[-empyre-] Welcome to May: Boredom: Labor, Use and Time

[Renate Terese Ferro]

John you wrote: 
>
>In my work, I am currently pursuing the question of boredom from the
>vantage point of pornography. I became interested in this topic
>initially after reading Ralph Blumenthal¹s curious New York Times
>article ³Porno Chic² (1973)...Boredom itself often carries certain
>assumptions: it typically holds a
>negative valence, is treated primarily as a psychic disturbance, and
>characterizes a temporal condition of repetition and routine...My
>research questions these assumptions and treats boredom as an
>historically, technologically, and culturally contingent concept.²

Thank you for your provocative post.  Would you take some time to unpack
what you mean specifically  about your research in relationship to boredom
as a culturally contingent concept.  I am wondering what feminists
particularly think about these assumptions realizing that it may be
opening up a rather large discussion especially given the history of the
historical ramifications that ensued revolving around the film ³Deep
Throat² and the article,  Porno Chic.   I do want to stay on topic but
your post opens up so many potential questions I am hoping that you will
explain a especially in relationship to our topic boredom.

Renate