Pornography Is Anything But A Victimless Crime

Concerned Women For America ^ | Dec. 8, 2004 | Cheri Pierson Yecke

[Chad Fairbanks]

And that is relavant how? Non-pornographic images case chemical "reactions" in the brain for everyone - we call them emotions - when a picture makes us sad, angry, smile, etc...

Pretty much anything in society has an ability to affect us all in different ways. For some people, Food triggers that "Pleasure Center", for others it's music, for some it's candy, or religion, for some people it's nothing, or... on and on and on.

Should we ban all that too, because they may have an adverse effect on an individual, thereby causing a breakdown in society?

At least try to stick to reasonable arguments, ok? :)

[RebelBanker]

Using a character from a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical as an example? Shades of Dan Quayle's Murphy Browne gaffe!
Also, I would submit that associating pornography with some types of mental illnesses may be confusing cause with symptom. People who desire certain types of pornographic images may already have the deviant desires that the author attempts to blame on the images themselves.

The other open question is the definition of decency versus pornography. Remember, Muslim societies require women to be completely shrouded in burkas because the public display of any part of a woman is considered indecent. Where do we draw the line?

[AdamSelene235]

The Declaration of Degradation. Our founders fought to protect our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of smut. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are weak, base, self-indulgent and vile.

Written by a man who used slaves to finance his lavish lifestyle and either used them for sex or allowed his family members to do so.

[dascallie]

Trying to get some people to wake up about the destructive efffects of porn is like trying to convince a junkie that he needs to kick his heroin.

This is a tremendous threat to all of us in more ways than concrete acts of violence.

Godless, soul-raping.

But don't bother the porn aficianado with all that--he's busy gorging himself.

[Time is now]

"I recently saw a report that boys aged 9-14 "

BOYS? If women didn't participate, there would be no "porn". Do the women performing become murderers?

I agree it's gone too far, but it's a 50/50 degradation. Why do so many hundreds of thousands of women degrade themselves daily in porn movies, strip clubs, escort services, street walking?

They call Sharon Stone a "movie star" when she gets banged by Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct, yet strippers who don't get touched are considered whores.

The whole thing is a mess of culture.

[bvw]

In Japan porn is huge. There is a scene in last year's movie "Lost in Translation" where the female American new visitor to Japan is amazed to see men openly reading porn magazines on the subway. What is the murder rate in Japan? Is it hog wild?

Now we ain't Japanese, thank G-d. I'd expect that our response to porn is different than theirs. But this theory that porn eventually results in murder -- it's bunk.

Porn can become murder to the soul -- that is more often the case, and the porn industry is not a long-lived one for those in it. Still, the thesis is here is that porn means murder, and that's not true, and easily shown so.

I dearly want their to be less porn! It is taken TOO lightly in many places. It is a real problem. But it is not murder, and to overreact this way to it will hamper the battle against it.

[NJ_gent]

"I see. It wasn't his fault, Victoria's Secret made him do it. Rodriguez is therefore not responsible for his actions and should be set free."

According to some, the inner workings of the human mind are so simple that a 45-second spot on the nightly news is plenty to disagnose the cause of any given action.

Perhaps one day they'll open their eyes and realize that that's just not the case. Nah, that will probably never happen.

A conclusion is what you reach when you get tired of thinking.

[TheBigB]

A porn thread on Free Republic? Now I've seen everything. ;)

[dfwgator]

People who desire certain types of pornographic images may already have the deviant desires that the author attempts to blame on the images themselves.

I tend to agree. Something was going to get to these people one way or another. Some people are just bad seed, and there's nothing that can be done. You could make the argument that by having access to pornography prevents them from acting out their desires in more harmful ways.

[Minn]

I have a comparison to make in this instance. I think almost all FReepers are concerned with the threat of Islam to our civilization, and are willing to empower our government to defend us against that threat. However, sexual permissiveness in all of its manifestations also threatens our civilization, but the personal freedom argument always seems to "shut people up" on this.

For some reason I'm more concerned with what Osama did to New York than what Debbie did to Dallas.

[Modernman]

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are weak, base, self-indulgent and vile.

Yup. That's why I oppose giving other men more power over how I live my life.

[DTogo]

Regulating porn to the extent it is now (for adults only) is about as far as I'd like to see it regulated. While it certainly could be viewed as immoral or vile by some, others may enjoy it - by their lonesome or perhaps with a partner. Porn does not commit a crime anymore than guns commit a crime - people do. Banning it smacks of legislating morality.

This is not a flame, just a reasoned response.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I agree with what you posted 100%...

[Sam the Sham]

In such a case, my problem is not that the person is anti-pornography, but that they are seeking to increase state power at the expense of personal freedom.

Local obscenity laws banned porn in most of the country 30 years ago but I don't recall it being any police state.

[gdani]

Really, it wasn't before Warren Court decisions struck down obscenity laws all across the country

"Obscenity", as vaguely defined as it is, is still illegal.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Porn threads are a dime a dozen. ;0)

[dfwgator]

For some reason I'm more concerned with what Osama did to New York than what Debbie did to Dallas.

Now there's potential tagline material.

[Rakkasan1]

of course we know that all crime is really caused by poverty.

listen to the the jail interviews that have been played by
Dr.Dobson featuring Ted Bundy or David Berkowitz (aka "son of sam")It's good food for thought. I believe the 3rd part
of the Berkowitz one is on Focus on the Family tommorow.

I don't think porn is the sole cause of sex offenders and murder, but is often a contributing factor.

[Modernman]

The same scoffing could be directed at alcoholics, who often display anti-social behavior.

I'm just cynical about the whole AA and NA group therapy idea. My sister-in-law is a good-for-nothing junkie and all those groups do for her is give her a place to hang out with other junkies.

It just seems like a bad idea to put a bunch of people with the same addiction around each other.

[Innisfree]

Don't give me your silly logical fallacies---you sound like a liberal.