Posted by: Psycasm
Posted on: Wed, Jan 05, 2011, 11:41 pm CST
I was holding back, considering I began the argument, and was drawing the most heat...
...but here goes:
First, someone needs to define exploitive. Does it mean they are being forced to do things they don't want to do; or does it mean they're are not being paid an appropriate amount. I assume it has to do with being treated mysogenistically... someone ought to make this distinction clear. I have not done so here, suggestions ought to be proposed.
No-one here has raised the issue of consent. Does it count for nothing? Is mysogeny willingly entered into still degenerate? Does it change the nature of the product [porn] at all? Who ought to be held accountable - the consumers for demanding? The producer for creating? The participants for not objecting (note: passive and active objection and engagement are entirely different beasts)
Sure, many of these women are outcomes of lower SES backgrounds, poorer education, etc, but other apparently identical women (that is, same social conditions and institutions) avoid porn and end up in equally dead-end jobs, potentially earning less than they ought to, potentially ending up with dead-end arsehole boyfriends who treat them like second class citizens, also (assuming porn is like this, I don't know).
These are just questions at this point, and I haven't expressed my opinion. However, I do not buy the argument that only lesbians should make lesbian porn. We must assume that Lesbians are mostly like the rest of the population, with their own share of exploitive pigs and errless saints. The Lesbians for Lesbians arguments also fails to hold water if the end product is still aimed at the standard, normal target market. (i.e. 'boi's' - as mentioned by a previous commentor).
I guess what would be really nice to see is some kind of consumer choice organization that sets out some guide-lines for porn production. Actors and actresses get certified, and are subject to blood tests, etc on a regular basis. All producers get certified according to certain safety standards and work-place practices, as well as discrimination standards. Consent for all/any acts if recorded and submitted by all involved participants to the certification board. Upon publishing, the vid gets a little 'tick of approval'.
I'm not going to say porn is immoral, or amoral, and this kind of certification won't stop exploitive porn being made - but it will give consumers the power to choice ethically, if that is their concern. I couldn't find any websites linking to anything of this kind, but it certainly doesn't mean it doesn't exist.