In the Apollonian-Dionysian worlds Pornography stands in the shadows while in the lihght of everyday we are constantly exposed to softcore porn as well as the hyper sexualisation of young people.
Where's the outrage? Railing against a regulated and small niche outlet is a form of masturbation while the larger issue of hypersexualised Abercrombie and Fitch marketing goes on relentlessly.
Here, I think is the real problem. Both the Abercrombie-Fitch catalog and Internet pornography, while issues themselves, are symptoms of the oversexualization in American society. Another was the years long discussion of whether two fictional characters, Scully and Mulder, who were co-workers at the FBI in the series "X-Files," would engage in a romantic or sexual relationship.
Historically, children were married young, and connsumations were also young, ca. 12, 13 years old. It was important in the past to get the next generation born, due to the historically short human lifespan. We now though have a much better medical care and there is no need to start families as young as in the past. Unfortunately, biology hasn't caught up to medicine, and teenagers are intrinsically sexualized. But that's not the real problem; children are exposed and sexualized nowadays, rather than being shielded as in the recent past. (I should note that they were not shielded from that as much in the more distant past.)
So, what's the solution? Reintroducing modesty and shame into American society is a good goal, but how?
Actually, I think it's a lousy idea. Sex, sexuality, and sexual expression is not shameful at all. Treating it as such only adds fuel to the fire. You want to know how to pick out American tourists overseas? Stand outside a typical Amsterdam sex shop---one that's not even in the Red Light district. The people who walk by it and gawk and point and giggle at it like 13-year-old boys are the Americans. The people who don't give it a second glance are the Europeans.This whole thing is a uniquely American hang-up---that is, if you don't consider the Arabs. It's not some global "good vs. evil" battle.