Porn Wasn’t Invented By Americans, Nor Does It Lead To Atheism

Why do people talk about things they know nothing about?

The Egyptian Independent Al-Masry Al-Youm has published a very poorly written article about the confusing interview former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, has given to CBC. During the interview, Gomaa managed to completely bash our favorite thing in the entire world: pornography.

(Image via skyscrapercity)

If he had a clue, or actually if he just had Google, he might know that he is wrong in stating that porn was created by Americans during the sixties. Maybe he’s used to being wrong, maybe that’s his comfort zone, I don’t know. But blaming Americans in the 1960’s for something that has been around for thousands of years is comical; additionally, the only thing that generation of Americans is guilty of is being really, really cool.

What a quick Google search about porn could tell you, besides the fact that you may enjoy buxom brunettes more than buxom blondes, is that pornography is old; older than America, older than religion, and certainly older than the 1960’s. In fact, the ancient Greeks often painted sexual scenes on their ceramics, as did the ancient Egyptians – his ancestors! Additionally, the oldest porn video dates back to 1896, so the good news is that he was only 64 years off on videos.

The most troubling thing about the interview was not the Mufti’s historical inaccuracies concerning porn, but rather his very restricted conception of freedom. He says, “I hope we do not link this industry to freedom, because freedom is elevated and means human dignity.” The thing about freedom is you don’t get to pick and choose what suits you, people are free to make porn, people are free to watch porn – they don’t have to adhere to your interpretation of “elevated freedoms.”

There is also nothing undignified about adults partaking in pornography, but there is plenty undignified about people begging in the streets and children dying of hunger – which would be a better place to direct the freedom and dignity speech.

The Mufti then goes on to say that pornography leads to atheism, you know, like the common cold leads to a doctor’s visit. The only thing I know pornography to “leads to” is a good night’s sleep after going to town on yourself for the duration of three or four videos. People aren’t skipping prayers and religious services to indulge in watching strangers pork, unless they’re addicts – but either way, there is no logical link between pornography and atheism. In fact, God has remarkably frequent mention in pornographic videos. MAY BE TOO BLASPHEMOUS.

The Mufti also added that “mankind has been plagued by pornography” – to which we say: if porn is a plague then consider us dead.