The Levels of Quality in Porn

Sex is one of my major interests. I like to have sex, watch sexual acts on film, read sex scenes in novels, etc. I've seen sexually related materials of all levels of quality, and this is how I rate them – and why.

At the bottom of the list, we find the lowest form of "entertainment" known to mankind – the snuff movies. I think that no-one but the people who are turned on by this, will disagree when I say that getting off on watching another living creature being tortured to death, must be the most sick, the most disgusting, and the most immoral form of sexuality. The very idea that you have the right to take another person's most holy possession – her life – away from her, just for your own amusement, is a sign of social mis-fitting, and mental decay.

Not that much better is the category of alternative pornography, which includes paedophilia, necromania, sex with animals, etc. What we are dealing with ere are creatures unable to defend themselves against unwelcome sexual advances. In the case of the living, these forced-upon sexual acts often cause traumas, and destroy all possibilities of the person ever being capable to have a normal life, not to mention a normal sex life! Again, we're dealing with a sick mind's idea that the feelings of other living beings are less important than his own satisfaction.

Moving on to more "accepted" forms of pornography, we have the "rough sex" movies, where grown-up women are being portrayed as sluts who secretly enjoy getting beaten, insulted, humiliated, or otherwise hurt; by men sticking objects into their oral, vaginal, or anal cavities, or by being sexually exploited by whole groups of men. The non-consensual ingredient is often emphasized on the outside of the video box, that claims that the women in the movie are "barely legal", i.e. too young and inexperienced to defend themselves, or are being "tricked" or "black-mailed" into having sex, or are being "punished" and "taught a lesson". Though many people find the non-consensual part arousing, I'd argue that it shows a lack of mental maturity, as it has to use force and violence or even drugs to replace what a healthy grown-up relationship will give you.

On the next level, we enter into the widest zone of pornography; the mainstream category. This is where we will find most films, magazines, stories, etc, of many sub-genres: gay, lesbian, group sex, 1-on-1 heterosexual sex, amateur porn, transgender sex, light fetish (as in toe sucking and white cotton panties adoration), etc. This is more or less "harmless" pornography, although the majority of the films within this category tend to focus mainly on the male audience: the films are made by men to stimulate and satisfy male fantasies, and the films are consequently filled with young, sexually attractive women doing anything to please more or less fat, non-attractive, older men; and the highlights of the films are usually these men's orgasms. Despite the female actresses' moaning, little or nothing is done to actually satisfy THEM. The problem with this category of pornography is that it subconsciously has a strong influence over people watching it. People will do in Real Life what they have seen in the films. It is hardly a coincidence that with the increase of anal sex in porn flicks, an increased number of women have sought medical treatment for injuries or infections in the anal area.

Slightly better, due to its low impact on society as a whole, are the novels à la Jackie Collins, and other authors like her. Here, we go to the extreme on the opposite side, where one focuses on women's pleasure, overlooking the men. Two wrongs don't make a right. The same motivations as listed above apply here as well, but since these novels are consumed to a less content than mainstream porn flicks, I regard them as being slightly less offensive.

The next level is the so-called non-pornographic. I'm not sure what names to use to fit American conditions, but in my own country, the men's magazines C a f e and S l i t z both fall into this category. What we have here are magazines that show naked or scantily dressed women in more or less sexually provocative positions; often accompanied by headlines with sexual sub context; yet they refuse to admit that they are pornographic magazines, and instead call the pictures of the naked women "studies of the female body" or some similar BS.

On our second highest level, we find a growing category called Women's Erotica. The difference between this and the mainstream pornography, is that this is more focused on consensual sex, on the "team-work" of sex, on mutual lust and satisfaction; and on the fact that is uses less vulgar language. The downside is that it sometimes tend to be a bit TOO romantic and unrealistic, as if female lust has to be justified by love.

The highest form of pornography is that of mutual lust, mutual satisfaction, combined with respect for each other as individuals; as well as the open mindedness for as well the possibility of a relationship as of a no-strings-attached one-night-stand. And, in bets cases, with a glimpse of humour. The strongest candidate in this category, loved by both women AND men, is PLAYGIRL Magazine.

While everyone has his/her own ideals, pornography is as old as the paintings on the walls of the cavemen's homes, and it is most likely staying with us forever. Pornography not only follows the habits of our society, but also reinforce those habits. By choosing carefully in the shop, we can affect the quality of not only our sex lives, but also that of the world we live in.