# What's the point of looking at pornography if your not going to "use it" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615 "2014-08-15T16:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/21 "2014-08-17T02:57:57Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Who’s watching porn and not whacking off to it? Well, personally I watch it for the articles. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/22 "2014-08-17T03:14:46Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Who’s watching porn and not whacking off to it? Me. And I’m probably not alone. I prefer to whack off using my imagination, but I enjoy the arousal I get from porn, and also derive an aesthetic pleasure from watching beautiful pictures of beautiful women. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/23 "2014-08-17T03:21:38Z")
I enjoy watching it, and I only masturbate to a small percentage of what I watch. Why? I just enjoy looking at attractive women having sex. I don’t think there is any reason deeper than that - it is aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes it is arousing, but often it is just background material. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/24 "2014-08-17T04:03:01Z")
Some of it’s so absurd you watch it just for laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/25 "2014-08-17T04:26:11Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Those gifted kids get all the breaks… And the best field trips. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/26 "2014-08-17T06:25:15Z")
A friend I had in college expressed his disinterest in porn, famously saying: > [@](#): > > Would you show a STARVING man a PICTURE of a HAMBURGER?! ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/27 "2014-08-17T11:36:13Z")
It’s nice to just have a semi sometimes, I guess. Don’t really see what’s the problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/28 "2014-08-17T21:06:45Z")
Allow an expert to intervene! (Points to his MasterBaiter’s degree in Advanced Porn Studies hanging on the wall.) I have read that there are some people for whom sexual arousal is an irritant of sorts. They get horny and their desire is to scratch the itch as soon as possible and make it go away. These would be the ones that can’t understand why anyone would look at porn and not rub one out to make the itching go away. Others don’t find it so irritating. They are the ones who can watch porn and find it mildly arousing and not be bothered by it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/29 "2014-08-18T02:13:12Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Because it feels nice to be aroused, to feel the tension and anticipation, but orgasms are optional. Not for guys it’s not. We call that blue balls and it feels anything but nice. And I agree with the OP in that I don’t see the point of strip clubs. It’s the equivalent of going to a restaurant to look at the food. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/30 "2014-08-18T02:32:06Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Who’s watching porn and not whacking off to it? Here it is fairly common to see the occasional man reading/flipping through pornographic magazines and/or comics while on public transportation. They aren’t wanking off or anything, just enjoying the pretty girls. It’s not something I’d ever do but they’re free to read whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/31 "2014-08-18T03:53:25Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Not for guys it’s not. We call that blue balls and it feels anything but nice. > > And I agree with the OP in that I don’t see the point of strip clubs. It’s the equivalent of going to a restaurant to look at the food. I’m a guy, I don’t get blue balls every time I see a pornographic image. Maybe there is more than one type of male response to such. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615/32 "2014-08-18T17:26:55Z")
I occasionally watch porn without jacking off, but then later when I do find myself with an opportunity to get off, either alone or with someone, I check into the spank bank to find a saved mental file of a previously-viewed video that will work for me, and use it as a jumping-off point for an extended fantasy sequence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-looking-at-pornography-if-your-not-going-to-use-it/695615.md?page=1)