Dear Editor,

Ms. Grey sounds like an intelligent and capable young woman. Her response to the question on whether or not pornography degrades women, however, is a bit trite, if predictable. I think that a strong argument can be made that pornography does degrade everyone involved in it in that it encourages people to see each other as body parts and as instruments of gratification. It does not, on the whole, encourage people - either the participants or the consumers - to see the others involved as full human beings. It may be argued that many other activities promote a similarly truncated view of other people, and I certainly concede that point, but pornography may be especially powerful in its capacity to dehumanize others.

Therefore, the issue may not be whether or not pornography is degrading but, rather, whether or not this degradation is acceptable. Here, I think, is where Ms. Grey has a point. Obviously, many people don't mind being degraded and others do not mind degrading them. If this is going on between consenting adults, then our society is geared towards accepting this. The whole S and M culture is built on this idea.

If Ms. Grey is content in her life and choices and if she is not hurting other people, then more power to her. Certainly, her profession is far less damaging to society than the average Wall St. banker. I do suspect that she is being a bit disingenuous however - as an active porn star, I am sure she has worked with many people whom she would recognize as damaged human beings. In such cases, the question of degradation should provoke a more considered response.

Sincerely,

Shaun

That there would be a melding of the two industries - porn and Hollywood. Twenty years from now, it won't even be news.

"How was preparing for this role different from preparing for a porn movie?"

Um, one is acting, one is fucking. "For porn, I prepare the night before" Translation: I shave and I douche.

"What do you say to people who say that porn degrades women."

Well, she said she doesn't judge anybody unless she's walked in their shoes. Has she been a Christian? And are there no Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or Shintoists, who think that porn is degrading?

Yes, it's atheists vs. Christians. The intelligent, progressive, nice pople vs. the ignorant, mean, barbarians. Well, she'll do very well in Hollywood. She has already ingested their 2-dimensional world view to a tee.

I really do think, however, that there isn't much of a difference between the two (porn and acting). In fact, I would even venture to say that "method" actors make themselves more open and vulnerable than porn stars. It is easy to have sex unemotionally. It is not so easy to act emotional for a role and be convincing when you are not feeling it. You think movie stars are fucked up now? Just wait. When actors and actresses cross over into porn, and vice-versa, LA is gonna be even more of a lunatic asylum! Not only will they have to deal with exposing their emotional vulnerabilities on screen, and being unmercifully judged and ridiculed for it, but their sexual lives as well.

Oh, boy. It's a therapists's wet dream.

Enter sexual therapy.