Culture

Because infographics make the world go round, here’s one from Koldcast.tv. We’re slightly disappointed that the graphic didn’t cite the actual studies being referenced (and we’re weary of some of the cites), but hey, we’re going to settle for the fact they’re talking about female orgasms for now.

Pornography isn’t the problem, it’s a conduit. Through pornography, you are faced with desires with which one may not be comfortable, hence the response when the men in the article encounter women who enjoy these things and express them with them.

It was only a matter of time before someone decided to get on a high horse and wag a finger at the victims of the Porn Wikileaks release of some 15,000 real names and addresses of porn performers and their families. CNET’s Chris Matyszczyk, known for his irreverent commentary, took it too far by minimalizing the problem of Porn Wikileaks and blaming victims for the career paths they’d chosen.

Director and Taboo editor Ernest Greene speaks out about the Adult Industry Medical leak that has rocked Porn Valley: “I’m not surprised, given the increasingly heated and complex politics of disease-hazard mitigation in porn currently roiling the industry, that this vile act has been appropriated as an excuse to yet again attack one of the most effective community-supported HIV prevention programs in the world by those who covet AIM’s credibility for their own attempts at seizing control of the testing and monitoring process for financial gain.”

But this is not a story about a bad judge, a reckless journalist and an insensitive editor. These three cases reflect the society in which we live, one that inadvertently enforces these behaviors by blaming victims when violations occur, effectively absolving perpetrators. What we want you to do is for Sexual Assault Awareness Month is to start listening. Listen to how people describe situations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Where is the blame? Question the impulse to blame the victim, in yourself and in others. The only way to shift a norm is to start from within.

Yesterday the health clinic that conducts the testing of Los Angeles’ porn industry, Adult Industry Healthcare Foundation, said that the database holding tens of thousands of patient records had been compromised and that this information had been made available online.

You know it’s bad if YouTube commenters unanimously decree: “DON’T STICK YOUR DICK IN CRAZY, RYAN!” But we concede that you have every right to decide for yourself, so here you have it.

The romances in the game are not for “the straight male gamer”. They’re for everyone. We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. You can write it off as “political correctness” if you wish, but the truth is that privilege always lies with the majority. They’re so used to being catered to that they see the lack of catering as an imbalance.

You guys remember Forever Alone, right? It’s essentially the emo version of Rage Guy, featured widely in a comic wherein the protagonist faces his loneliness and despair. Good stuff. But not good enough for some 4chan and Reddit users, who want to see the meme come to life.

When did masochism become synonymous with submission, and sadism with dominance? Are these two truly synonymous? In the classic Venus in Furs, the protagonist Severin called himself his lover’s slave, but was he truly serving her or did he merely desire the illusion, without ever relinquishing control of his needs in her service, the way a submissive should? We’ve all heard of “topping from the bottom” — it is an expression usually employed with derision, indicating defective behavior in a submissive. But is it possible that masochistic dominants do exist?