History of Porn [View all]

Part 1 of 6 via Channel 4/UK.

NSFW

According to this documentary, the word, "pornography," as we know it, did not exist in English-language dictionaries until the mid-1800s.

Pornography as a concept was an invention of the Victorians brought about by the discovery of erotic murals painted on walls in rooms in various houses in ancient Pompeii.

The ancient world of the Roman Empire shocked the Victorians, with murals and sculptures depicting sexual acts as part of the everyday - and were locked away. The erect phallus was a good luck charm in Roman society and was placed at the front door of houses - presenting sexuality in humorous ways.

I haven't seen the full series - but thought I'd share it here. Seems like this might be a group interested in the topic. This first section reminded me of...

When the British made contact with Hindu temple sculptures depicting sexual acts that were part of some religious practice - they experienced the same shock - bas relief depictions of sex as part of religious iconography confused and scared the Victorian mind - and helped to lead them to depict other cultures as barbaric and uncivilized as an excuse to colonize.

Western colonizers used the same sort of shame to depict other cultures as uncivilized during the age of exploration, as the west came into contact with indigenous people in the Americas and Africa whose cultures did not have the same shame about the human body.

This shame, a product of the of patriarchal religions that spread across western Europe and the Middle East as Islam and Christianity fought for supremacy of their religion and colonized the world from 700 a.d. Islam as well as Christianity brought its religion to various areas of the world - and brought patriarchal sexual mores along with it.

I think it's sort of interesting that the prohibition against pornography is, itself, a basic tenet of patriarchy in western society.

All the protections were ways of maintaining and preserving power over females and the lower classes by protecting them "for their own good."