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
Tragically, the two homos (I don't and won't use the pc term 'gay') will not be able to exercise self-control and their sexual compulsions will lead them to continue destroying their bodies until they're forced into wearing adult diapers.
Undoubtedly,they're also infected with some sort of STDs as well.
And we can only speculate upon how many husbands,fiances, boyfriends are currently pressuring their wives, girlfriends, etc., into submitting to unnatural acts. And because females are also using porn, we must wonder at how many of them are likewise pressuring the men in their lives to engage in unnatural acts.
Those who use it and defend it, are living in denial of reality.
Not quite, Bub...
Has ANYONE said a word about "depriving" you of the "indivual freedom" of reeling off as many 'Debbie Does Dallas' DVDs as you like in the privacy of your own home, or even the peep-show over on the other side of the tracks? I think not.
Or are you one of those who insists that unrestricted pornography does not, nor will not inflict serious collateral damage upon society?
Completely support it.
There is no doubt that women, being for the most part smaller and physically weaker (in most cases) than men, need protection SPECIFICALLY--because there is no question to the dysfunctional reality of epidemic raping, battering, domination etc, by males over females.
Cold facts.
Not all men are inclined to be this way by a long shot.
But as we have been discussing here, with the proliferation of sexaully tittilating fare designed to denigrate, dominate and arouse via one person's humiliation and submision at the hands of another(usually male over female)this ACT becomes even more essential.
For the record I have a healthy, heterosexual appreciation of men--I'm a lover of good and princicipled men, these are the truly desirable males.
I am not a man basher by any means.
In fact,I recognize and appreciate the male abilities of laser focusing, problem solving, bravery, leadership and protection of their country and loved ones.
It's one half of our amazing, complementary gender system.
Each gender brings unique, gender-based strengths to the equation (example, our female proclivities for nuturing, child development, multi-level focusing/tasking, language, intuitive problem solving and connection) --together we integrate all this and build the sytem for our procreation.
Personlly I find it beautiful and thrilling--really hurts to see it all so distorted through this trash we have been discussing...
Both gendesr need to stop feeling threatened and demeaned by the other (especially via recreational pathologies like porn) and marvel at this astonishing system...that's when the real, deep spiritual connex start to 'sing' --excellent, God-link stuff.
No. But I am one of those that rejects absolutist hyperbole that amounts to an assertion that we do not have free will in the matter - that if pornography is available we will become addicted to it once we are exposed.
Does it bother you that it was struck down by the Supreme Court, and that this decision is considered a victory for political conservativism?
Guess the level of addiction may depend on one's chemical makeup and emotional development history to a degree, you have a point.
But I am stunned by the recent studies that show that children --(boys in this particluar study, conducted by males I might add)--when shown explicit and degrading porn between the tender years of 9-14, had very little success in sustaining or developing meaningful relationships with females...the females had been severely dehumanized.
The boys moved into a sensation based addiction to be able to "feel" anything--they had been stunted in the ability to feel real "love" for females, who had been presented as tools to be used and even became repulsive to the boys in time.
This was part of NPR report (I know Freepers hate NPR--but many times the reports have merit.)
Sure does.
I am an independent thinker--not all conservsatism tracks with me...some things that are common sense and get trampled beneath political agendas.
I believe in preserving human dignity at all costs...Bush appeals to me because the man is deeply concerned with this.
I admired his Dad too.
I don't believe your "absolutist" premise has been validated on this thread.
It has been my observation that the premise has been that an appreciable incidence of unsuspecting and vulnerable individuals become destructively obsessive and thus victims of porno.
female forms of sexual exploitation are rampant... notwithstanding abortion itself, plenty of women out there killing for sex, at least families, if you merely count the divorce rate.
I am an independent thinker--not all conservsatism tracks with me...some things that are common sense and get trampled beneath political agendas.
What do you find in error in the court's arguments?
It's a shame you even have to make this remark...
Talk about stereo-typing -- I don't know WHY it is that some men MUST assume or characterize women who speak out against the unrestricted tidal wave of porn as "less feminine" or Andrea Dworkin-type feminists.
It's gender-ethnic racist. When women have the ability and power, they can easily switch their motherly instinct hesitation-less behavior of protection to cold murder - even abortion notwithstanding. They are political animals. In terms of violence, Islam notwithstanding, men are quite restrained in fact given the powers they have had to wield and restrain from using. It's a numerator/denominator kind of thing.
It has been my observation that "appreciable incidence" has been expanded to "society as a whole" in the formulation of many of the arguments.
Well yeah -- Do we live in caves OR do we all share cummunites, or "society as a whole"?
I rest my case.
Weak. That all, Counselor?
Why did their eyes open and they became confused? Because they accused God of making them erotic and taking advantage of them. From advocacy to selfish advocacyless living, they became confused: they needed God's advocacy but either did not trust it anymore or tried to extort/accuse God the way the Devil wanted them to do it.
First they were marveled at each other and then, after biting the fruit, they became like hungry for each other. Adam was into her spirit like figure and Eve was into his raw meat and power figure. Instead of sharing lordship, they would overlord it over each other, the anxiety not helping either and feeding back.
The act, instead of being one of enjoying God's generosity, became god itself, something to crucify oneself for. It had revenge like implicit messages, that if you did not get any, you would not be satisfied. It became impossible to say no.
Pornography has indeed that resounding message on it that makes it difficult to say no to it, and whether or not pornography addicts become killers, it clouds their judgment every time and the act of begging or crucifying oneself for that makes it all the more obsene. Any hard want and need is what makes a good soldier, accoriding to Naopleon, wants and needs are inherently threatening.
OF course there are accademic legitimacies into every phenomena, including pornography. Abstinance can in fact be worse and actualy hypocritical because it would reject the act of having to repent or to have to deal with it. Replacing indiference for the individual in pornography with complete indiference or neglect of appreciation and marveling at God's creation is a sin too. Suffering for it means to take custody, to make a payment for it. Who pays has custody. Of course there is a difference between actual useful custodial suffering and pretend suffering for sake of artificial attracting attention or pity.
Ultimately one never gets punished for doing the wrong thing, but for doing the right thing. Christ paid, so He should have ultimate custody and all that is done should be on behalf of His custody and surrendering to Him, enhancing the Lordship as He did. "If the right hand makes you sin, cut it off", and that should be true of pornographic interest. Sin is not doing a bad deed per say, but it is most importantly to not surrender custody once harm has been done. If one wants to keep custody, one should repair the harm done. If one is incapable of taking on the responsibility of repairing the harm done, then one should never have custody and dare others in charge to pay and care appropriately. One should never pay for what he has no custody of except in acts of love and surrender of custody to a loved one of future generation or to God.
Pornography harms in that it is bad advocacy for persons or things of no interest or advocacy stake in question, in the guise of "I don't care" hypocrite pretense of wish to be not recognized. It is the essence of self-deceit and denial. Sex is a particular form of law enforcement. Everything is law enforcement in general, and sex is a particular peculiar case of law enforcement interaction, which can deviate into a cult like surrogate law enforcement authority for desire. Deviation is the negation of advocacy structures and contracts of care.
What started as a gentle form of mutual bribery - in holy matrimony for the sake of creation of future generations and advocates of God and family - has degenerated into extortion business and mutual vengefulness between parties: women exposing themselves threaten vengeful acts, depending on who looks and how one looks, if arousing attraction, and some men, the rapist types, threaten vengeful acts against exposed women if they do not comply to their desires.
Whether it is men consuming pornography or women exposing themselves to all winds, the act is reprehensible. Women, in the US, however, are much more open about exposing themselves arrogantly and with impunity, while my experience has been that men tend to look intently but are more sly about it, though some go actualy gay like and seem to groom themselves worse obsessively and suggestively than women at times.
What else do you want, or perhaps more accurately, is there anything you'd be willing to consider other than agreement with your position?
Such studies have been and are continuing to be done. When or if they will meet with the standards you have set for them is unknown. Thus far the studies have shown varying degrees of harm, directly related to the increased perversion displayed. This is aside from addiction, with damage relating directly to the repetition of exposure and "level" of material.
Other studies have concluded that pornography use mimics drug use in the desire/need for escalation. Repeated exposure to the same "level" of material produces less stimulation over time, thus the "level" of material is increased.
Here are links to some good articles and studies:
Is Pornography Addiction Real?
Points out that "addiction" can have slightly different, though similar meanings. Where pornography may not be a physiological dependence, such as that created by Heroin, for example, it can and does create a psychological dependence that can be a very difficult habit to break.
Dangers and Disappointments of Pornography
Covers some of the same ground as the previous article, but explores the effects of pornography use on marriage, etc.. Here's one excerpt:
One man confessed that his addiction to pornography nearly destroyed his wife and daughter. Both women suffered from eating disorders and had suicidal tendencies because of his rejection. Every afternoon as he returned from work he feared finding his wife on the floor with her wrists slit, because of her feelings of inadequacy. Years later they went through counseling and his daughter shared her struggles. Tearfully she explained her feelings of inferiority. She saw how her father totally rejected her mom, a beautiful woman, and feared never finding a man who would love her and tell her she was beautiful. The two women this man loved the most suffered greatly because their husband and father rejected them to fulfill his lust for sex.
The Effects of Pornography on Behavior
This work, by Dr. Victor Cline, is probably the definitive work on the subject.
While I am now quite aware of your antipathy toward existing studies on the matter, you are incorrect in your assertion that your antipathy somehow shifts the burden of proof back to those who conduct the studies. The burden of proof is on those (you) who would criticize their work to show how, exactly, the study was flawed, and how such flaws have lead to false results. While you have made claims that there aren't enough " ...studies...conducted using reasonably similar, good methodology by impartial individuals using a wide variety of subjects", you still fail to give any reason why we should disbelieve the results of the existing studies.
The author did not claim an increasing prevalence. She flat out said there was little factual data.
added to my own experiecne in a very upscale suburban area where every PTA and parents organization has the issue on red alert, right at the top the list because of it's epidemic trend.
What epidemic trend? Sex crimes are down, teen pregnancy is down, teen intercourse is down, and divorce is down. Seems out of line that oral sex would be increasing in the face of those numbers. The fact is, no one knows. As your article says:
While the anecdotal information continues, few studies have emerged giving factual data on how serious this issue has become.
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