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Senators Get an Earful on Destructive Nature of Porn
Agape Press ^ | 11/11/05 | Bill Fancher

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 109th; internet; moralabsolutes; porn; pornography; senate
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To: Torie
Well, a lot of statisticians are spinning their wheels then, if it is all worthless. Why bother with it at all?

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.

161 posted on 11/12/2005 4:46:14 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: laredo44
I couldn't care less where you picked it up. I just find it interesting how eager you appear to be to spread that which you condemn.

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!)

162 posted on 11/12/2005 4:49:14 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (http://soapboxharry.blogspot.com/)
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To: Larry Lucido

LOL!


163 posted on 11/12/2005 4:50:18 PM PST by ConservativeMan55 (DON'T FIRE UNTIL YOU SEE THE WHITES OF THE CURTAINS THEY ARE WEARING ON THEIR HEADS !)
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To: laredo44
You are way too into porn

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.

164 posted on 11/12/2005 4:55:31 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (http://soapboxharry.blogspot.com/)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood
The problem is that men need to be men, not the feminized, doped up, homosexualized porn freaks who can't get a real woman to mate with them.

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.

165 posted on 11/12/2005 4:57:26 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood

EXACTLY!


166 posted on 11/12/2005 4:59:24 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (http://soapboxharry.blogspot.com/)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
Libertarian: Alignment of ones self with perversion and evil in the name of liberty.. (excuse me while I puke!)

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 :-)

167 posted on 11/12/2005 5:03:12 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: AntiGuv
if you review your history, the closer that society gets to a 'state of nature' the less likely men are to have anything whatsoever to do with their children, or even to acknowledge them.

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

168 posted on 11/12/2005 5:05:27 PM PST by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
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To: dfrussell

One thing I learned from wearing the uniform is being able to determine who the enemy is...

I wasn't taliking to you, bootcamp...


169 posted on 11/12/2005 5:09:48 PM PST by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
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To: dfrussell
Creatures such as yourself, who (feebly) attempt to attack those of us who speak out against moral insanity, do nothing except show the level to which you have sunk in your own personal morals and ethics.

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.

170 posted on 11/12/2005 5:10:37 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (http://soapboxharry.blogspot.com/)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood
I was talking about manhood, something most of the liberaltarian crowd has lost sight of

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.

171 posted on 11/12/2005 5:10:57 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
Tyrant: One who identifies those activities that constitute liberty, a.k.a., you.

How exactly do you differ from the Taliban?

172 posted on 11/12/2005 5:11:24 PM PST by laredo44 (Liberty is not the problem)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K

Some of these RINO types are just so unmanly, aren't they?


173 posted on 11/12/2005 5:11:44 PM PST by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood
If you revise your history, you might believe that crap...

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.

174 posted on 11/12/2005 5:12:12 PM PST by AntiGuv (™)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood
One thing I learned from wearing the uniform is being able to determine who the enemy is...

LOL... "the uniform" so, which one of the Village people do you like to dress up as?

175 posted on 11/12/2005 5:13:04 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood

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.


176 posted on 11/12/2005 5:14:35 PM PST by AntiGuv (™)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
Or telling a preacher "You are way too into sin"

DHY2K: Thou shalt not fornicate.

Husband: Preacher, what do you mean, fornicate?

DHY2K: Where's your wife> I'll show you.

177 posted on 11/12/2005 5:15:06 PM PST by laredo44 (Liberty is not the problem)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
Creatures such as yourself, who (feebly) attempt to attack those of us who speak out against moral insanity, do nothing except show the level to which you have sunk in your own personal morals and ethics.

LOL... you know absolutely nothing about me except that I think you're too tightly wrapped.

I'd say I have considerable company :)

178 posted on 11/12/2005 5:16:36 PM PST by dfrussell
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To: DirtyHarryY2K
My effort is to stand up for decency, morality...

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?

179 posted on 11/12/2005 5:16:40 PM PST by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood
Some of these RINO types are just so unmanly, aren't they?

LOL... :-)

Dude, you're chatting him up way to much... he's ready to check out your manly texan chaps :>)

180 posted on 11/12/2005 5:19:39 PM PST by dfrussell
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