Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucla-cs!ucivax!gateway From: muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu (Muffy Barkocy) Newsgroups: soc.feminism Subject: Re: Erotic images on display in the workplace Message-ID: Date: 13 Jun 91 20:23:32 GMT References: <1991Jun13.155936.12964@aero.org> Organization: Natural Language Incorporated Lines: 27 Approved: tittle@ics.uci.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: glacier.ics.uci.edu In article <1991Jun13.155936.12964@aero.org> mjm@ahimsa.intel.com (Marjorie Panditji) writes: Actually, my main question was, why look at these type of pictures (GIFs or paper, for that matter) at the office? The "jerk off" comments were pure sarcasm (even spelled it out, but some took it seriously). But I do wonder about why people *display* these pictures *in the office* (not why people enjoy them in the first place). Well, I can't say for sure, but I do doubt that men want to be aroused at the office all the time. So, I'll take a guess, based on my conversation with a male friend of mine who does sometimes like to look at magazines like Playboy. Perhaps, just as I have various fantasy-art pictures in my office (and a fractal on my display), they just find them nice to look at. I myself have never been particularly attracted to or sexually excited by women, but I have seen some very beautiful pictures of nude women (not generally in "men's magazines," but that's just my personal concept of beauty). Indeed, I have seen at least one nude photo which I would be glad to display in my office, and which I would enjoy looking at, if I was sure that it would not upset anyone. As to why they would force them on other people; that's harder to say, but it may often be stubbornness. If someone came in and told me to change my fractal background to a plain grey because the fractal was upsetting people, I would resist this, because I don't see any reason for anyone to find it upsetting, and I resist unreasonable demands. Muffy