Pornography

Potter Stewart, a Justice in the U.S. Supreme Court, remarked in 1964 that he couldn't define pornography, but that he knew it when he saw it. Decades later, the definition of what is pornographic remains difficult or impossible to define in any objective way.

Pornography has taken on various definitions at different times and places. One common legal criteria is that pornography has no 'redeeming value' whatsoever. When a work contains educational or artistic merit, it cannot be considered pornographic, but this only preserves the ambiguities, as people differ on what is artistic, or what is worth learning.

Most definitions of pornography refer to 'community standards' which are inherently subjective and difficult to define. As a form of obscenity, true pornography is not considered protected under the Constitution.

Erotica may be a better term for most photographs, video or literature that includes nudity or sexual themes. The common use of the word Pornography generally includes both pornography and erotica.

Sexuality is an important part of human existence, and it is only natural that our technologies (ie, the VCR and the internet) are used for sexual expression. The VCR is credited with making erotica widely available to view at home, and some companies like Wanted List offer home delivery through the mail of adult movies using the business model developed by Netflix and Blockbuster (which do not offer explicit titles).

Some have claimed that sexually explicit pages make up a majority of the internet, although this is dubious and unproven.

History of Porn

Humans have made artistic depictions of the human body and sexuality for as far back as archaeology can recover artifacts.

Erotica photography produced before the 1960s is often referred to as vintage porn. Erotica from the 1960's through the 1980's is sometimes called Retro or Rodox. The Retro period of porn was dominated by material from the Scandinavian countries, where social attitudes towards nudity and sex were more open. One Danish resident describe the post WWII transformation of Denmark's economy in this way: "Before, we sold pigs to the people. With porn, we sell people to the pigs."

The history of porn can also be divided into pre-HIV and post-HIV periods. Due to organizing and activism among porn actors and pressure from insurance companies, most porn now involves regular testing for sexually transmitted diseases along with condoms and other preventive measures.