TED Talk Tuesday #250: Make love not porn

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team play their part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

This week’s TED Talk was chosen by Carel. Here’s what he has to say about it:

In 2009, Cindy Gallop spoke on the TED mainstage in Long Beach. As one attendee noted, it was certainly the first time that “cum on my face” was heard six times in that auditorium!

The past week I spent some time wth Cindy at our mutual friend Kate’s 60th birthday party in Los Angeles. And I was once again struck by how bloody clever Cindy is. How brilliantly she speaks. How she is not only a leader in sextech, but a woman entrepreneur who, with her razor sharp brain, tenacity, agility and wit, continues to grow her own businesses, but also to open doors for other (women) entrepreneurs – a role-model extraordinaire.

And while talking about sex is not everyone’s cup of tea, I think it is worth sharing Cindy’s talk. I share not the one from 2009, but a later one Cindy did at TEDxOxford (but Kate and Cindy are Oxford graduates). A few thoughts before you take a listen:

Cindy’s business – MakeLoveNotPorn – is “the world’s first user-generated, human-curated social sex platform – the Facebook of #RealWorldSex: sharing that one area of all our lives no other social platform will allow. Which means [their] social sex videos aren’t just something [we] watch and enjoy – they’re inspirational self help for [our sex lives]”

The porn industry is massive and sadly many people – especially and most frigteningly perhaps children – boys and girls – get their sex education via porn. There is a case to be made that Cindy is, bravely, helping to fight a culture of female oppression, of rape and gender based violence in many parts of our society. And so, I ask that you – with an open mind – listen to what some may find a challenging talk, but one which I think is vital to help is move forward as a society.

You may also want to check out www.makelovenotporn.tv