if you know you're operating near the edge of the cliff, checking over your shoulder from time to time is something you naturally want to do to avoid plunging onto the rocks, it's just common sense.
That's exactly the point that annoys me so - writing fictional stories should *not* place anyone at the edge of a cliff. And in almost any other context, it doesn't - anyone can write fiction (and get published) on anything from serial killers to the Mafia to war and the atomic bomb and whatnot. It's only illegality in a fictional *sexual* context that sends up the outcry.
Now I *am* a feminist, and I have huge issues with the exploitative nature of visual pornography, for example (not just the illegal stuff like child porn, that goes without saying, but also - to a lesser degree, of course - with legit porn in film/photograpy. Which, coincidentally, is produced mainly for men. On the other hand, *written* porn is produced (at least in fanfictive form on the net) largely (though not exclusively!) by women, for women. Visual pornography is exploitative because it's objectifying *real* people, while the feminine version is, well, focussing almost completely on the fictional *and* does not only see bodies, but pays attention to character.
I see that as a very good thing for two reasons: one, because no real people are harmed/degraded. No matter how dark stories get, they remain safely fictional. And two, because I see it as a reclaiming of pornography by women, who have, by the male version, been both objectified and excluded (as customers, or personalities). Fanfic porn is a non-commercial sharing between (not only, but mostly, you get it) women, and also a rejection of the (equally oppressive) concept of female purity/passivity/whatnot. I'm honestly not surprised that those stories can get dark, even very dark, because there's a lot there that simply hasn't been explored before to remotely such a degree. Especially since it takes the commercial aspect out of the issue, where the social pressures towards conformity would come in.
Though there's still a double-standard - I mean if John Norman's Gor novels could get published, why go up in arms against some Snarry rapefic on the net... (not saying you would - just comparing).
Ok, sorry for the would-be treatise - that's an issue I've been mulling over for a long time, and once it gets triggered I can't shut up :).
no subject
That's exactly the point that annoys me so - writing fictional stories should *not* place anyone at the edge of a cliff. And in almost any other context, it doesn't - anyone can write fiction (and get published) on anything from serial killers to the Mafia to war and the atomic bomb and whatnot. It's only illegality in a fictional *sexual* context that sends up the outcry.
Now I *am* a feminist, and I have huge issues with the exploitative nature of visual pornography, for example (not just the illegal stuff like child porn, that goes without saying, but also - to a lesser degree, of course - with legit porn in film/photograpy. Which, coincidentally, is produced mainly for men. On the other hand, *written* porn is produced (at least in fanfictive form on the net) largely (though not exclusively!) by women, for women. Visual pornography is exploitative because it's objectifying *real* people, while the feminine version is, well, focussing almost completely on the fictional *and* does not only see bodies, but pays attention to character.
I see that as a very good thing for two reasons: one, because no real people are harmed/degraded. No matter how dark stories get, they remain safely fictional. And two, because I see it as a reclaiming of pornography by women, who have, by the male version, been both objectified and excluded (as customers, or personalities). Fanfic porn is a non-commercial sharing between (not only, but mostly, you get it) women, and also a rejection of the (equally oppressive) concept of female purity/passivity/whatnot. I'm honestly not surprised that those stories can get dark, even very dark, because there's a lot there that simply hasn't been explored before to remotely such a degree. Especially since it takes the commercial aspect out of the issue, where the social pressures towards conformity would come in.
Though there's still a double-standard - I mean if John Norman's Gor novels could get published, why go up in arms against some Snarry rapefic on the net... (not saying you would - just comparing).
Ok, sorry for the would-be treatise - that's an issue I've been mulling over for a long time, and once it gets triggered I can't shut up :).