Re: Porn & Drugs
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:15 am
I'm not taking a moral view on drugs - it's about personal choice but that choice should be informed and it should be about a want and not a need. 'I want to get high' rather than 'I need to get high (in order to get through this)'. This is slightly pedantic, but if drugs are on set they're no longer recreational because it's work, right?
I think that some drugs are associated with 'success', with 'glamour' and with the 'high life' and perhaps it's this that people want to opt into rather than the effects of the drug itself. I understand it's a very self congratulatory drug, so for a certain kind of person it will tick a number of boxes, most of which are arguably to do with their insecurities and their need to create a perception of themselves as 'successful'. In other words, there is a sense in which it's compensatory. Of course, people's motivations are different, but all recreational drugs are essentially escapist, and I think the pertinent question would be 'What are you escaping from?' If, on the other hand, they function to 'get the job done' in much the same way as a long distance lorry driver might take speed to stay awake and alert, then that's not altogether healthy. There's a cliche that 'You start off using drugs and then the drugs start using you' which is about the loss of control. Some people can control their drug use, for others it becomes chaotic and destructive, but it's one of those things that you only find out where you are on that spectrum through experience .... it's not self knowledge that people tend to have in their late teens/early 20s.
It does, however, highlight the responsibilities that people should have towards one another .. the 'duty of care' was mentioned elsewhere. If drugs are used as leverage, inducement or whatever then that is wholly irresponsible and cynically exploitative. If people aren't responsible then they're involved in the creation of victims. People have a responsibility to themselves which is where informed choice comes in, but in this context there's arguably a collective responsibility too..well, really, from my point of view it's inarguable.
I think people should just be a bit more honest .. on the one hand there's a public face of porn where the sex is great and it's not really work, but beneath that surface, as is suggested in this thread, there is a situation in which the majority of people are 'medicated' in order to do the job they do. If you look at it like that, it's not a great advertisement for the industry.
I think that some drugs are associated with 'success', with 'glamour' and with the 'high life' and perhaps it's this that people want to opt into rather than the effects of the drug itself. I understand it's a very self congratulatory drug, so for a certain kind of person it will tick a number of boxes, most of which are arguably to do with their insecurities and their need to create a perception of themselves as 'successful'. In other words, there is a sense in which it's compensatory. Of course, people's motivations are different, but all recreational drugs are essentially escapist, and I think the pertinent question would be 'What are you escaping from?' If, on the other hand, they function to 'get the job done' in much the same way as a long distance lorry driver might take speed to stay awake and alert, then that's not altogether healthy. There's a cliche that 'You start off using drugs and then the drugs start using you' which is about the loss of control. Some people can control their drug use, for others it becomes chaotic and destructive, but it's one of those things that you only find out where you are on that spectrum through experience .... it's not self knowledge that people tend to have in their late teens/early 20s.
It does, however, highlight the responsibilities that people should have towards one another .. the 'duty of care' was mentioned elsewhere. If drugs are used as leverage, inducement or whatever then that is wholly irresponsible and cynically exploitative. If people aren't responsible then they're involved in the creation of victims. People have a responsibility to themselves which is where informed choice comes in, but in this context there's arguably a collective responsibility too..well, really, from my point of view it's inarguable.
I think people should just be a bit more honest .. on the one hand there's a public face of porn where the sex is great and it's not really work, but beneath that surface, as is suggested in this thread, there is a situation in which the majority of people are 'medicated' in order to do the job they do. If you look at it like that, it's not a great advertisement for the industry.