Pornography with Purpose | Andrew Deman | TEDxUW
## Speaker Context - Role/Profession: Speaker presenting on the concept of passion. - Setting/Occasion: An academic talk/presentation. - Framing: Establishing the discussion around the "more broader concept of passion," noting its constant cultural referencing, and pointing out the current poor understanding of the concept. ## People - Galileo: Famous astronomer who stated that passion is the Genesis of Genius. - Benjamin Disraeli: Legendary British prime minister who stated that man is only great when he acts from Passion. - Steve Jobs: Legendary business leader who said people with passion can change the world for the better. - Jos Weeden: Source of the quote from *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*: "this is my favorite passion it lies in all of us sleeping waiting and though unwanted unbidden it will stir open its jaws and howl it speaks to us guides us passion rules us all and we obey what other choice do we have passion is the source of our finest moments uh the joy of Love The Clarity of hatred the Ecstasy of grief it hurts sometimes more than we can bear if we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of Peace but we would be Hollow empty rooms shuttered and dank without passion we'd be truly dead." - Alan Moore: Comics author, most famous Comics author alive, known for *Watchman*, *V for Vendetta*, *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*, and *Batman: The Killing Joke*. Partnered with Melinda Geabby on *Lost Girls*. - Melinda Geabby: Feminist Comics artist associated with the women's Comics Collective, known for bringing Comics into a political Arena. - Artist Spiegelman: Creator of *Mouse*. - Craig Thompson: Creator of *Blankets*. - Mariana Copy: Creator of *Prilis*. - Ferdinand: Character in the narrative, whose impending assassination sets the stage for the affair. - Wendy: Protagonist in the narrative, drawn from *Peter Pan*. - Alice: Protagonist in the narrative, drawn from *Alice in Wonderland*. - Dorothy: Protagonist in the narrative, drawn from *The Wizard of Oz*. - White Rabbit: Character in the narrative, who is described as a pedophile. - Peter Pan: Character associated with Neverland. - John Lennon: Artist who featured "Make Love Not War" in his lyrics. - Bob Marley: Artist who featured "Make Love Not War" in his lyrics. ## Organizations - Oxford English Dictionary: Provides the definition of passion as "a strong and barely controllable emotion." - women's Comics Collective: Group associated with Melinda Geabby. ## Places - University of Water: Where the speaker came to study American Poetry. - Northern England: Small town where Alan Moore resides. - Austria: Location of the hotel resort where the main events of *Lost Girls* take place. - Neverland: Location from Peter Pan, depicted in the narrative as a meadow in a public park. ## Tools, Tech & Products - Lost Girls: Book/work by Alan Moore and Melinda Geabby, which is the subject of the discussion. - Watchman: Comic series by Alan Moore. - V for Vendetta: Comic series by Alan Moore. - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Comic series by Alan Moore. - Batman: The Killing Joke: Comic series by Alan Moore. - Poem: The literary form being discussed, especially regarding the intersection of passion and creativity. ## Concepts & Definitions - Passion: A broad concept; defined by OED as "a strong and barely controllable emotion"; cited by speakers as something fueling genius, greatness, and the finest moments. - Genesis of Genius: The concept attributed to passion, as stated by Galileo. - Transcendent Force: How Shakespeare's theories on passion are contrasted, often misunderstood. - Lust/Physical Passion: The specific passion Alan Moore and Melinda Geabby focus on in *Lost Girls*. - Sexual Imagination: The ability to use the imagination regarding sex; can play a role in masturbatory fantasy. - Spank bank: Colloquial term for the sexual imagination regarding masturbatory Fantasy. - Double Standard: The societal tendency where men are more free to express their sexuality than women are. ## Numbers & Data - 13 years ago: Duration ago the speaker arrived at the University of Water. - 16 years: Duration the authors worked on the *Lost Girls* project before its publication. - One century ago: Approximate time when the hotel resort in Austria setting was established. - Two: Number of time Benjamin Disraeli said man is great. - Two: Number of protagonists (Wendy, Alice, Dorothy) used by Moore. - 60s: Decade associated with the counterculture. ## Claims & Theses - Passion is the Genesis of Genius. - Man is only great when he acts from Passion. - People with passion can change the world for the better. - Passion rules us all and we obey what other choice do we have. - If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of Peace but we would be Hollow empty rooms shuttered and dank without passion we'd be truly dead. - Shakespeare often uses passion to describe a state of intoxication where you lose rationality, viewing it as kind of a bad thing. - The Passion of the warrior is the same as the passionate of the lover is the same as The Passion of the artist inspired. - Passion is Passion, all that matters is how we choose to express it. - The book *Lost Girls* suggests that passion is essentially the same thing regardless of its manifestation. - The authors of *Lost Girls* suggested that what they were trying to create was a new form of pornography one that is non-exploitative and emotionally resonant. - The sexual imagination is constant Eternal. - When we fail to articulate our sex lives and the role of sexual imagination within our physical passions we fail to articulate the way that our sex lives our sexual imagination and our sexual passion interact with a number of other important things to how we live our lives. - The plot of *Lost Girls* makes it very clear that the interconnectedness lies within. - The passage through the story of the three protagonists shows that achieving emotional intimacy occurs through personal disclosure during sexual encounters. - Sex is powerful; it can be channeled in a lot of different directions. - The sort of pivot point in terms of deciding whether you've got the good thing or the bad thing seems to be in *Lost Girls* when the women are free to explore their sexuality without shame or fear of violence. - If the women are free to explore their sexuality without shame or fear of violence, they find Healing; when they don't have those things in place sex can be dangerous and damaging. - The overall point Moore is working with is that this is something our culture represses. - The idea is that human beings have this passion, and sometimes they channel it towards creative loving or even just sexual ways, and other times they Channel it in the other direction the unhealthy Direction violence destruction and death. - The connection between the sexual drive and the creative Spirit is importantly comingled. - Passion is powerful beyond our Reckoning. - Passion might actually be what makes us human. ## Mechanisms & Processes - The definition of passion provided by the Oxford English Dictionary: "a strong and barely controllable emotion." - How Shakespeare uses passion: To describe a state of intoxication where you lose rationality, viewing it as something negative. - The process of narrative creation in *Lost Girls*: Where the writer helps inform the art and the artist helps inform the script, back and forth until everyone is happy. - The structure of encounters in *Lost Girls*: Two characters having physical sex with each other, and the third telling them a story about their individual sexual history that arous the passion of the other two. - The mechanism of disclosure in *Lost Girls*: Sharing important moments from one's history, which constitutes a very intimate interaction. ## Timeline & Events - Period leading up to *Lost Girls* setting: Ferdinand is about to be assassinated, and the affair begins just as World War I is about to take place. - Narrative sequence in *Lost Girls*: Three women meet at a hotel resort in Austria, begin an affair (sexual, spiritual, creative), experience intimacy and self-disclosure, and are followed by the arrival of German soldiers who burn the hotel to the ground as World War I breaks out. - Chronology in *Lost Girls*: World War I is breaking out as the affair is happening. ## Examples & Cases - The passage of time when speaker became expert in American Poetry: Speaker was at the University of Water for 13 years. - Art examples cited: *Mouse* by Art Spiegelman, *Blankets* by Craig Thompson, *Prilis* by Mariana Copy. - Protagonists used in *Lost Girls*: Wendy from *Peter Pan*, Alice from *Alice in Wonderland*, and Dorothy from *The Wizard of Oz*. - Specific example of Dorothy's story: A story of three passionate Affairs, each with a farm hand (the first with no courage, the second with no emotion, and the last essentially with no brain). - Example of Alice's story: A young girl taken down a rabbit hole to a world of madness through a series of sexual abuse (where the White Rabbit is a pedophile). - Example of Neverland in *Lost Girls*: A meadow in a public park where younger people get together to have a series of sexual interactions and explore sexuality. - Example of the climax of the novel: A hotel-wide orgy featuring at least dozens of people. - Example of the end of the novel: A battlefield scene where the hotel is now an empty field, showing a soldier's face with a wound from crotch to sternum, and the clouds shaped like poppies. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - Peace vs. Passion: Life without passion leads to being "Hollow empty rooms shuttered and dank." - Sexual expression in *Lost Girls*: The initial passionate affair/pleasure vs. the impending violence/death (WWI). - Artistic focus: The traditional idea of an illustrator and writer working separately vs. the strong collaboration of Moore and Geabby. - Interpretation of the ending: The initial depiction of the field as a tragic death scene vs. the inversion suggested by making the wound look like female genitalia. - Perverse actions: The hotel manager's quote suggesting dying in mud vs. "effing in bed." ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The OED definition of passion is too vague: It only states "a strong and barely controllable emotion." - Shakespeare's use of passion is limited: It often describes a state of intoxication where rationality is lost, suggesting a negative view. - The initial focus on *Lost Girls* (sexuality) is just the starting point; the argument goes further. - The core message is not simply "sex is good" or "sex is bad"; it's neither. - The depiction of the end is complex: The initial reading is of a massacre, but the symbolism invites another interpretation. ## Methodology - Comics Literature Movement: Alan Moore and Melinda Geabby's project falls within this ongoing movement. - Analyzing established narratives: Using familiar works like *Alice in Wonderland* and *The Wizard of Oz* as source material but treating them as pornographic versions. - Symbolism analysis: Interpreting the poppy symbol in the final pages as a symbol of remembrance, war, and female genitalia. ## References Cited - The Oxford English Dictionary. - *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (Jos Weeden's quote). - *Peter Pan* (source for Wendy). - *Alice in Wonderland* (source for Alice). - *The Wizard of Oz* (source for Dorothy). - *John Lennon* and *Bob Marley* (for featuring "Make Love Not War" in the same year). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The general conclusion drawn from *Lost Girls*: That poorly channeled passions lead to violence, but when channeled toward creative or loving ways, they lead to healing. - Advice for couples (from Alan Moore): Try embarking on a 16-year elaborate pornography together. - Final call: We should probably be talking about passion. ## Implications & Consequences - If human sexual imagination is not discussed, we fail to articulate the interaction of our sex lives, sexual imagination, and sexual passion with other important parts of our lives (like our urges for violence, love, or creativity). - If passions are repressed, the result is a failure to articulate a profound interconnectedness that can lead to healing. - The state of being un-discussed/repressed is dangerous and damaging. ## Open Questions - What does it all mean? (The overarching question raised by the text's ending). - How can we best discuss human sexual imagination? ## Verbatim Moments - "passion is the Genesis of Genius." - "man is only great when he acts from Passion." - "people with passion can change the world for the better." - "passion rules us all and we obey what other choice do we have." - "we would be Hollow empty rooms shuttered and dank without passion we'd be truly dead." - "passion: a strong and barely controllable emotion." - "The Passion of the warrior is the same as the passionate of the lover is the same as The Passion of the artist inspired." - "passion is passion is Passion all that matters is how we choose to express it." - "we're working for hopefully something human and Timeless." - "Passion is powerful beyond our Reckoning." - "what they are achieving through this personal disclosure is something again much more spiritual something much more profound." - "I think if you were to sever that connection between arousal and shame you might actually come up with something liberating and socially useful." - "sex can be channeled in a lot of different directions: sexual passion can lead you to Joy or atrocity to destruction or healing depending upon how it's done." - "The climax of the novel is I would say pretty appropriately an orgy." - "I'm afraid lots of boys will be dying in mud when they should be effing in bed war is such a frightful perversion." - "Make Love Not War." - "passion means a lot of things to a lot of different people."