Sex censorship killed the internet we love • Hacker News Board

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#341

Post by mberning » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:09 PM UTC

hobs wrote: post #331

crazygringo wrote: post #329

Again and again I see the comments of how crazy it is that we allow violence in films/TV/anywhere, but not sex which is peaceful and harmless -- as if this were some kind of idiocy or hypocrisy. There's a good reason we try to draw lines between areas where sex is "allowed" and "not allowed" -- because it's arousing and has the potential to be greatly embarrassing . It's private , in a way that violence isn't. I seri…

That's completely a cultural artifact though, there's no reason to be squeamish about sex and to accept violence. Plenty of cultures have much looser taboos around this than yours, its not how human beings are wired.

I would love to know in which cultures a teenage son watching soft core porn with their mother is perfectly comfortable or possibly even celebrated.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#342

Post by Juliate » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:10 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #329

Again and again I see the comments of how crazy it is that we allow violence in films/TV/anywhere, but not sex which is peaceful and harmless -- as if this were some kind of idiocy or hypocrisy. There's a good reason we try to draw lines between areas where sex is "allowed" and "not allowed" -- because it's arousing and has the potential to be greatly embarrassing . It's private , in a way that violence isn't. I seri…

> because it's arousing

So is violence. Not arousing in the same way, we are imitating animals.

> and has the potential to be greatly embarrassing.

That is also a social construct. Why should sex be embarrassing that violence wouldn't be?

That's the very definition of being prude.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#343

Post by rpiguy » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:10 PM UTC

taurath wrote: post #91

throwaway415415 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. What is wrong with nudity? What is wrong if a child sees a dick or a titty? Why are ashamed? Why is nudity such an awful thing?

It’s a religion thing primarily.

It is not. China, India, and most of Asia have similar or more restrictive attitudes toward nudity as the US and there is no God decreeing that you can’t have sex or be sexual.

The lack of real analysis demonstrated in this topic, the western centric thinking (US vs. Europe), and broad generalizations are just disappointing for a forum full of supposedly smart people.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#344

Post by saagarjha » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:12 PM UTC

anextomp wrote: post #148

miguelmota wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Warning: that sub is sort of NSFW and cannot be unseen once seen.

Was that... not obvious? Really, what were you expecting?

Subreddit names aren’t always very indicative of their contents. There’s a whole set of “porn” subreddits that happen to be pictures of nature or people using fountain pens.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#345

Post by DSingularity » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:13 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #329

Again and again I see the comments of how crazy it is that we allow violence in films/TV/anywhere, but not sex which is peaceful and harmless -- as if this were some kind of idiocy or hypocrisy. There's a good reason we try to draw lines between areas where sex is "allowed" and "not allowed" -- because it's arousing and has the potential to be greatly embarrassing . It's private , in a way that violence isn't. I seri…

Man thank you. I would take it a step forward and argue that the reason it is so embarrassing is because sexually explicit content clashes with our basic nature. Unfortunately you cant say such things without being painted as a caveman who refuses to evolve.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#346

Post by Juliate » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:13 PM UTC

mberning wrote: post #341

hobs wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's completely a cultural artifact though, there's no reason to be squeamish about sex and to accept violence. Plenty of cultures have much looser taboos around this than yours, its not how human beings are wired.

I would love to know in which cultures a teenage son watching soft core porn with their mother is perfectly comfortable or possibly even celebrated.

That's not the point.

The point is about the disconnect of a society that protects/promotes speech/messages/images/behaviour about violence while refusing the same for sex.

While one is deadly and the second is not; while one can be a great resource of connection and pleasure, while the other is the exact negation of it.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#347

Post by saagarjha » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:14 PM UTC

mberning wrote: post #341

hobs wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's completely a cultural artifact though, there's no reason to be squeamish about sex and to accept violence. Plenty of cultures have much looser taboos around this than yours, its not how human beings are wired.

I would love to know in which cultures a teenage son watching soft core porn with their mother is perfectly comfortable or possibly even celebrated.

If you consider nudity to be in that category, then many European countries.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#348

Post by brobdingnagians » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:14 PM UTC

marcus_holmes wrote: post #127

I find the US prudishness thing so fascinating. I'm travelling at the moment, and meeting lots of Americans (and Europeans for contrast). There's definitely a huge difference in tolerance for swearing and blasphemy. Also several well-educated and seemingly intelligent Americans who hold strong racist opinions. But that's another subject. I guess it all comes down to the religion. Americans do seem to be more religiou…

My church doesn't teach it's only for procreation, and we are solidly Christian. We teach that it's also wholesome, fun, and great to be enjoyed between husbad and wife; a spark of the divine, if you will. That it is between a husband and wife and God to decide when to have children, and so contraception is totally appropriate. Sex helps build the relationship. I remember when my dad taught a lesson at church about how sex was great; and I took a class at a religious university where it was specifically taught we were sexual beings meant to enjoy it. Not prudish here, just also very conscious of how powerful a force it is and so it should be between life-long committed people who can make the most of it and enjoy it fully without having the emotional damage of sharing yourself with someone who then skips out on you. Use it how God intends it and it is even better.

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#349

Post by soheil » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:15 PM UTC

pishpash wrote: post #38

Mirioron wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you bring up some very good points and frankly, it's quite depressing. A decade or two from now the internet will be exactly like cable TV.

It's always like that. TV and radio were quirky in the early days too, but as soon as you go mass market it changes. It's not the medium, it's the people on it. Time to keep moving and get away from the mainstream.

One would say HN is pretty mainstream nowadays. Any suggestions for alternative communities? I feel like there is an extreme lack of what HN used to be. How do I get away from the people on it?

Re: Sex censorship killed the internet we love

#350

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Feb 02, 2019, 3:15 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #215

belorn wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would also blame religion if not that here in Sweden we went from accepting sex and censoring violence to accepting violence and censoring sex, within about the span of almost just 10-20 years. The norm just changed and its very noticeable in movies if one compared those made before 1990 and those made after 2000. There is no corresponding change in the religious demographic. If anything that demographic went down…

That's the Americanization of the world. If most of one's movies, songs, tv shows, social media control, search engine biases, etc, come from a single country, with its cultural stickups, that's what you get.

[deleted]