Three Cheers for Porn!

With all the blather from religious conservatives trying to impose their prudish values on the rest of society, its rare that you get someone who is willing to stand up and express something to the contrary... Today is one of those days! Glenn Reynolds, a columnist over at MSNBC/Slate, recently noted a stunning trend -- since the 1970s, rape has decreased by 85%. Reynold suggests that this remarkable drop and the simultaneous proliferation of porn in America are no coincidence. While some over the years, including the Meese Commission, argued that porn encouraged rape, Reynolds argues that the emerging ubiquity of porn appears to have had the opposite effect.

Its about time that someone in the media has picked up on this -- having an outlet for sexuality is ultimately a good thing. Its when we repress ourselves when we really start creating big problems. While we're a long way from a society that can openly discuss and address sexuality, the rise (pun indended) has been a good first step.