candy corn in no time. But, I don't see too many people who have experienced something better sticking with something worse very long. Eventually, you start longing for what you had before and find a way to get it.

The only exemption I've ever come across to that was a widow I meet once that was in a very dark place. Our conversation concluded that death was not the worst thing that can happen to you, everyone dies. It's that feeling of longing for something that you know you can never get back that really devastates people. I haven't had to experience that myself yet, and hopefully I won't.

But, back to porn. I acknowledge it's sincere usefulness in society and I'm appreciative of the ease by which it is obtained. I feel the same way about prostitution and drugs for that matter. I see it more as a gradual development that a lot of people go through. First you learn to crawl, then you learn to walk and talk, then you rebel against your parents, then against society. Once you realize your a free person you indulge in everything that was restricted from you. Then what? People can linger there a long time. They can find all kinds of reasons to stay there and why not? Is there even anything worth obtaining after that? So what, if you learn discernment. Is inner peace overrated when so few actually obtain it and it's so easily destroyed? What's the point of sifting through relationships to find that one person you want to spend the rest of your life with, when inevitably you are going to lose them no matter what you do?

When you look at it in that perspective, porn and porn away. If through technological advances some futurama robot can simulate a perfect lover for me and never die, never disappoint, only engage and encourage my well being, would it sell? Probably. Would I buy one? Probably not. To me, well let's just say that's not the human experience I'm looking for. But, I understand and empathize with others that do want that. Maybe when I was younger that would have appealed to me more. And chances are that I may not experience what I'm looking to obtain now, but so what. If at the end of the day you don't have any complaints or regrets - your golden. And I hope anyone reading this can say that.

One thing is for sure, living in the age of instant gratification, and almost instantaneous knowledge certainly gets you wondering what it is you really want and how you dare to dream about getting it.

Viewing porn can be a healthy or unhealthy depending on the individual and how they relate to it. You have guys (or girls) that can casually view porn and still sustain healthy intimate relationships. Then you have people that become so entrenched with these artificial sexually gratifying "relationships" that it impacts their own real life relationships or prevents them from establishing new real life intimate relationships. The very same can be said though for a person who has an unhealthy addiction to video games. It doesn't matter if it's sex, drugs or World of Warcraft. Too much of it is bad for you. It's all about moderation.

Is porn so horrible because deep down we truly believe that, or is it the deeply embedded cultural mores instilled upon us from the day we're born? I grew up going to a southern Baptist Church and it took me YEARS to realize that sex was not an evil disgusting act and desires weren't something I should be ashamed of. When I found out my first boyfriend watched porn I was mortified. I felt betrayed and inadequate. The real problem wasn't his attraction to porn, it was my skewed dysfunctional perception of porn that made me insecure with it. With my relationships now, so long as our sex life isn't suffering, I couldn't care less if my guy watched porn.

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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." ~ Henry David Thoreau

I feel like porn is the cultural equivalent of quantitative easing. In a society that demands short-sighted instant gratification, porn is a great tool to devalue a person's character. I know my opinion goes against the grain of present day thought because a shit ton of media outlets from guy/girl magazines, films, music videos have normalised this behaviour, but in my mind porn is lumped in the same grouping as high fructose corn syrup, empty calories, bullshit political slogans, televised talent shows, jersey shore, shitty sitcoms, behaviour modification medication, credit cards...you get the picture. This clicked for me when I read an essay by Ron Paul saying how fiat currency devalues the morality of the people, fiat currency = fiat minds is pretty much what he said.
Economically speaking, think of all the misallocation of resources that fiat currency has enabled over the past 100 years and then think of the cultural implications of it i.e. the growth consumerism and decadence in the west. It's hard to deny porn is not a part of it.
The next time you're feeling stressed and you go watch porn to relieve that stress, when you're done, think about what you could have channeled that energy into rather than blow it over katie st ives' face.

_________________
"It's easier to make strong children than to repair broken men"

Just laughed my ass off to another Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast.

"...for some women porn DVDs are better than the apocalyptic wasteland which is the porn scene on the internet...that's a bad place...any time you go there and decide to jerk off...and the webcam girls pop up and they look three seconds away from being carried off by some candarian pit demon who's gonna drag them down to the boiling fecal pits of hell that they were born in..."

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"It's easier to make strong children than to repair broken men"

Wait, does this mean we can't learn from or be inspired by porn!?

I've actually seen informative pornography before lol, the exception rather than the norm however. Porn is different for everyone IMO. For me, I had to give it up. For one, it makes you less sensitive to real life stimuli, two it builds a false paradigm that every woman/man should look like a porn star/or whatever the sick fetish may be this month, and three ( my own beliefs and philosophy passed down to me from elders ) it's a form of cheating (as I am married). If your partner or previous partner got upset when you ogled another person out in public, imagine how they should feel should they catch you rubbing one out to another couple on video or even a solo video, it makes them feel inadequate.
The temptation comes and goes, but I fight the good fight for now. I was born and raised on the internet so porn was second nature since the age of ten

incorrect. peas WHEN combined with corn, equals porn.

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rAdministrator is a friendly Vegan fascist, you can trust ! Free blenders and bananas for everyone, so vote for me and vote often.

No. Don't be silly, besides I subscribe the 'Never say Never' aspect of life. But going back to the Disney movies are like porn example for a simpler illustration. I'm sure a lot of children are inspired and feel like they have learned a valuable moral lesson from those shows. And, I guess if it makes them better people, they have. But, most people don't stop there, they keep growing. They challenge what they learned as kids and they mature.

All I'm saying is that when you are instructing yourself on how to relate to the opposite sex and experience life through your own sexual fantasies; that maybe it would be better if they were actually your fantasies, your imagination and your inspiration.

I understand that great artists just don't paint their masterpiece on their first try. So, maybe there is some relevance with getting your basics down through some quick and easy source. But, once that's done you really should move on to bigger and better things. You owe that to your partner and yourself.

You completely ignore the positive affects of the porn industry on society in general.
Not the old 'porn stops rape' bit, because I don't believe the reasons for viewing porn and the reasons for rape are any where near the same in a majority of cases.

Liberty, just a casual viewing of the People vs Larry Flint will open your eyes to how just 1 pornographer can impact civil rights in a way that maybe no one in any other profession including public office could have. A closer study of case law on the subject and you will quickly realize that since the 1970s the porn Industry has done more for your personal liberty than any one else.
Lets face it the main reason porn is treated the way it is society is directly because of Christianity. Christian values are not very Libertarian, who are we to judge whether it is right or wrong for 2 consenting adults to film having sex and for consenting adults to view it. Where is there a victim here? Objection to this comes from a morality derived from religious shame. Personally I base my actions on moderation and empathy and can find no fault with porn in general. If some one is victimizing some one in making porn than that is a matter of that individuals actions not porn itself.

Technology. Statement of fact right up front, Porn and Piracy have driven 75% of the innovations that have led to the modern day internet. It would literally take writing a book just to lay out the history to show the importance of Porn to the net.
When it comes to video and file transfers that porn rely on all innovation has come from porn and its Siamese twin piracy.

I know this because I have dabbled in both for 15 years. I made a lot of money for myself and a few women friends using the cutting edge skills I learned as a pirate to stay a toe out in front of porn. I know I was one of the first to use bit torrent to distribute free samples. I was using free pirate warez like virtual dub for processing when porn industry standard tolls cost hundreds of dollars and were less quality.

Porn and real P2P pirates have innovated and shared their way right out of relevance. At first it was impossible, then it was an art, then we made the tools so user friendly that any schmuck can use them. You can't make any money selling bootlegs and every one has a camera 1 click video editing/uploading software.

Personally I got over any fascination I had for porn about 2 months into it being my job. I do still make a very nice sideline income from porn though. I charge $50-100 to do a thorough pc cleaning if thats all is needed. If I have to seriously go in after the bugs it goes up, way up. So yeah I love porn.

That brings us to the only real draw back to porn on the net. If we stripped away the taboo in our culture which is all wrapped up in a religion trying to dictate every action we take then we could do something about the underbelly of society plaguing and abusing porn viewers who are to embarrassed to admit to the IT guys they were looking at porn when the box went all stupid.

You can draw a direct correlation to the black market drug trade established and reinforced by prohibition.

Just more of the circle jerk mentality that fucks everything up in the end.

For the sake of being thorough, I thought I should let everyone who might be going to Vegas with Adam this coming weekend that there are two very interesting things going on in town at the same time.

1) AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2013 - Fan Fest, January 17 - 19, 2013. Novelty Expo, January 16 -18, 2013. B2B Show, January 16-19, 2013. AVN Awards, January 19, 2013. All going on at the HardRock Hotel. For more info please visit http://show.adultentertainmentexpo.com

I know, I just ranted about porn and then want to send you there. But, I don't argue the entertainment value of porn and if you like it you should go. I think of it like those anime conventions. They're silly, but whatever, people like them.

2) Shoot Show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center - January 15 -18, 2013. This is the biggest gun show in the world and you don't want to miss it. http://www.shotshow.org

If attending, please stop by the ThunderBeast Arms Booth and say hey to RayDog. http://thunderbeastarms.com