Posted on 11/11/2005 7:16:29 PM PST by wagglebee
(AgapePress) - Women and children aren't the only victims of pornography. That's what one witness told a Senate hearing on Thursday (Nov. 10) that examined the impact of pornography on America and the options for dealing with it. The Senate panel also heard about the negative trends in society resulting from Internet porn.
The issue before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution was "Why the Government Should Care About Pornography." Among those testifying before the subcommittee was the author of the book Pornified and a sociologist from Utah who is an expert in the area of Internet porn.
Pamela Paul's book offers a compilation of surveys and other research as well as anecdotal evidence of the problems porn causes. Of particular concern, she points out in the book, are stories of young children and teens accessing pornography from school computers. But Paul told the Senate subcommittee that men are also victims of the scourge of pornography.
"Men told me they found themselves wasting countless hours looking at pornography on their televisions and DVDs -- and especially online," the author stated. "They looked at things they would have once considered appalling."
According to Paul, it also affected how those men viewed women in general. "They found the way they looked at women in real life warping to fit their fantasies," she said. "Their relationships soured; they had trouble relating to women as individual human beings. They worried about the way they saw their daughters and girls their daughters' age."
In addition, said the author, those men's lives were interrupted, their hobbies tossed aside, and their family lives disrupted. The result was a high price paid by families, she said. "Some men even lost jobs, wives, and children."
Ms. Paul told the subcommittee that her surveys found that 60 percent of women feel pornography dictates how men expect them to look and act in today's culture -- and that more than 11 million teens regularly view porn online. The effects, she said, are far-reaching.
"It is terrible enough that adults are suffering the consequences of a 'pornified' culture," she said, "but we must think about the kind of world we are introducing to our children. Certainly everyone -- liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans -- can agree with the statement" 'It wasn't like this when we were kids.'"
Researcher Jill Manning of Brigham Young University, who also is a fellow with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, outlined for the senators her research showing six negative trends taking place in the U.S. as a result of exposure to Internet porn.
"Increased marital distress and risk of separation and divorce. Decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Infidelity. Increased appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity associated with abusive, illegal, and unsafe practices."
She continued: "Devaluation of monogamy, marriage, and child-rearing. An increasing number of people struggling with compulsive and addictive sexual behavior."
Manning said the trends are getting worse. Both she and Ms. Paul urged Congress to take action to eliminate the exposure of pornography on the worldwide web.
I didn't say statistics were worthless, I said they couldn't be used to "prove" anything... even if there is a *very* high correlation.
Also, statistics are routinely used to intentionally mislead people -- like polls -- except more so.
It so much nicer to be able to say there was a 200% increase in the number of in the US in 2005 than saying we had two last year rather than one.
How is using a crime scene as evidence "spreading crime"??
it's about liberty but you wouldn't understand that.
Man, you sound just like the homo advocates, any excuse you can fathom.
Libertarian: Alignment of ones self with perversion and evil in the name of liberty.. (excuse me while I puke!)
LOL!
Thats like telling a policeman or detective "You are way too into crime"
Or telling a preacher "You are way too into sin"
Pathetic lame attempt to shame all opposition into silence, same stratagem implemented by the gaystoppo.
You talk way too much to really have a pair...
Either you're an agent provocateur or a PW'd accountant living out a "Texan" fantasy on the internet.
EXACTLY!
Yes, I know a lot of people are upset because libertarians don't support marginalizing someone because of their religious beliefs, but do try to get over it :-)
If you review revise your history, you might believe that crap...
I never said anything about fatherhood, I was talking about manhood, something most of the liberaltarian crowd has lost sight of
One thing I learned from wearing the uniform is being able to determine who the enemy is...
I wasn't taliking to you, bootcamp...
My effort is to stand up for decency, morality and ethical standards, and I do so simply by providing the reality of truth, ethics and the morals which founded this country.
If you are adverse to these morals, I recommend you move to a more "liberal" locale, such as France, Netherlands, Norway, or Sweden. I'm told that their Socialistic permissive governments are quite willing to tolerate the various psychosis inherent in both sexual psychotics and the morally insane lower forms of life which grant them credence.
ROTFLMAOWTIME :-)
It doesn't take a pair of stones to talk like an idiot... generally a room temperature IQ and a lot of not so latent hostility will do the trick.
How exactly do you differ from the Taliban?
Some of these RINO types are just so unmanly, aren't they?
Don't be a fool. Based on that comment alone, I've probably forgotten more history than you've even glanced at.
I never said anything about fatherhood,
Yeah you did.
Men are supposed to protect their children with a viciousness greater than that of an animal.
I hate to break it to you, but that's most definitely and undeniably you saying something about fatherhood.
And most male animals would viciously eat their children before they'd viciously protect them, so I guess in that sense you're right.
LOL... "the uniform" so, which one of the Village people do you like to dress up as?
Here's a tip: go get yourself some pets. Any pets. Aside from the fact that you obviously need companionship, if you have them bear some young you can observe how 'viciously' the males 'protect' the young, and then kindly report back to us all.
DHY2K: Thou shalt not fornicate.
Husband: Preacher, what do you mean, fornicate?
DHY2K: Where's your wife> I'll show you.
LOL... you know absolutely nothing about me except that I think you're too tightly wrapped.
I'd say I have considerable company :)
Morality and all those ideals related to it is from a belief some higher power defines what is correct for human behavior. So, you say you stand for God or some supreme Creator like the Declaration of Independence says?
What are rights? Where are the rights enumerated in the Constitution derived from?
You cannot answer that?
LOL... :-)
Dude, you're chatting him up way to much... he's ready to check out your manly texan chaps :>)
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