In this new age, this second decade of the 2000s, let us be bold; let us be free; and let us use our boldness and our freedom wihin the context of our modern technology to become our own pornographers!!

It would be gross understatement to simply observe that in the past decade or so, we have come to a new age in the history of human pornography. Indeed, the word, 'pornography' may itself have become inapt to describe what our modern capability yields, for it derives from the Greek, πορνεία (pornea, meaning 'prostitution,' and γράφειν (graphein, meaning 'to record'). But what has historically involved the services of 'prostitutes' -- paid participants -- as models has now been elevated to an art which any amateur can communally contribute. It ought to be in the same breath remembered that the occupation of prostitute historically did not occupy the scorned position imposed upon it by modern monotheisms, but was in fact a sacred office. The ancient prostitute was a sexual priestess, a temple goddess who offered the delights of her body in exchange to tributes to her deity and its temple which was her home.

Yes, sex was later criminalized in many of its forms, including sexual capitalism. But we have in this past generation seen a dramatic ebb of archaic condemnations of the human form in its sexual phase. And we now see the confluence of technology and that blossoming sexual freedom combining to change pornography from something we only ever watch others doing, to something we may sometimes watch but other times create and share with the world. Recent history shines its light on a clear path for such a trend. YouTube has taught us that we may be our own videographers, able to craft our own audiovisual creations and swiftly and easily distribute them worldwide for one another's entertainment. Certain (ahem) other websites (but this one as well) have taught us that we may be our own encyclopedia writers, not to mention our own poets, and our own authors of opinion and literature alike, providing one another with an unlimited variety of written material for our collective edification, elucidation, and indeed even sexual arousal. There is no end to amateur pornographic storytelling on the internet; some of it is even good (even as much of it is not).

So here we are, fully coming into this new age of sexual liberation. Perhaps a more intelligent age of it, where we know how to take care of our health while fulfilling our desires. The prevalence of celebrity sex tapes is only the leading edge of the personal choice of participants (it usually takes at least one of them to 'leak' the tape) to share their sexual endeavours with the world. And unlike past notions of scandal, some celebrities who have been revealed in this way in recent years have not been stigmatized for it, but have benefited, enlarged their place in the public eye. We are reminded that the ancients thought the naked human body to be a beautiful thing, a wisdom seemingly surpressed over many intervening generations, but one which the modern recurrance of sexual freedom proves has never been quashed entirely from our conscience.

Taken in this light, the common -- indeed, well nigh universal -- act of masturbation to the imagery or motions of the naked bodies of others is understood as a most primal form of admiration. It matters not whether those bodies be alone or joined in coitus with another person, or with a dozen. It shows itself to be no more worthy of condemnation than being excited to watch any physical performance, whether ballet or basketball, ballroom dance, boxing, or bicycle racing. Naturally, like each of these things, it is not for everyone -- both for the watcher of it, and for the performer. Some people like to watch golf or ballet or logsplitting on television, some don't (none of those is especially interesting to me, I confess). And some people would be glad to play golf, dance ballet, or split logs on television, while some wouldn't. But I'd not be the one to condemn those who wish to perform for others, nor to condemn the watching of the performance of others.

Now, it may be objected that sex is capable of being an especially intimate exchange, and such a thing ought not to be shared with the world. But a candlelit dinner or a nice conversation or a walk on the beach can be an intimate sharing as well. And yet we've generally not been acculturated (except in the most sexually repressive of societies) to believe those things must always be hid from the eyes of others. And surely even the golfer, the dancer, the logsplitter (or the sexual lover) who might enjoy the broadcast of their most excellent performances would prefer to not share every single effort at that activity with the world.

I mean, then, to encourage people to be free with their bodies and their sexuality, and to our age's technology -- the webcam, the camcorder, the video editing software -- to give as freely of it as they wish (and no more than what they wish) to all who would enjoy the watching of it — but for the givers to know, as well, that there is no rational reason to feel ashamed or oppressed from what ought to be a proud and liberating experience. Love is beautiful. Sex is beautiful. There is nothing wrong with sharing the imagery with the world, as we share the act with our lovers!!

So let us cease to simply be consumers but not creators of pornography, let us make this a manifesto of our free and sexually enlightened generation:
Let us be our own pornographers!!