One of the most important distinctions that feed an informed conversation about pornography is the difference between titillation and sexual fulfillment. Another way of saying this is, what turns you on is not necessarily what you want in life.
This is why porn defense falls into the realm of freedom of speech. Porn is the exploration of an idea. It is a movie, a piece of fiction, that has been invented out of our collective desire. It changes dramatically between cultures and epochs. What was sexy in the 1800s might not be sexy today. This is all because we as humans are changing and porn is a way of “talking” about what we find erotic.
However, it is not what sex is. Porn is not sex, and sex is not porn. They do inform each other, but it does not follow that they cause each other.
Just as we can “see” ourselves in movies and plays and books, yet we know that they are pieces of fiction, porn is another artistic approach that “teaches” us about ourselves.
Sometimes we can be appalled by what has titillated us. Sometimes we can be entranced. When judgment comes in, we experience guilt and fear and hide things from each other. This is when we get into trouble.
