Regarding the age thing, I do think it is interesting that in some states it is legal to have sex before the age of 18, but as far as I know you still can't purchase or view porn until you are 18. I wonder why that is.

Quote from DevliN

Regarding the age thing, I do think it is interesting that in some states it is legal to have sex before the age of 18, but as far as I know you still can't purchase or view porn until you are 18. I wonder why that is.

In most states, consensual sex has a legal limit of age 16, with a two year lee-way (anyone up to the age of 18). Pornography is "illegal" for all minors, despite the fact it is not enforced. At all.

In Australia you can legally have sex at 16 (and drive), and you can legally drink alcohol at 18. Devlin is right though I never thought about it before but pretty much every porno gets a R+18 rating.

But hey, we're the country who still doesn't have an R+18 rating for video games, so I shouldn't be surprised in the slightest at how f***ed our rating system is.

Reminds me of a documentary i once saw called "this film is not yet rated"... very interesting.

In most places it pretty much 16 above for most all things however i did find some weddings at 5 years old (India) and sex at 13 (Japan)... furthermore breasts in japan aren't censored only the bellow sexual organs are censored unless you buy the dvd.

Quote from toomanynestedquotes

We have what is called SEXED aka Sex Education. Learning about puberty and how to have safe sex and male/female anatomies and such. I'm surprised the US doesn't actually have this, that's weird.

U.S. has Health courses, which teach all the negative effects of things you can do to your body, down to the exact carcinogens present in cigarettes (at least at my high school). It's typically a required course and generally taken in ninth grade and thus at the age of 14. It's quite specific about the nature of underage sex, so U.S. students are not at all ignorant unless they choose to be.

Watching porn is a normal thing. Everyone I know watches porn, but many people won't openly admit that they do.

Quote from Oh_Man

We have what is called SEXED aka Sex Education. Learning about puberty and how to have safe sex and male/female anatomies and such. I'm surprised the US doesn't actually have this, that's weird.

I had "Sex Ed." in grade school (not even once, or at one specific age. It was again and again). It was a class titled "Sex Ed.", short for "Sex Education". They taught things such as those you described. I live in the US. The most notable difference that I can gather is the focus of US schools on complete abstinence (which has become some sort of buzzword or something :\).

Quote from Heinermann

Watching porn is a normal thing. Everyone I know watches porn, but many people won't openly admit that they do.

I don't, but I don't have anything morally against it.

Quote from O)FaRTy1billion

Quote from Heinermann

Watching porn is a normal thing. Everyone I know watches porn, but many people won't openly admit that they do.

I don't, but I don't have anything morally against it.

Maybe he means everyone masturbates?

Quote from O)FaRTy1billion

Quote from Heinermann

Watching porn is a normal thing. Everyone I know watches porn, but many people won't openly admit that they do.

I don't, but I don't have anything morally against it.

You poor, poor child.

Quote from Oh_Man

We have what is called SEXED aka Sex Education. Learning about puberty and how to have safe sex and male/female anatomies and such. I'm surprised the US doesn't actually have this, that's weird.

They do teach about that stuff, except for the "safe sex" part. I remember the topic of contraceptives being brought up, and the teacher said that he isn't allowed to discuss that. This was at least 10 years ago, but it is probably still like that.

Quote from Tempz

furthermore breasts in japan aren't censored only the bellow sexual organs are censored unless you buy the dvd.

By law, genitals must be censored with a sufficient level of censoring in Japan. I've heard of companies being fined for releasing videos that are censored but not censored enough (not blurred enough or mosaic wasn't pixelated enough, etc.). I think people are also expected to censor pictures of themselves that they post online or make public in any way. I've heard you can get in trouble for bringing in porn from outside Japan that is uncensored, if they catch you with it.

As far as anime, I know that nipples (sometimes even just the place they would have been if even drawn) and even panties are also often censored on TV in Japan these days, except on certain channels. If it was just done for the TV broadcast, the video release will usually be uncensored. This is probably what you were thinking of with the latter part of that comment.

Quote from ShadowFlare

Quote from Oh_Man

We have what is called SEXED aka Sex Education. Learning about puberty and how to have safe sex and male/female anatomies and such. I'm surprised the US doesn't actually have this, that's weird.

They do teach about that stuff, except for the "safe sex" part. I remember the topic of contraceptives being brought up, and the teacher said that he isn't allowed to discuss that. This was at least 10 years ago, but it is probably still like that.

Quote from Tempz

furthermore breasts in japan aren't censored only the bellow sexual organs are censored unless you buy the dvd.

By law, genitals must be censored with a sufficient level of censoring in Japan. I've heard of companies being fined for releasing videos that are censored but not censored enough (not blurred enough or mosaic wasn't pixelated enough, etc.). I think people are also expected to censor pictures of themselves that they post online or make public in any way. I've heard you can get in trouble for bringing in porn from outside Japan that is uncensored, if they catch you with it.

As far as anime, I know that nipples (sometimes even just the place they would have been if even drawn) and even panties are also often censored on TV in Japan these days, except on certain channels. If it was just done for the TV broadcast, the video release will usually be uncensored. This is probably what you were thinking of with the latter part of that comment.

Contraceptives are usually bad for women health, and may even lead to decrease of sexual desire (especialy those, regulating homrones such as estradiol, which is responsible for mesntruation cycles). Girls should ask the guy to get a vasectomy, a non permanent one for example, if they want to feel eachother when they have penetrative sex, but they don't want kids, or just do in the right time.

I think generally, it is a hurtfull double standard what people have about uncovering their genitals in front of eachothers. For example, why is it that the genitals of girls usually can only be seen by sexual partners or their doctors?

I think, that porn is not even acceptable, but that should be a daytime occupation in schools, with more openness involved, for example in PE classes.

Sometimes it is even interesting to watch others watching porn.

Woah, woah, woah.

Quote from matefkr

Contraceptives are usually bad for women health,

"Usually"? I assume you're talking about The Pill here. If the pill had any serious health consequences, it wouldn't still be around on sale. Some women suffer some side effects from some forms of the pill, but by no means is it "usually bad". It's also far from the only form of contraceptive - condoms are the obvious one, but there are also IUDs and other forms of barrier contraceptives. For some women, the pill is actually proscribed by their doctor to help regulate their hormones.

Quote

Girls should ask the guy to get a vasectomy, a non permanent one for example, if they want to feel eachother when they have penetrative sex, but they don't want kids, or just do in the right time.

Or, they could go with an IUD. As for condons, "feel each other when they have penetrative sex" doesn't really apply to the female - she can certainly feel it, condom or not. In my experience, there is very little difference in sensation between being penetrated with or without a condom. There is obviously a dampening of sensation for the penetrative partner, but they do have super-thin condoms available these days.

Quote from Lanthanide

Woah, woah, woah.

Quote from matefkr

Contraceptives are usually bad for women health,

"Usually"? I assume you're talking about The Pill here. If the pill had any serious health consequences, it wouldn't still be around on sale. Some women suffer some side effects from some forms of the pill, but by no means is it "usually bad". It's also far from the only form of contraceptive - condoms are the obvious one, but there are also IUDs and other forms of barrier contraceptives. For some women, the pill is actually proscribed by their doctor to help regulate their hormones.

...

I was talking about The Pill yes. it Has quite some effect on their hormone levels. it is bad, if they have sex often times, like every second day for two weeks, and they take it all the time. But yeah, some barrier like things work in the case they want to feel eachother. But those fail sometimes.

Quote from matefkr

I was talking about The Pill yes. it Has quite some effect on their hormone levels. it is bad, if they have sex often times, like every second day for two weeks, and they take it all the time.

What are you basing this on? The side-effects of the pill can be bad, but that goes for anything with a side-effect, not just the pill.

EDIT:
In reading the rest of your other post, I'm also having a tough time following along, but I assume English isn't your first language.

Quote from DevliN

Quote from matefkr

I was talking about The Pill yes. it Has quite some effect on their hormone levels. it is bad, if they have sex often times, like every second day for two weeks, and they take it all the time.

What are you basing this on? The side-effects of the pill can be bad, but that goes for anything with a side-effect, not just the pill.

EDIT:
In reading the rest of your other post, I'm also having a tough time following along, but I assume English isn't your first language.

English isn't my first language.
I base this on Hormones. They are low in low concentration in the blood. If you alter their production rate, you probably gonna alter it big time, since you just effect a few enzimes or otherwise, which is part of the process creating them. But the precursor of those hormones might be present in more metabolic pathways, so if you alter at that step, which makes the precursor (or gets it) , you gonna alter more processes with more accuracy proportional to their concentrations, if you alter the point where you turn the precursors into hormones, then you bound to lose precision proportional to their concentration. you can also inhibit receptors which sense the hormones, but sometimes, when the level of a hormone rises, glands making it will require another hormone signal, to make them return to their basic state of production. I don't know what is the exact case with this hormone, besides its level is comparable to androgene levels. Which if regulated with medicine, you usually use it for no more then a few weeks. The menstruation cycle is about 3-4 weeks. those two hormones have similar molecular structure, so their enzimes might be evolutionarily eachothers mutations, which usually will result in similar regulation rate (similar or identical regulatory molecules binding to similar regions on similar things). But that is vague. Also, off topic much. Anyway, it was just a somewhat educated guess.

EDIT:
On topic, If there are people who think its morally right to watch porn, we/them could arrange a webcam masturbation at some points of the weak sort of. I Believe that Shadowflare is a girl (never seen stated explicitly), and there might be a just a few girls. If that is the case it could work out i think : D That would also build a better cohasion within the group.

Quote from matefkr

I was talking about The Pill yes. it Has quite some effect on their hormone levels. it is bad, if they have sex often times, like every second day for two weeks, and they take it all the time. But yeah, some barrier like things work in the case they want to feel eachother. But those fail sometimes.

I think you are misunderstanding something about it. It is intended for the woman using it to take a pill every day; it is not something just taken the day they would have sex (if that is the reason for using it, but there are other medical reasons for taking it sometimes). If days are missed, the overall effectiveness is reduced and there is a chance of getting pregnant from sex even on days they did take it. The pills are packaged for one month of doses with some number of the pills just being placebos to make it easier to stay in the habit of taking it every day, the number of placebos depending on the formulation.

By the way, when I mentioned that the school teachers here are not allowed to discuss contraceptives with the students in that class, I was not specifically talking about pills. I meant any kind: pills, condoms, or any other type.

Quote from Lanthanide

For some women, the pill is actually proscribed by their doctor to help regulate their hormones.

My first job, before McDonalds, was as a receptionist with a dermatologist (I still work there occasionally when he needs a temp), and we have this drug called "Roaccutane". Which is really just a brand name for Isotretinoin. We prescribe it for severe acne cases, and with all female patients, they HAVE to take the pill when on the drug. Purely as a safety measure, cause children would be born fucked up if they got pregnant while on this drug.

Probably a bit off topic but I figured it was an interesting tidbit to add to the discussion. I just find it interesting that doctors the government don't just use the 'honour system' and ask the patients not to have sex, they actually demand you go on the pill.

Quote from ShadowFlare

Quote from matefkr

I was talking about The Pill yes. it Has quite some effect on their hormone levels. it is bad, if they have sex often times, like every second day for two weeks, and they take it all the time. But yeah, some barrier like things work in the case they want to feel eachother. But those fail sometimes.

I think you are misunderstanding something about it. It is intended for the woman using it to take a pill every day; it is not something just taken the day they would have sex (if that is the reason for using it, but there are other medical reasons for taking it sometimes). If days are missed, the overall effectiveness is reduced and there is a chance of getting pregnant from sex even on days they did take it. The pills are packaged for one month of doses with some number of the pills just being placebos to make it easier to stay in the habit of taking it every day, the number of placebos depending on the formulation.

By the way, when I mentioned that the school teachers here are not allowed to discuss contraceptives with the students in that class, I was not specifically talking about pills. I meant any kind: pills, condoms, or any other type.

I didn't missunderstood the concept of pills. There are several kind of Pills, one is the kind you mention, it regulates your hormone production. That is quite bad for your health, since you have to take it for extended periods. There are kinds which actually there for a time, which prevent embriogenesis. mainly i think by the dilution of the connection between nursing cells and eggs. But im not sure that one acts like that. (read my above post as well, though its not much more than that.)

Otherwise, i did missunderstood you, i thought you may talk about every kind of contraceptives, but i also thought that its more likely that you talk about pills only (i was quite wrong).

First of all, I want to make clear that I am presenting a personal viewpoint that may lack complete validity, insight, and be subject to criticism. I'm in no way asserting my opinion as absolute truth.

So getting back to the original topic, I think it's a great subject to talk about. It allows us to clarify so much about morality, culturual influences, and potentially harmful effects of social activities and perceptions.

The real question is, how does pornography affect men, if at all? (I'm assuming it's mostly men that watch porn.) I'm going to take more of a personal approach rather than a scientific one, because experience matters, and morality is quite an abstract topic that doesn't make complete logical sense from a purely scientific viewing area.

My basic presumption is that pornography is at minimum degenerative towards our views of women, and at worst, a poisonous soul-eater where we live in a society that results in 25% of women being raped at least once in their lifetime; a further 19% have to fend off rapes. Take a look at the ridiculous number of broken marriages, broken families, and cheating. Blatantly there will always be other factors involved, but given the following reasons, it is of my absolute certainty that pornography is a key element (out of a handful) that distorts and affects our overall view of women:
1. Most pornography does not show any form of intimacy or emotional connection.
2. Pornography tends to be forceful, relentless, and in many cases violent.
3. It could be argued that pornography teaches many false expectations.

So does perception of sexuality affect relationships as well as false sexual presumptions? I think so. In my opinion, we are taught, culturally, to focus on the sexual qualities of a relationship instead of intimacy, respect, building a future etc.

Think about this: if it was your mother, sister, or girlfriend involved in pornography, how would it make you feel?

I've ran out of time, but it would be interesting to see more viewpoints

Mmmm I find that, well, with me at least, maybe others are different, but that there is a desire for secrecy about watching porn as well. I mean, sure I would imagine it would be embarrassing if someone caught you doing it, but it would be embarrassing if someone walked in on you while you were defecating as well. Yet people often say "I'm going to the toilet", etc.; yet people rarely ever say "I'm off to masturbate".

I always felt mighty uncomfortable with my friend at school who would constantly bring porn over or be watching it or whatever lol. Like, he wanted it to be a group activity (not masturbating, watching porn). Watching porn for me is a entirely solitary activity, and with the only intention to be for masturbation purposes. Yet several guys I know seemed to watch it 'just because'. I guess, this was several years ago though when I was in high school though. Maybe he thought he was being 'cool' or 'mature' bringing his porn over and getting everyone to watch it? :S