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in reply to Consideration for obscenity

Can you imagine a world that was not driven by "sex hormone response and misplaced Judeo-Christian guilt?" My point is why do people consider some words offensive? This society has been using the sex drive of humans, in a devious and underhanded way: first you claim it's dirty and shouldn't be talked about, then on the other hand, base almost all social interaction on it. It ends up where everyone is living a dual life: one is the hypocritical self we present to the world, and the other is the fun-loving sexual beast present in us all.

It all starts with hiding behind clothes..... oooh how vulgar.... you showed your butt, oh thats right.... I can't even say the word butt.

I find pictures of blown apart bodies very obscene, yet they show them on the news every night, but if Janet Jackson shows a bit of tit, a giant uproar occurs, even though all the complainers have secret stashes of Playboy magazines. I guess porn is more fun if you think it is dirty?

We need more honesty in the public about sex. Should Bill Clinton have been crucified for having sex with some consenting party? Is the mayor of San Francisco unfit for office, just because he had sex with a good looking woman?

All this talk of declaring things obscene, just feeds the hypocrisy.


I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. Cogito ergo sum a bum

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Re^2: Consideration for obscenity
by ptum (Priest) on Feb 06, 2007 at 16:09 UTC
    Can you imagine a world that was not driven by "sex hormone response and misplaced Judeo-Christian guilt?"

    Yes, I can. Thanks for asking. :)

    My point is why do people consider some words offensive?

    You seem to be confused about the difference between a statement (as in stating a point) and a question. I don't see your point anywhere here.

    This society has been using the sex drive of humans, in a devious and underhanded way: first you claim it's dirty and shouldn't be talked about, then on the other hand, base almost all social interaction on it. It ends up where everyone is living a dual life: one is the hypocritical self we present to the world, and the other is the fun-loving sexual beast present in us all.

    Hmmmm. Maybe your point is this: "Anyone who tries to place limits on the public discussion of sex is a hypocrite." I don't think that's tenable, and I'm not sure which 'society' you are talking about. I'm not living a dual life. I don't base 'almost all my social interation' on my sex drive, nor do the people with whom I interact. Maybe you've read too many psychology texts, and you think everyone goes around consumed by their sexuality?

    There is nothing hypocritical about decent people trying to make the world a little more decent. Just because I am angered by someone who cuts me off in traffic doesn't mean I'm a hypocrite if I oppose murder.

    I don't think it is all about sexuality ... I would have considered that original node if the obscenity had been about bodily excrement. I think that these kind of vulgarities damage the way that the PerlMonks community is viewed by others, in the same way that graffiti on the front of your house would diminish its curb-appeal.

      I don't base 'almost all my social interation' on my sex drive, nor do the people with whom I interact.

      Yeah, you are one of those rare specimens they call "well adjusted". In other words, you play the game and enjoy it, and can't understand why many don't like the game... we are the mal-adjusted. :-) I can guarantee you that the females in your circles, wear make-up, and check how fat their a*s looks, before they leave the house. Why?

      Why is it obscene to talk about human bodily functions, but not when you talk about an animal's bodily functions? How come it's funny when a dog pees on a hydrant, but obscene when a human does it. If you can answer that, without talking about the deep-seated fear and repression of human sexuailty, and convince me, then I will accept your assertions that the deep roots of what people view to be obscenity, are not based on sex.

      But don't bother..... as far as making perlmonks, and society in general, less vulgar, don't ban words, but encourage and promote those who use good words. That way you allow free speech but discourage outrageous use of it, like follow up nodes saying "your langauge is coarse so I prefer not to answer you", etc.

      Violent video games, pornography, and all sorts of vulagarity are so wide spread in the society, that to censor people for using a word is ridiculous. Maybe we should adopt the Taliban's view, that women are not allowed to be seen unveiled in public......that would encourage more politeness.


      I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. Cogito ergo sum a bum