HACKER Q&A
📣 empyreanite

Is it wrong to profit off a degenerate product?


I'm currently in a dilemma in that I have the opportunity to make a lot of money in the adult content industry, however I find that adult content is degenerate and has led to a moral decline in society. I have no problems on the individual impacts as it's the consumers choice, societal ramifications are my only gripe.

My arguments to justify it are the following: 1) Don't hate the player hate the game: It's not immoral to operate in the most efficient manner given within a given system. 2) The people who would pay for this product, would already otherwise pay for someone else's product, so I might as well be the one to profit from it if someone will regardless. 3) It's not illegal. 4) there's already so much content out there, that there'll be a marginal effect with whatever I distribute.

These though mostly feel like deflections from the main problem. In case anyone is interested, the opportunity is along the lines of applying 3D gaussian splatting to adult content.

  👤 pavel_lishin Accepted Answer ✓
> My arguments to justify it are the following: 1 2 3 4

You can justify nearly anything with that logic. You're the one who has to sleep with the choices you've made.

(fwiw, I disagree with both your premise that pornography is inherently a societal ill, as well as several of your justifications. But I'm not particularly interested in convincing you one way or another.)

👤 SavageBeast
The single worst thing about engaging in degenerate endeavors is the people you will meet and the impact they will have on your life. Consider that you will likely be making degenerate friends and making connections with others in that space. I'm not saying it's a bad idea but choose your company wisely and with eyes wide open. With proper boundaries set going in it could be a fun experience.
👤 JohnFen
> however I find that adult content is degenerate and has led to a moral decline in society.

I would suggest that you've already answered your own question. If you feel that such a thing is degenerate and leads to a moral decline in society, but you contribute to it anyway, you are a hypocrite.

Everything else you ponder reads like trying to find a way to justify away the hypocrisy, but that's not possible.

👤 sitkack
> I have no problems on the individual impacts as it's the consumers choice, societal ramifications are my only gripe.

How can you care about one but not the other?

Are you ok with selling anything as long as it is "the consumers' choice" ?

👤 rudasn
If you are in SV you can also justify your choice, if you feel like you have to, by saying that you only want to get filthy ritch so that you can give your money away to those who need it. Be a philanthropist!