Why Do People Watch Pornography?
Guys watch it for cheap thrills and to let out the “extra stuff”. Girls watch it out of curiosity n wonder what the porn star got that she hasn’t got. Kids watch it because it is a forbidden fruit n its very human to rebel! Couples watch it to learn some new tricks n get some zing back into their lives(which I think is by far the most sensible use of it!)
Most people justify themselves by saying that it is the sole form of sex education available to them. Where else, apart from boring biology textbooks, would they get to learn about the male and female anatomy in so much detail n know how babies are born!!
Is that really so??
Most guys I have come across who have “grown up” on porn for sex education end up viewing their female counterparts as a mere pair of mammary glands n a vagina that comes with it. Most girls I know went “ughhh..This is gross!!” the first time they saw a porn flick or magazine and mind you, I’m not denying double standards here. Kids wonder as to why are two grown up , naked people trying to strike funny poses n deriving fun out of it? Now, this is the first step into trouble-land. Curiosity leads kids into getting their questions answered from all the wrong sources and means possible because to them pornography seems to be the best or rather the only answer! What we ultimately end up with are pervert citizens of the society who get a thrill out of staring down cleavages and staring up hemlines. The more gutsy ones would not miss a chance to grope at any part of the female anatomy ( age no bar) they can lay their hands on. It is sad but true that this is our average Indian at grass root level(with due apologies to the very few exceptions)!
I learnt about the “birds and the bees”(like its called) before I turned ten. A Czechoslovakian friend of mine who was a bit older than me taught me everything. She told what a condom is, when and why should it be used and how to mount it (we practiced on a banana). I eventually grew to perceive sex as a beautiful part of nature. I mean that is the closest you can come to a person physically!! It is a very intimate and sacred part of love and there is nothing dirty or shameful about it if both partners respect each other and take equal responsibility for the act.
Imagine, a baby which results is technically two halves- one from you and one from the person you love, blended into one!
Sometime later, my mother gifted me a book containing colorful pictures and cartoons explaining how ” John and Jane’s ” bodies work etc. it was a wonderful book and my mother meant well but I did not need it any more but it still remains one of my prized possessions. I passed it onto my younger brother as soon as he was old enough to read n never shied away from dealing with his queries which were increasing by the day.
I had my first brush with a porn flick when I was 3 days short of turning 18. I watched it only because it was meant for “18 and above” and so I just HAD to watch it before my 18th birthday to see what the whole big deal was all about. Well, I was disappointed big time! There seemed to be nothing extraordinary or exciting about it. It did not contain anything that I did not know already. It seemed like any other movie made in bad taste.
Its been a few years since then and my brother who is 16 now, told me that he came across a porn flick. I was proud that he echoed my opinions about it. I sensed a feeling of achievement welling up inside me. I had been successful in shaping him into a guy who is completely aware of the human biology and respects the female body as much as he respects his own. He would be a responsible fling-mate/ boyfriend/husband and be concerned about his partners safety along with his own. He would be driven more by his senses than his hormones. He would be very popular among the girls because girls love guys who they feel safe and respected with.
Experimenting with new things is not bad n pornography is not an exception. But since it can distort value systems in young minds, it certainly helps to give them a strong background knowledge at an age when their brains haven’t lost their elasticity so that they don’t have trouble telling right from wrong.
There have been endless and fruitless debates on whether sex education should be made a part of school curriculum or not. now anything like that is going to take eons to materialize so lets chuck it for now. lets start from our homes. Lets talk to our children/siblings/cousins/friends who need information but don’t know where or whom to turn to. Lets take the first step towards molding a smarter and more responsible generation, which in turn will make our society a better and safer place to live in.
My final takes on the issue-
Watching or reading porn is not sinful but a person should know what he/she is in for and what it means. The purpose of it should not extend beyond occasional entertainment. It should not become a means to satiate curiosity about sex.
There is one missing element on the road between a person and pornography and that is COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION (by anyone who can deliver it�that means us as well!!)
It is not a bad idea to legalize the porn industry in India. it would help in setting appropriate health standards to safeguard the health of those working in it .if all the text and pictures circulated are licensed and consented for by the person/s involved in it, it would drastically cut down things child pornography and exploitation of people through MMS ing and internet which are looming like a cloud of locusts on a rice field over our society.
