There’s basically no ethical porn. Even under capitalism. Especially under capitalism.

I don’t disagree that the industry is pretty awful in places, but what does this mean? Do you think maybe this is a bit hyperbolic or puritanical?

Hyperbolic in terms of this, consenting adults have been trading, sharing and showing off for each other for a very long time, it happened before the internet and now it’s happening all around you without any money changing hands. Sure there are things like Onlyfans where you could make the argument that the performer is being exploited for their body… but, if you set aside whatever social pearl-clutching we’ve been trained to frame around sexual activity and nudity, how is it any different than wearing your knees down for a company by doing deliveries every day? How is it different than juggling or doing magic tricks at a tourist trap for donations? Yes, you could say it’s all unethical in a capitalistic society, but that’s not the same as singling out porn just because that one deals with “naughty” stuff.

Which is what makes that statement puritanical as well. You’re viewing porn as exploitation of sexuality, like sexuality should be on this pedestal that makes it different somehow than the thousand other ways we sell our bodies, our time, our dignity to survive, as we’ve been doing for tens of thousands of years.

It’s just porn

I agree, and the more “special” we make it, the worse the problems will be around it. Can you imagine the paradise we would live in if nobody had sexual worries and insecurities and hangups? And think that this belays that maybe you don’t have an ethical framework around porn as much as a personal ambivalence. Which is fine, I just felt the need to dissect the whole statement a little.