Posted on 10/20/2005 4:56:55 PM PDT by wagglebee
A contributor to Time magazine says contemporary society has been misled into believing pornography is harmless entertainment. According to Pamela Paul, author of Pornified: How Pornography Is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families (Times Books, 2005), what was once hidden in dark alleys and seedy theaters is now being glorified and mainstreamed by today's "pornified" culture.
"There's an idea that pornography is cool and that it's perfectly normal for men to look at pornography -- that they are biologically programmed to want to look at pornography," Paul says.
And, she notes, women have been "a serious target of this message in that they are told pornography is a guy thing, and that it's not their right to complain."
In fact, Paul says, the mainstreaming of pornography has taught a generation of women to believe that porn is for the independent and liberated. But that idea could not be more wrong, she asserts, because in reality porn victimizes women, poisons men, and causes children to grow up too fast.
In her book, Pornified, Paul assembles a compilation of surveys and other research as well as anecdotal evidence of the problems porn causes. Of particular concern, she points out, are stories of young children and teens accessing pornography from school computers.
The Time magazine feature writer says it is "very disturbing" that researchers are not exactly sure how exposure to porn is going to affect children down the road. "But it's clear that kids develop sexually during adolescence," she adds, "and they learn what their sexual cues are -- what's exciting, what's appealing" to them.
"If kids are looking at hardcore pornography online and learning that this is what's normal and that this is what is supposed to be exciting and this is what they're supposed to aspire to, they're learning a very scary lesson," Paul says. And her own research indicates that the damage caused by youngsters' exposure to porn could be both extensive and long term.
In a survey the author conducted herself, the overwhelming majority of respondents cited a long list of negative effects from pornography use, including poor relationship skills and serious trust and loyalty issues. Responses also indicated that porn can lead to negative body image issues in women and can distract men from their partners, detract from their sexual skills, and damage their relationships.
Paul contends that pornography is obviously a poison and that it has unfortunately seeped into many people's everyday lives. She hopes her book will help dispel contemporary society's misconceptions that pornography is in any way normal, hip or harmless.
What benefit? Is eating cherry-flavored poison beneficial?
The purpose of the reproductive system isn't self-gratification but... (drumroll please)... reproduction. The purpose of reproduction is the continuation of society. And children are best prepared for life in society when they are raised by their natural parents. So sexual intercourse is intended for the unity of husband and wife and the creation of children.
Porn can be a source
of good. Men and women learn
new techniques to share
their love. People learn
their "quirks" are shared by many.
And, almost all porn
is non-violent
to an extreme. And women
typically take charge.
Mainstream porn, that is.
I wouldn't call it great stuff,
but it's not evil.
Pornography much like homosexuality is best left to discretion.
Quiet
How come you didn't.
use colors?! They look more nuts
than just SIZE and bold!
If people stopped murdering people the entire murder problem would dry up and blow away...
We can't criminalize everything that's intrinsically evil, but there's little downside to criminalizing porn. The worst that would happen is that it would go back underground, where it belongs.
She was right. Look into the history of Playboy. Except for perhaps Kinsey and Freud, no one was more responsible for changing societal norms regarding pornography.
And shooting at passing cars can teach good marksmanship.
See Isaiah 5:20
Opinions don't matter. What matters is what's true.
We observe in the world around us that children are best raised by their natural and united parents. Intercourse serves to unite parents.
When couples watch strangers engage in sexual acts their sexual desires are directed at others, and not at each other.
Others have posted above examples of the corrosive effect of pornography on couples' unity.
One could argue, I guess, that those romance/softcore novels written for women by women ought to be criminalized as well. At least in some individual women, they might foster an over-active fantasy life and create unrealistic expectations with respect to sexual relations between real men and women.
If men should really read these books, can we assert that women should really view male-targeted porn to get a clue about what men want?
To a certain degree, yes, I think lots of women can look at porn and get an idea of what men like (no hassles or emotions, bj's and big boobs).
The biggest difference to me between men and women is that, a man will always get his orgasm.
Again, one of my reasons for (JOKINGLY) thinking that men and women need to live on different continents.
HUH? WHA? No I don't suppose that...so what? But actually your conscience is telling you that cars and chainsaws are dangerous and if you would feel guilty if you did not warn your children not to operate them.
Let me try again. If you like to watch porn but you would not want your children to watch it or to know that YOU watch it OR if you would not want YOUR children to grow up to be porn stars, then it follows that you KNOW there is something wrong with watching porn or performing porn and that you really should not be doing it. Unless of course your conscience is DEAD or you are lying to yourself that it's just a little porn and never hurt anybody. (Well that girl or guy on screen is somebody's daughter or son, but thank God not YOURS because you would not want your kid to be doing the very sleezy thing that you LIKE to watch.
And this is one way in which someone, who is HONEST with him or her self could come to the truth of the matter. Pornograpy is an affront to human dignity. It cheapens everybody involved in it.
I think this is lame. I stole a $100.00 but I could have stolen $1000.00. Oh well I am not going to pontificate anymore. I've had my say.
Wait just a minute there, are you trying to tell me that when my wife walks in on me having sex with another woman, she won't strip off her clothes and join in??? Damn, there go my plans for Saturday night...
LOL!
Only if your plans for Saturday night are picking buckshot out of your backside ;)
Ping
Jimmy Carter :^)
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