All posts by Kage

Essays, Non-fiction, Pornography, Sex

In Defense of Pornography

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     A question about porn has recently arisen from the ashes of my mind, like a phoenix taking flight and I cannot shake the idea from my mind and need to discuss it.

     The question in mind deals with the mind and pornography and how we has a society have come to view it. Porn is shot in High Definition now a day, and very realistic. In fact, porn is shot closer to home movies that you might share with loved one, from vacations to children’s birthday parties, but one has to wonder if that is the biggest problem with porn that society has, over the fact that pornography actually exist.

     Does porn interact with our minds differently than movies do? If you don’t know a thing about movies, they are traditionally shot on film in 24fps (Frames per second) and it gives the movies a dream like quality to them, as it is often described as.

     Pornography hasn’t been shot on film since sometime in the 1970’s, most likely. If you have seen pornography from the 1980’s you’ll notice a change in style and a much more modern look to it, in comparison to the porn of the previous eras. In fact, pornography was often viewed in theaters much like its cinematic counterparts.

     Some people, have drawn and in my opinion, false correlations between pornography and IQ. Dr. Kanawanza mentions such in his book The Intelligence Paradox.

     If pornography is interacting with our minds in a much more realistic way than it has in the past, could it be to blame for having impacts on sex lives?

     I find it doubtful that shooting a pornographic film in 24fps has any less of an impact on the mind than would shooting in a much more realistic format as 32fps. In fact, some studies have concluded, in recent times, that porn probably isn’t that bad for you at all.

     Yet if there really is a problem with pornography, were would it stem from? Yes, porno creates unrealistic situations that would never happen in real life. If you bang the nineteen year old cheerleader at the door, she probably wasn’t outside awaiting to have you ravage her like they do in the films. Most likely selling something or is lost and needs directions.

     Yet all porno is somewhat grounded in realism, since every time you interact with a member of the opposite sex, you could find yourself going back to their place for a shag.

     Is it the acts that seem far outside of “normal” that could be impacting people? I think the creativity in sexual acts is also a farfetched idea, since one article suggest that film can actually make one feel empathic towards characters.

     This brings me back to my point, since the article says film, which again is in 24fps, giving a dream like quality over the realistic nature of 1080p HD.

     If pornography is the reason for some ills in the world, I highly I would like to know the answer as to why? Science has given us plenty of evidence as to why it isn’t corrupting our soul and turning our children into sexual fiends.

     If the impact of pornography on our psyches is caused by anything, I’m willing to bet it’s the format in which it was shot in, over the content of the actual film.

     Albeit, film has never prevented psychopaths from being destructive towards others. The shootings in Denver are a clear indication of a movie being scapegoated as the catalyst for such insanity.

     So, given a breakdown of format that is used to create such films, what other possible argument for pornography being the scourge of humanity be?

     I cannot think of one, but I know for sure that it isn’t the fact that anyone can view it, the content of the film or even the format.

     Since these are the only possible arguments as to why people could consider such movies abhorrent in our society, I find the idea that pornography as an “Evil” is fatuous at best and a waste of tax dollars to find a correlation between murders, rape and destruction. I love science and anytime scientist get to do their thing, I’m for it, even when the hypothesis is batshit crazy, but some things in life should be blatantly fucking obvious.

     I’m one of those guys who loves to have as much evidence to back up my claims as anyone, but that leads to a need to be very selective in what I ultimately put my time into. This is the problem that I’m running into. Simple arguments pretty much show that pornography cannot do much to decay the very fabric of society. Yet, what could the reason be?

     The more we look at pornography from a logical perspective, the more rational pornography seems to be. It makes sense that people might turn to pornography for a whole plethora of reasons. Not the least of which is for ideas on how to rape. Rape is, has and always will be very straight forward. It is the use of corrosion, force or other means in getting “sex” from another person.

     How would the details of the rape have prevented it from happening? Some people are raped in the most brutal of ways, true and while influence in society from outside stimuli can and does happen, I don’t see it as deep enough to be alarming and having people desire to go on a witch-hunt within the pornography industry.

     Does some porn go too far in denigrating woman? Maybe, but that is up to the viewer to decide and not others. Remember, the hurdles that need to be jumped to be a woman in porn nowadays is far greater than in the past and they are subject to greater scrutiny. In other words, 99% of all acts seen and porn are defiantly consensual and while the 1% of the acts could justifiably be traced to possible forcing of someone into the industry, it happens more than not within the amateur realm of pornography than the pro.

     Pornography is a lot of things, but evil will never be one of them and I think that this will hold true as people continue to study pornography in greater and greater samples into the future and beyond. Quite possibly, the only better industry to be in now a day is the study of pornography as opposed to being in pornography, but that is another topic for another day.

Global, Metal, Music, Reviews, Rock, Wrestling

Do You Want to Start a War?

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     I’ve never been one to review music. To me, it’s one of the hardest things to do and do well and I’m just not that educated when it comes to music. I have some rudimentary skills at the guitar, but I never was musically oriented as a child. So I’ve severally lacking in the ability to put into words what I’m hearing.

     So here goes my first attempt ever to discuss a brand new record. Yes, record, because I bought the vinyl and am listening to the free auto-rip from Amazon.com and so far, I dig what I hear and want to share it.

     Chris Jericho, pro wrestler par excellence and also, apparently, quite the vocalist. Although, not all credit can lie with Chris (Moongoose McQueen, if you prefer.) as his band mates might also be some of the best musicians of the last decade. I’ve known about the band for the last fifteen years, but sadly have never had the chance to sit down and listen to his music. You know him as the rock star of the ring, but the grandiose entrances doesn’t mean the ability to actually be a rock star.

     One would be wrong to not give the band a listen as they might possibly be the finest band in the last fifteen years. A long list of bands have come into the metal scene, but few have had an impact on the musical landscape that Fozzy is seeing and will continue to have well into the future.

     If you’re a rock fan or a metal fan than you are doing yourself a disservice by not buying this record on every format available, it’s that good. If you’re a fan of metal from the 1980’s, then you’re in for a real treat, because it’s been about 30 years since a band has pump out arena hits like this.

     If you aren’t hooked by the ABBA cover SOS, than you have no pulse. If you aren’t having fun by the end of Tonight, you’re DOA and if you cannot enjoy the heavy sounds of Bad Tattoo, you’re six feet under.

     I barley ever give five stars as a rating and this might be only the third time in my life that I’ve done so, because I’m not an easy sell, but five out of five.

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Minor corrections made.

Added link for Item. Click the band’s Name.

Non-fiction, Opinion

Mass Hysteria

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Article on Shootings: “http://abcnews.go.com/US/fullpage/us-school-shootings-massacres-threats-timeline-curse-columbine-25896335

     Columbine will always be remembered as one of the worst incidents in American history, other than possibly electing George W. Bush to president, but joking aside, what is it about this particular event that has the insane completely enthralled?

     Surely, for anyone with a clear enough recollection of the 90’s, you would remember that Columbine wasn’t the first, yet we’re still feeling the impact of its “Legacy” today. In terms of catastrophe, it isn’t the biggest. In fact, the only data surrounding it suggest it was only the biggest school shooting. Aurora, Colorado had a bigger impact and yet the rise of shootings in theaters hasn’t taken hold with the disenfranchised youth.

     The problem isn’t one of making them famous, as the article suggest, but rather about making them infamous. Fame is gained through positivity and infamy is gained from notoriety. The real underlying problem isn’t that the youth are aspiring to be the young Columbine killers, but rather outdo them. I personally seem to think that if these kids’ desires is to outdo the “worst school shooting in history” then they might bother to actually learn a thing or two about incident in question. Instead, they don a trench coat, read and listen to the same music or books in a vain attempt to invoke the young boys who walked into their school and shot it up, one April morning in 1999.

     Article after article suggest that the biggest problem is scapegoating. In fact, all the articles do is attempt to explain away why these “Kids” are doing such horrible thing. Where can the adults find blame? After all, we yearn for explanations when things are out of our control. The youth also scapegoat their potential deeds on the shooters of Columbine as they have been scapegoated by their “peers.”

     It’s a never ending cycle of blame this, that or the other thing. What I refer to as the “O’Reilly Fallacy.” In other words, you cannot know, therefore, you know. We see it all the time in the media. Bill O’Reilly for whom I named the fallacy after (Original name of the fallacy is argumentum ad ignorantiam) and the Aliens guy.

     All the speculation as to what the root cause is, adds up only to borderline conspiracy theory, crackpot explanations and pseudo-scientific linking of the irrelevant. You can understand why these kids commit heinous crimes, though. It isn’t the music, books or movies. I’ve seen everything these kids have, read the same books and listened to the music. At twenty-eight years old, pretty sure I’m doing just fine and haven’t the faintest desire to kill anyone. Although, I will say, Justin Bebier makes me want to blow my own brains out, but that’s a different story for another time.

     The root of the explanation lies in the end of the article, which is that schools do not do enough to prevent bullying. Loss of funding, blaming the victim, lawsuits, shootings and the dreaded no-tolerance policy. If anything some of these kids went through happened at a business, the individual in question would probably had been fired. Not so in schools. It’s a buildup of tension until the eventual eruption. In fact, you can view the following in order to better understand what happens to these kids as they attempt to navigate the nightmare that is the American school system.

     It’s the domestic violence cycle. Tension, explosion, honeymoon phase. When we can understand such, under a different model, then why do we still lay blame on stupid things?

cycle_of_abuse

     Bullying IS a form of domestic violence, one that impacts a child for long after they have left the “relationship.” You know how to prevent one, but not the other? Start by isolating the problem, end the victim blaming that runs rampart in schools and punish the perpetrators so that they remember that verbal abuse is still abuse.

     Find the kids who need guidance and an escape away from the abuse that they receive and things will be different. You might not be able to prevent them all, but you will impede future problems.

Essays, Girls, Non-fiction, Opinion, Woman

7th Hell

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     Reading about Stephen Collins and the molestation charges being thrown at him is making me think about a lot of things. Here we have a case of someone actually admitting to the crime, versus being accused of such.

     It would seem to me that this is pretty clear cut and dry and that something should be done, but Hollywood is a pretty weird business. So far, people want to see something done with this celebrity for having committed heinous act against a child. Yet, it wasn’t so long ago when Hollywood was defending Roman Polanski for the same offense. Many signed a petition, hoping for leniency against the offender. Roman fled the country to avoid prosecution for his crimes and his victim has even said she doesn’t want him charged.

      What if the same were to happen here? Is it ok to allow for a high profile case to again be thwarted by people who would otherwise try to prevent justice from taking course?

      I highly doubt Collins will be given the Polanski treatment. He isn’t a big enough star to have so many people come to his aid. Not to mention, Hollywood has been getting better in dealing with such cases as they come up. Collins has recently been fired from Ted 2 for such.

     Many celebrities have gone to prison, Phil Spector for instance and I expect the same to happen here if they are able to bring a case against him. Yet I suspect that, much like times in the past, this will be completely messed up and botched.

     One major theme I see going around, again, is that this is a man that many have taken at face value for being his character.

     They are called characters for a reason, folks. The resulting problem of such is proving that after years and years of advancement, we’re still stuck in the past and rehashing the same tired arguments about such and having the same conversations. Did he, didn’t he and what of it?

     I can understand that we as a nation have been known to jump the gun when it comes to child molestation and rape, in an attempt to make up for oversights of old, but realistically, isn’t it better to be scrupulous in our effort to uncover the truth about the individuals before we go on a witch hunt?

     This isn’t one of those cases. So far, the stories alleged that a task force has been dispatched to investigate, yet it seems like we could be doing more?

     I don’t think it’s hyperbole to recall the Michael Jackson cases, were it seemed as if he was guilty before he was even arrested and tried.

     With diligence, justice will win out and be served. When it is, we might just have to thank the patron saint of Justice himself, Batman, for forgiveness in not seeming so lax in our ire at this specific individual.

Atheism, Essays, Non-fiction, Opinion

He’s not the hero liberalism needs, he’s the one it deserves.

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     Everyone see Batman vs Sam Harris? Unlike Batman V. Superman, it’s a lot more lackluster than the viral videos and treads want you to believe. In fact, it’s a non-versastion.

     This trumped up bullshit was trending just a few days ago and quite frankly it’s absurd. Harris had written a piece, as he always does, to curtail any responsibility he might have in creating religious ire over his comments about Islam.

     The problem? Harris is right! Words I never thought I would utter or write, let alone publish. Islam really, truly is the mother load of bad ideas.

     Female genital mutilation? Check. Underage marriage? Check. Blowing up people who don’t agree with your religion? Check. No, it’s not a typical weekend in Kentucky, that’s Islam.
We have to remember two things when discussing the video. 1. Not all Muslims are Arab. 2. Racism and bigotry are not one and the same. 3. Critizing bad ideas is fine. 4. Generalizing is impression upon the whole.

     Harris’ comments would only be racist if he was insistent upon Arabs as a whole being inferior due to the color of their skin. Racism, after all, is the doctrine that one is superior based on race.

     Nowhere did Harris discuss Arabs or All Muslims. In fact, he states the doctrines are highly question and a large portion of Muslims adhere to this belief. True and not generalizing. Not all Muslims adhere strictly to the insane version of Islam.

      Harris’ views that one could question as currently being racist weren’t even mentioned. In the past, Harris has been accused of this for agreeing with profiling of Arab targets on planes, which is an example of a horrible idea, especially with men and woman from other nations joining up with ISIS. Not to mention that terrorism isn’t exclusive to Arabs with Muslim faith.

     He has also expressed torture as being useful in order to elicit information from terrorist to thwart terror attacks. The evidence has never suggested that this works and his 24 hour analogy falls flat on its face as the fallacious crap that it is.

     That said, Sam relies too much on attacking detractors as fans of other detractors who have clearly led them on to think that he is wrong. In no way was anyone able to assert that Sam Harris is full of it, just because he’s wrong. Apprently Sam is of the Opion that he is never wrong, when he is more often wrong instead of right.

      Yet the arguments and other accusations don’t hold water against his point of view, which is grounded in fact instead of biased opinion. Harris and the other four horsemen have attacked all major religions for their insanity and Islam is no different, except in their inability to not use violence against those who would offend Islam. Also, Scientology has yet to be a target on their list. They make clear with examples, just the same absurd crap that is spewed forth from the Muslims religion as they would christainity. The difference is that, and what the nonviolent Muslims would like to do, is have a chance to change the minds of the violent to that of a more peaceful way of discussing Islam ideas. Christianity, for all intents and purposes, has mostly moved away from violent acts and peaceful Muslims seem to think they can do that same. Yet, we don’t exactly have thousands of years for Islam to grow up and the occasional act of violence from Christians still presents itself.

      If we are to move forward in anyway, it needs to be with ideas and not acts of destruction caused by Jihadist and the radicals that want to prevent these discussions of happening. One would think that if Islam is the one true faith, that acts of violence to prevent the destruction of these ideas would be fine. In other words, the faithful lack faith in the ideas presented without realizing it.

      Calling attacks on Islam racist is fundamentally wrong and borderline religious with the fervor from those who attack the ideas.

     Only open dialogue will prevent future destruction on what we desire to accomplish, which is a much more honest word that doesn’t resort to death in order to cling to outdated ideas.

Analysis, Educational, List, Non-fiction

Top 10 Reasons for Sex with Friends.

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     a new study suggest a link between friendship and similar genetics. This isn’t actually new or out of the realm of plausibility. If you do a search for the major histocompatibility complex, you find that our mates often have dissimilar traits to us than our relatives do. In fact, similar genetics tend to be akin to incest and inbreeding is bad for the species as a whole.

     That said, if your friends are not the equivalent of fourth cousins, here are 10 reasons why having sex with your friends is beneficial to you.

     1. SEX HAS BENEFITS.

     If you’ve lived under the rock for the last several years, you’re bound to find a plethora of information disseminating scientific facts showing a correlation between sexual intercourse and health benefits. Some studies have shown reduced risk of blood pressure, mental health benefits and even keeps the immune system healthy. In other words, sex is natural medication for a lot of health problems that currently plague our society. That said, I wouldn’t skip the annual checkup, no matter how much sex you have.

     2. NO STRESS SEX.

     Not everyone is a social rock star. In fact, given the wide use of social media and smart phones, it’s a wonder anyone is able to socialize. In fact, people seem to be getting worse with live interactions. If you’re a social type, you’re in luck, because for everyone one man that isn’t out there scouting, that is one extra chance for you for find someone.
We’re comfortable with friends. They’re familiar, they know us and we can let our guard down. The benefit is better sex, without the weirdness. Ladies, who else has seen you with your hair up and without the make up on? Perhaps that guy in the friend zone is a sexual savant.

     3. MORE FUN FOR HALF THE COST

     If you’ve never read Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, you should. It’s an incredible book that continues to hold up. One of the hallmarks of an excellent book, mind you.
Within its pages, you’ll find a breakdown of what is called cost-benefit analysis. In other words, you exert energy for each daily task you do. It only makes sense that they should have a benefit, then, right? Well, with work, school, friends and family, sometimes self-neglect is bound to happen. Why not allow for the stress relief you deserve, just because you’re not in the mood to go out for the night? Call a friend for those times when you absolutely, positively, need to orgasm.

     4. LET YOUR FREAK FLAG, FLY.

     Do you have a fetish that isn’t quite common? Afraid to ask the woman or guy you like, due to rejection, humiliation or judgment? Chances are you already discussed it with your friends and they don’t mind. They know how crazy you are and love you all the same. If they didn’t know, they wouldn’t be your friends. So why not experiment with those closest to you?

     5. THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS.

     Keeping sex to an intimate circle of friends is a great way to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infection. In fact, keeping it in house could keep you safer than meeting a stranger. Your friends care about you and vice versa, as such, they’re bound to be more open to keeping you and everyone involved, safe. This occurs, usually, in open relationships were you wouldn’t want to expose your loved one to any potential hazards. Face it, its human nature to care about those closest to you, over complete strangers. Now it benefits your sex life.

     6. Uppers, not downers.

     Friends are supportive of one another, or they should be. If you’re lucky enough to have supportive friends, you’ll be glad to know it boost yourself esteem. Isn’t it nice to get a self-esteem boost from people we care about over those we don’t? You can learn a lot about a person by the company they keep and sex is no different. Instead of getting boosted by the act of sex, you’re boosted by the friend instead and that is worth more than a night with any stranger will give you. In other words, supportive friends will always be supportive and not just to slip into your pants.

     7. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

     True friends have a great respect for one another and with that comes giving yourself completely. It also means someone who will respect your limits and not force you into uncomfortable moments. When someone respects you as a person, instead of a notch on their belt, it’s a great thing and rare to find. Too many people have less respect for people than they should. While admiration and other types of respect are earned, basic human respect should never be.

     8. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

     Getting to know someone is a lot of work. It can take months, even years to learn all their ins and outs. Better put in the Lord of the Rings, You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month and after a hundred years, they can still surprise you.
Isn’t it nice to know someone so well, they can surprise you in a pinch by giving you exactly what you desire? It’s almost like a psychic bond between two people, they don’t need words, and you both could express each others thoughts, non-verbally. What more could you ask for in a friend, let alone a sexual partner?

     9. KNOWING YOUR LIMITS.

     Much like respecting you enough to know what not to do, or knowing you well enough to be intuitive, we get knowing your limits. We all have different sex drives, buttons and things that make us tick. It’s these little idiosyncrasies that make us, well, us. Does the guy at the bar know when to quit because you couldn’t quite handle it? Does he make sure you’re OK during the sex? A good partner should know how to take you to your limit without driving you past it or is able to push it past that, safely. You know your friends know how to push your buttons and then pull back, it’s what they do best. It can also apply to sex to make it even better.

     10. NO FEAR

     Your friends are friends for a reason. They like you as you are and they don’t care how you look. With that comes things you won’t get from the guy you hook up with. Cuddling for instance is something few men still understand is a great way to enhance your girl’s sexual pleasure after the fun time ends. Friends can do what most men fear to try, intimacy. They know all your secrets, so make sure to hold them close as they do your darkest fears and desires. Who knows, perhaps you might even fall in love with the least likeliest of candidates, your best friend

a-guy-gets-out-of-le-friendzone_o_651677

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*Minor edits and added a link.