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I don’t know about you, but I watch porn for the witty dialogue, strong character development and high production value. I’d rather pay money for a single high-quality adult DVD than watch an endless variety of clips for free on the Internet. And as a feminist, I am deeply offended when female porn stars are degraded as sex objects in the roles they play and are not portrayed as full, complex human beings. And I am completely kidding, of course.

While I do understand the feminists' arguments against porn for perpetuating degrading images of women and sexuality, we can’t forget that all players involved are consenting adults, and many of them are well-paid consenting adults. And sexuality is complicated. Debasement can be really fucking hot. And I surely don’t watch porn for the skillful, subtle execution of nuanced dialogue. But the New York Times is reporting that adult film stars are saddened by the loss of dialogue due to technology and the demand for vignettes that can be uploaded and downloaded.

In the '70s, films with characters and dialogue were created and marketed to couples who would buy video tapes to watch at home. But with hand-held video cameras becoming readily available and affordable, “a generation of pornographers with little interest in drama beyond a clichéd plot involving a pizza delivery boy” emerged. Pornos with plots had a place in the '90s when directors thought they could make DVDS more appealing to women (again, marketing to couples), if they had a plot. I think this tactic is pretty hilarious. A) When a woman is looking to watch porn, I am pretty sure she is as interested in the dialogue and character development as her male counterpart. B) If they were actually trying to market to women, did they think something like this would work?
Husband: Hey honey, I picked up something for movie night.
Wife: What did you get?
Husband: This cool movie about Pirates and Sailors.
Wife: Pirates and Sailors! That is even better than the Fried Green Tomatoes I asked for! You get a blow job just for picking it out!

But I do feel for the porn stars who don’t get to flex their acting muscles anymore. As Savanna Samson says in the Times piece, “I used to have dialogue. Getting it on in one hardcore scene after another just isn’t as much fun.”