Posted on 12/09/2004 1:16:14 PM PST by Lindykim
Pornography is Anything But a 'Victimless Crime' 12/8/2004 By Cheri Pierson Yecke How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact?
Jud Fry -- one of the characters in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! lives in a shack that is papered with pornographic images. He is a loner, lacks social skills, and is feared by his neighbors. He is clearly capable of murder. This insight into the character of a porn addict hit the Broadway stage in 1943.
Fast forward to 2004. A sexual assault and several attempted abductions of girls in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area are allegedly the work of 19-year-old Ryan Mely, who has been charged (for starters) with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He apparently was a loner who was feared by his neighbors. Jud Fry is a fictitious character who bought his porn from an itinerant peddler. How did Ryan Mely get his start? Apparently, pornography was a family pastime. While some dads bond with their kids by fishing or playing hockey together, it appears that Mely and his father (a convicted sex offender) shared an interest in pornography. It was reported that sexually explicit material was found at the family home and on their computer.
Is anyone really surprised that pornography is involved here? It has been 60 years since a Broadway musical portrayed what social scientists and criminal analysis have now found to be true -- addiction to pornography can lead to violent sexual behavior. Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist and expert on sexual addictions, has identified four stages of progression among his patients.
The first stage is addiction, where the attraction to porn is overpowering and the viewer keeps craving more. The next stage is an escalation to more shocking and deviant images, as the earlier ones have lost their power to stimulate. Third is desensitization, where anything earlier seen as disturbing and repulsive becomes viewed as commonplace. Finally, satisfaction cannot be reached unless the perpetrator begins acting out the activities witnessed in the pornography. In effect, fantasy must become reality.
The events in which Mely was allegedly involved appear to follow this pattern. Perhaps the same is true for Alfonso Rodriguez, the man who allegedly abducted and murdered Dru Sjodin. Rodriguez apparently had an infatuation with Dru, who worked at Victoria's Secret, an upscale lingerie shop. On several occasions he allegedly called the store where she worked, asking for her by name.
Victoria's Secret is well known for its racy, soft-porn "fashion show" where voluptuous young models strut the runways in revealing lingerie. The liberal National Organization for Women called it "exploitative" and the conservative Concerned Women for America condemned it as a "high-tech striptease." Regularly protested by both sides of the political spectrum, the company announced in April that it will no longer air this event
The last Victoria's Secret "fashion show" aired on network television November 19, 2003. Dru was abducted three days later. Could it be that Alfonso Rodriguez, a convicted sex offender, watched the show and was propelled into Dr. Cline's fourth stage of sexual deviance? This is a question his judge and jury may consider.
In an interview the night before his 1989 execution, serial killer Ted Bundy revealed the influence of pornography on his life.
A case study for Cline's four stages of addiction, Bundy started his descent into sexual deviance and murder with magazines he found in the neighbor's trash. His addiction escalated until he felt compelled to act out his desires in more than 30 murders that were accompanied with violent sexual acts.
He warned Americans: "There are those loose in [your] towns and communities, like me, whose dangerous impulses are being fueled, day in and day out, by violence in the media, in its various forms -- particularly sexualized violence ... . There are lots of other kids playing in the streets around the country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next day, because other young people are reading and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today."
Abundant evidence has demonstrated the tragic impact of pornography. How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact? The elections of 2004 have sent politicians the message that morals matter, so now is the time to focus on the impact of pornography -- the so-called "victimless crime."
Cheri Pierson Yecke is a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Education and Social Policy at the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank in Minneapolis. She is a former Minnesota commissioner of education and is author of The War Against Excellence. This article first appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Used with permission.
Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 E-mail: mail@cwfa.org
Really? In all cases? Please explain.
If a person is claiming such protection exists, as that poster was, then proof is necessary.
he he he,
Darlin'....
You don't know HOW right you are! I have finally discovered that my kharma is such that I attract only those that are the second coming of Ted Bundy (even when I think they aren't!). It's to the point the FBI asks me to go hang out at Barnes and Noble when they have a man-hunt for a wackaloon going on..... Sure enough, within the hour, they can find him. Sitting next to me :)
~sigh~ Which is why I intend to stay single old widder women in the swamp with too many cats.
I think we're pretty much going to have to live with it. The real problem with adult porn is that for every male consumer there is a exhibitionist female who is willing to feed the market, that not to mention that work is far and away the most highest paying job for a female. And exhibitionism is latent in every female, albeit most have control over it. 
I don't know what any other poster said, but I will say again, no such proof is necessary.
The founders set up a system of limited government, they didn't address every single issue that could have possibly arisen. Nor should they have.
That's because you provided no evidence for any of your claims, so it is impossible to refute such a vague argument.
Like I said, you have not demonstrated, in any way, that porn is everywhere and that we are constantly being assaulted by it. I would be really curious to see if you can come up with examples of porn in everyday life. I don't know where you live, but I don't see it around me.
You fall into the same trap as other leftists: guns kill people, poverty makes people commit crimes, Western colonialism causes terrorism, porn ruins relationships.
It's all nonsense: people are responsible for all the bad things in the world. You can't hope to stop people from raping others by banning porn any more than you can hope to prevent murders by banning guns.
Well, except there is a continuously renewable market in rising adolescents...that is the sad part.
When the veteran user burns outs (along with his sense of purpose, realtionships and self and is finally ready for something more meaningful, hopefully) there is always a new crop of tender young minds coming on board ready to pollute via the smut merchants.
NOT A LEFTIST. BIGTIME NOT A LEFTIST. LOL!
But also not STUPID.
I use comomon sense. You can't use common sense because addicts can't use common sense. You can't see.
I am throwing myself down a black hole of exhaustion debating with an addict. I'm stopping. You are lost and you groove on being lost, [so far]. Maybe one day, you'll wake up.
But don't worry baby, your smut will be around a really, really long time for you to gorge on.
No cold turkey coming up.
Well put. I agree completely.
It seems that ad hominems are what you're best at.
"So 'hard to access' is key for me...keep it out my world."
As nice a thought as this is (and I would support it if it would work) it saddly has to do with a little piece I just mailed you.
If we censor it, those addicted to it will then be covered from sight. Their will likely be fewer getting out of line, but those that were would get out of control easier. Kids get out of hand real quick when they think no-one is watching and their are no consequences for their doing something.
No, saddly, the public's knowledge of porn keeps it "honest" so to speak. If you shut it in a box, just like mold, it will only get worse (and eventually give you asthma). Put it in direct sunlight if you want to keep it under control.
You'd think a mysogynistic, degenerate porn addict would get reported for abuse.
No kidding!
Shhh don't tell the cold hearted self serving LIBERALtarians about this. They wish to fantasize that it is a "victimless crime".
"Well, except there is a continuously renewable market in rising adolescents...that is the sad part. "
I'm either less cynical than you or more pollyanna-ish. But I think that society is changing and that the future is going to be brighter in many ways. The last election was a watershed, I personally believe.
"I have finally discovered that my kharma is such that I attract only those that are the second coming of Ted Bundy "
I have a friend who was the same way for many years. Once she finally found out what was causing it, she did find a guy who treats her well and they got married several years ago.
Refute my points, please.
The historical record from dozens of sources is pretty damning on the subject of Mr. Jefferson's integrity and cowardice. A man with fewer connections would have been imprisoned for allowing an arms to fall into British hands without a fight.
One of the reasons TJ had problems with rumors is that he himself hired scandal mongers to spread lies about Washington, Hamilton, Adams, etc. Had he bothered to pay one of them on time, James Callender, the Hemmings stuff would have stayed quiet.
Time to shut up unless you have something positive and uplifting to add.
Sorry, I don't wish to join you in your idolatrous indiscriminate worship of the Founders.
Hope so :-)
We all need to keep the faith, that's for sure!
I would never let my children play in the street so I would be a d@^n fool to fight for the right to play in it myself, while saying that it is a noble thing to sacrifice security for freedom!
At this point in my life, I will be 99 before I totally get a grip on the cause (it is a multi-layered problem). So, for the sake of my family, friends, job and pets....I just don't put myself in harms way ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.