It's kind of difficult to give a simple black or white answer, but in general I do think the sex industry is an immoral thing. There are some exceptions, but in most cases I think it devalues authentic, trust-based, love-based relationships and replaces them with distance and superficiality. Porn, from what I know of it, doesn't place much value on the mutual contentment or authenticity of the people involved, but presents sex as something selfish; you're supposed to obtain pleasure for yourself at others' expense, using them how you want. Stripping and prostitution also encourage this. There is no possibility of anything real coming from those kind of encounters. It's just sexual pleasure with no emotional contact and I think that degrades human needs, not just women's but men's too. Porn and all that stuff trains men to respond like Pavlov's dogs to a disdainful, bleached, spread-eagle photograph, not how to respond to and interact with real women. It cheapens their sexual encounters because it's "just sex", ie: nothing to get very excited about. For women, it teaches us that we have no further purpose than to gratify men sexually, and I think that robs everybody. People think they are getting a treat when they go to a strip club or watch a porn video, but usually, I think they are getting taken advantage of. They are settling for a lot, lot less than they could have. That's why I think it's bad, not because it breaks some law or because people's bodies shouldn't be on display, but because it cheapens the whole thing. People who spend a lot of time and money on the sex industry are trading something fun and real and important and nature and getting plastic instead. That's kinda pathetic.
Some people say seeing women made into bland sex objects makes it harder for men to interact with actual women in any meaningful way, so yes, I think we should. Also, I've heard that in some cases those who are very involved in watching porn, strippers, etc are more likely to commit violence against women, or crimes like rape. Those fake, artificial bodies are also a problem. A mentor actually told me that in the past Playboy and whatever showed women with tan lines, freckles, imperfections, like actual real women. Now, the images are more than 50% airbrushed or computer drawn. People are getting unrealistic images through porn, thinking that women actually look like they do in Playboy or whatever. That's damaging. Unless we know 100% that porn has absolutely no negative impact on anybody, we should care.
I can see the argument that people should be able to make their own choices, yeah. The simplistic argument is if I want to watch porn in my own house, or go to the strip club, or go to Thailand and sleep with pre-teen girls it's my business. But, it's not that simple at all. Your choices affect me and so on. If some guy watches violent rape fetish porn in the privacy of his own home, it might lead to him being aggressive or disrespectful when I meet him. So, I get that argument but I don't believe it.
I'm in college and don't have any kids, but I can imagine what my parents would feel and say if I were involved. I guess if I believed completely that a person entered into the sex industry voluntarily I would accept that, but I don't think that's possible. Many people in it our outright coerced and pressured, or feel they don't have any options. Others might think it's what they want but they also live in a culture that makes sex a commodity, and I don't think the choice is entirely made by them alone.
I'm not sure what this means. I don't think the sex industry is justifiable, no. I see nothing positive about it, not much neutral either.
