Pornography and the eye of the beholder

[Hagoth]

Mrs. Hagoth was sharing travel notes with a TBM neighbor. The neighbor (mother of one of the newest GAs) talked about what a horrible experience they had visiting Athens. They were shocked and disgusted by the pornography EVERYWHERE The conversation went something like:

Mrs. H: "Wow, things must have changed. We didn't see anything pornographic."
Mrs. TBM: "Are you kidding, it was everywhere!"
Mrs. H: "Really?"
Mrs. TBM: "Penises. Penises everywhere you look!"
Mrs. H: "Wait, you're talking about the sculptures in the museums?"
Mrs. TBM: "We had out 18-year old son with us and we were trying to keep him worthy to go on a mission."

[Just This Guy]

So penises are evil, but a woman's breast is perfectly fine? Man, there is some weird sexism with their definition of pornography.


Insert a reference to the movie ZARDOZ here...

[Palerider]

Unless the kid was gay, why would penises be a problem.

Maybe HE wasn't the one having the lustful thoughts?

[deacon blues]

Yep. Classic case of a protective mother projecting her own desires on her son.

[Hagoth]

So penises are evil, but a woman's breast is perfectly fine? Man, there is some weird sexism with their definition of pornography.


Insert a reference to the movie ZARDOZ here...

Although there are certainly exceptions, Greek art usually has men naked and women clothed.

Ha. I saw Zardoz at the drive-in when I was a teenager.

[nibbler]

Yep. Classic case of a protective mother projecting her own desires on her son.

That's my mom's most favorite piece!

[DPRoberts]

I was fortunate to see Michaelangelo's David in Florence as a teenager, with a mixed group of other teenagers from across the US. I did not observe any reactions from our group to the statue being nude. It was more like moments of wonder and awe at the genius that produced such a thing. A true reverence in the presence of such a skillful and transcendant rendering of the human form.

Looking back, I had what I would now consider a great spiritual experience in the presence of such a wonderful creation. It pains me to think that some might call that pornography. I get that there was nothing in Greece comparable to the David, but I still think TBM Mom may have been robbed of the ability to appreciate the beauty and humanity of certain works of art by rigid religious thinking.

[alas]

I was fortunate to see Michaelangelo's David in Florence as a teenager, with a mixed group of other teenagers from across the US. I did not observe any reactions from our group to the statue being nude. It was more like moments of wonder and awe at the genius that produced such a thing. A true reverence in the presence of such a skillful and transcendant rendering of the human form.

Looking back, I had what I would now consider a great spiritual experience in the presence of such a wonderful creation. It pains me to think that some might call that pornography. I get that there was nothing in Greece comparable to the David, but I still think TBM Mom may have been robbed of the ability to appreciate the beauty and humanity of certain works of art by rigid religious thinking.

The thing TBM mom was objecting to in Pompeii is nothing compared to the statue of David. Like comparing a playboy pin with huge oversized boobs and no clothing up with the Mona Lisa. For those who have never had the experience of either, in Pompeii was a room in a mansion with the walls decorated with erect penises. Yes, it was porn. Gay porn. Designed to make men turned on, not women. There was nothing beautiful about badly painted gay porn. Women do not get turned on all that much with pictures of erect penises. Women like a more subtle form of porn, like the bare chested dude with a cutlas and a pirate flag in back that is a favorite book cover of bodice rippers, like my sister who is a 65 year old virgin reads. Not knocking that kind of literatrasher but I didn’t just misspell literatrasher. No, women do not like erect penises, so spare your girlfriend the dick pic and dress up as an over muscled pirate with hair showing where your shirt is unbuttoned to your belly button. Just because you guys are used to seeing erect penises does not mean they are not porn when used in the room decorations of a gay bedroom. Yes, Mormon mother was guilty of pearl clutching over something quite silly really, I mean grow up. If she’s a mother, I am sure she saw one before. And while the culture back then was hardly Victorian, doesn’t mean the Victorian pearl clutchers get to decide to censor a Roman era mansion.

[DPRoberts]

Resisting the temptation to run with a porn tangent. . .