Pornosophy: The Message is the Messiah

It’s a frightening thing to not know what someone else is thinking and something which underscores how separate human beings are from each other. Bishop Berkeley’s solipsistic universe was only mitigated by existence of God who reigned in all the subjectivity under the umbrella of creation. So it’s understandable why there are demagogues, pornographers and foodies whose subliminal desire is to create a high degree of stimulation which trumps the existence of itinerant and isolating musings. Surely a site like the enormously popular Pornhub appeals to prurient interests, but underneath all the exhibitionism, sadomasochism and voyeurism is the fact that watching videos like attending a political rally is a form of congregation. Hortatory speeches and lewd images have a similar result in that they bring people together. Several decades ago when Playboy was still a bona fide source of arousal, college boys gathered around the centerfold or at least shared similar fantasies about the Playmate of the Month. However, you could have a similar response to a motivational speaker who was trying to short circuit your negative feelings about the job market or even God. Marshall McCluhan said “the medium is the message.” And the message, if it’s strong enough, may turn out to be the messiah.