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RE: Sex is normal - so why do we shield our teens from it?
I am sorry for you that you have never found any good erotica or erotic romance. You have really been missing out. To say that erotica as a genre has no "redeeming qualities from a literary standpoint" (and we can debate about what literary standpoint actually is) is narrow and based on your very limited experience. Erotic romance in particular is a very popular and successful genre and to dismiss it as not having redeeming qualities is elitist at best.
Sure it's a popular and successful genre, for the same reason that porn sells, and porn producers make millions. No one disputes that. But to whine and cry because porn is excluded from the Academy Awards? Heh. Again, more likely to do with lack of overall quality than with the fact that the audience is made up of church ladies.
I would argue that the Academy Awards don't offer a true representation of good movies at all whatsoever, considering it's basically a bunch of white men deciding what is good and proper, so that point kinda falls flat.
LOL Of course you would say that, because that's exactly what people say about standards when it's clear they don't have a chance in hell of ever meeting them. It's the easiest cop-out in the world.
I'd like to remind you that people like me have rights, too. I prefer an environment free from political bullying and snowflake rants, and free from decadent sexuality. I have the right to create such an environment and maintain it free from influences that I find off-putting, boring, or not up to the standards I personally maintain. I find it quite an affront that people would expect me to alter my preferences and live my life according to their standards just because my standards don't set well with them. It's like going to someone's home and criticizing the way they stack dishes in their own cupboards.
Most people, like those who write childrens' books, find that we don't offer much in the way of helping that genre either, and go about seeking resources and support for the kind of work they do without feeling the need to make a public spectacle when they don't get their way with us. I find it very telling when people feel the need to disrupt or criticize an established community or society just so they can strongarm their beliefs on others who don't share them. Kind of reminds me of those zealot Christian evangelical sects, in a way.
This whole argument is moot really and I don't know why you are so defensive. The only reason why I brought up the whole writer group thing (mind you, not even mentioning which writer's group it was) was to make a larger point about society's attitude towards sex. I could have used any example, but I chose this one. The post is not even about the value of erotica. I don't care about defending erotica all, it was just an illustration to make a larger, more valid point. Which you clearly missed in your zeal to defend your writers group and attack a genre you don't particularly care about.
If I may...
I was present when you came in, and specifically remember you being told you were welcome to join our group, only that erotic pieces would not be eligible for the queue. We have many authors in our community who don't submit to the queue. I also specifically remember you being told that you were, however, free to ask one of our editors if they'd have time and if they'd be willing to critique it for you anyway, outside of the queue process. But you have to actually be open to what people are trying to tell you, instead of feeling insulted by the fact that our rules are what they are.
Then again, maybe you'd left while that message was being typed out. I'm certain it was there, anyway.
I’m not so much defensive as I am irritated. But you’re right. It really isn’t an argument worth having.