# Cat Pictures vs. Porn: A pointless argument **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649 "2012-08-16T05:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/1 "2012-08-16T05:11:14Z")
I’ve heard it said, or maybe read, that “Pointless arguing is one of the three pillars upon which the Internet is built. The other two are of course cat pictures and porn.” OK, I read it. Still, it struck me as a reasonable observation. Now, in the age of VidCon and Youtube, this seems sort of archaic, and music and DIY video may be a bigger deal. But it may still be the case the itnernet is about pointless arguing, cat pix, and pr0n–at least to the old fogies of my generation. So let’s have the showdown, if it’s not too late, between cat pictures and porn! Which is more important, and why? Or are they both obsolescent? And what about cute baby pictures? Feel free to argue pointlessly for pointless arguing. * * * Personally, I think it’s all ridiculous. The internet exists for webcomics and fanmusic. So there. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/2 "2012-08-16T05:20:20Z")
How do we classify porn with cats? Or cat porn? And both of those are hopelessly intertwined. Establishing that one is more important than the other creates a worm hole through time that spews porn from one end and cat pictures from the other. In other words, your proposition is both immutable and unsafe. How dare you? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/3 "2012-08-16T06:22:32Z")
You mean cat pictures and porn are two separate things? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/4 "2012-08-16T07:21:34Z")
Porn is my first thought; the internet has really massive changed porn by making vast amounts of porn in all sorts of tastes easily available. > [@panache45](#): > > You mean cat pictures and porn are two separate things? It depends on if you are a furry or not. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/5 "2012-08-16T13:25:49Z")
Porn, definitely. I know that I’m in danger of being kicked out of the internet for even whispering this, but cat pictures do absolutely nothing for me. I don’t like cats, I don’t have cats, and if cute cat pictures were wiped off the face of the web tomorrow and for the rest of eternity, it wouldn’t change my life one iota. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/6 "2012-08-16T14:35:05Z")
Porn. I’m pretty sure the porn industry was the driving force that allows us to enjoy streaming video. That of course led to cool things like netflix, Amazon prime, etc. I’m not saying we wouldn’t have eventually got there but porn made it happen a lot quicker. But what happens when you mix kitties with porn? [SFW linky](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FfkgwPNm3uA/Swk2TGwRoyI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/huQ9v3t7i6c/s400/Boob_Kitten.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/7 "2012-08-16T18:39:09Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m pretty sure the porn industry was the driving force that allows us to enjoy streaming video. That of course led to cool things like netflix, Amazon prime, etc. I’ve heard/read that too, but I always thought the internet was for sharing your cosplay pics. Like this one: > **[Ali - bb u light up my world like nobody else \<3 \<3 \<3 \<3 \<3 |...](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151015671719234&set=a.10151015661769234.429019.740139233&type=3&l=eb98fb48bc&theater)** > > bb u light up my world like nobody else \<3 \<3 \<3 \<3 \<3 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/8 "2012-08-16T21:47:56Z")
_Porn_, of course, but also _Dummy, you forgot…_ Where do pirated music and pirated movies fit in to those choices? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/9 "2012-08-16T21:53:14Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You mean cat pictures and porn are two separate things? Unless you’re into kitty porn. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/10 "2012-08-16T23:05:38Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > _Porn_, of course, but also _Dummy, you forgot…_ > > Where do pirated music and pirated movies fit in to those choices? :smack: D’oh! ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/11 "2012-08-16T23:11:15Z")
I voted “porn” cause I think that up until 2005 or so, it did drive the Internet. And porn definitely trumps cat pictures. But now I’d vote “social networking”, followed by “YouTube” and “Wikipedia” tied for second place. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/12 "2012-08-17T00:08:11Z")
Furry porn! All the way! Yiff! The best of all possible worlds! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/13 "2012-08-17T03:02:15Z")
You forgot the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/14 "2012-08-17T03:22:45Z")
I’m actually getting bored with porn, I’m alarmed to discover. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/15 "2012-08-17T03:46:48Z")
You kids nowadays don’t know how good you have it. Back in my day we had to type out our porn in ASCII characters. Might as well just go out and buy a damned magazine. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/16 "2012-08-17T07:50:33Z")
The OP is confusing the Internet with the World Wide Web. The pillar of the Internet is email. The pillar of the WWW _was_ porn, but now it’s social networking. Twitter and Facebook. I see Youtube as a subcategory of that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/17 "2012-08-17T12:47:36Z")
And, of course, internet cats are [indifferent to porn.](http://slacktory.com/2012/05/indifferent-cats-in-amateur-porn-tumblr/) (I’m following the two click rule, here, but VERY NSFW page!) ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-pictures-vs-porn-a-pointless-argument/631649/18 "2012-08-17T22:22:04Z")
Two sides of the debate: [It’s cats](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8VTeDHjcM) [It’s porn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6eFNRKEROw&feature=related)