3 days ago
The Politics and Perils of Pornography
To the Editor:
Re 'The Delusion of Porn's Harmlessness,' by Christine Emba (Opinion guest essay, May 25):
Thanks to Ms. Emba for writing about pornography and its negative effect on society.
I try to teach my daughter and 8-year-old granddaughter that they bring more to the table than their looks, that they are more than the sum total of their body parts. I'm breathing a slight sigh of relief that maybe this next generation will realize that.
Jenny MottierCincinnati
To the Editor:
In her essay, Christine Emba writes: 'As a society, we are allowing our desires to continue to be molded in experimental ways, for profit, by an industry that does not have our best interests at heart.' But I'm left wondering, what industry does?
The food industry floods us with ultraprocessed products that are literally killing us. The fossil fuel industry drives us toward climate catastrophe. The health care industry leaves thousands uninsured and allows people to die if they can't pay.
Surely, Ms. Emba must see that the real problem is the current state of capitalism, where profit is the only true priority. The porn industry is just one more expression of that system.
Karaca MestciLondon
To the Editor:
As long as we, as a society, continue to withhold age-appropriate sex education from our young people, they will continue to seek out answers to their questions and context for their feelings anywhere they can find them. The internet has, unfortunately, become the primary source of this for many children and young adults.
Withholding reliable and useful information about sex does not make the normal and appropriate curiosity that young people have about bodies, behavior and sex go away. It just encourages the naturally curious to seek out answers in other places.
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