A Concerned Citizen Wrote Us
POSSIBLE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY IN SOCIETY
A Concerned Citizen Wrote Us
POSSIBLE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY IN SOCIETY
Why do so many people care about this issue? Because pornography is more just than arts, or freedom of sexual expression, or the liberation of women. In fact, its potential harmful affects on society have been ignored because it is as terrifying to mention as death in everyday life. Father Paul Murphy, Morality in Media's late president warned, "too many decent grassroots Americans have been drifting and dreaming while a monster has grown in our midst."
In reviewing the literature on the affects of pornography, there is a variety of evidence suggesting risk and the possibility of harm. "In over 90% of my patients, regardless of what the original initiating causes were-pornography may act as a facilitator... to their sexual addiction and illness," says Doctor Victor B. Cline, a psychotherapist specializing in family/marital counseling and sexual addictions at the University of Berkley. According to him, once involved, the porn-consumers kept coming back for more and still more. The material seemed to provide a very powerful sexual desire followed by sexual release, most often through masturbation. The use of pornography by its very nature isolates individuals-making them more intent on satisfying selfish needs. Once addicted, they could not throw off their dependence on the material by themselves despite many negative consequences such as divorce, and problems with the law. Being immersed in their fantasies, they tend to have an increasing sense that "everybody does it" and this gave them permission to also do it, even though the activity was possibly illegal and contrary to their previous moral beliefs. Afterwards, "they tend to act out sexually the behaviors viewed in the pornography, including compulsive promiscuity, exhibitionism, having sex with minor children, rape, and inflicting pain on themselves or a partner during sex," said Dr. Cline. This behavior grew into sexual addiction, which they found themselves locked into-no matter what the negative consequences were in their life.
The largest problem with pornography is its ability to control the user. "It is difficult for non-addicts to comprehend the totally driven nature of a sex addict," Dr. Cline added, "their addiction virtually rules their lives." An example comes from Gary Bishop, convicted homosexual pedophile who murdered five young boys in Salt Lake City, Utah, in order to conceal his sexual abuse of them. He wrote in a letter after his conviction: "Pornography was a determining factor in my downfall… For me, seeing pornography was lighting a fuse on a stick of dynamite… My conscience was desensitized and my sexual appetite entirely controlled my actions." Further research also indicates that violence can come from those who are vulnerable to pornography. Kelvin who had heavy use of pornography in an interview conducted by journalist Robert Jensen admitted "one that sticks out in my mind right now was really violent. There was pistol whipping and a man chained this woman … like a dog in a doghouse... and then have sex with her from behind." In his Kingston study, Marshal found that pornography could play a number of roles in sexual offences. In some cases, men told him that they looked at pornography with the intention only of masturbating, but then became aroused and decided to go out and assault a woman or a child.
These are vicious beyond the users of pornography. Experts estimate that as many as one in three girls and one in seven boys will be sexually molested before age eighteen. In the United States, pornography is the third largest money-maker for organized crime - after drugs and gambling - an $8 - 10 billion per year enterprise. In response to the FBI's questions on the subject, 81 percent of serial killers surveyed said that hard-core pornography was their highest sexual interest. According to the report from Dr. William Marshall, Report on the use of Pornography by Sexual Offenders, 57percent of serial rapists studied admitted to imitating scenes found in pornography. A Michigan state police study of 38,000 rapes concluded that pornography was used prior to or during the commission of the rape in 41 percent of all sexual assault cases.
Some advocates of porn industries say that viewing pornography would help to improve their sex lives. However, research proves that they are wrong. In fact, pornography can cause disturbance in family life and decrease sexual satisfaction within marriage. "In my clinical experience, the major consequence of being addicted to pornography is the disturbance of the fragile bonds of intimate family and marital relationships," says Dr. Cline. He added "I have had a number of couple-clients where the wife tearfully reported that her husband preferred to masturbate to pornography than to make love to her." Betty Wein, an editor of Morality in Media " shared her experience: "it is not uncommon to receive a distressed phone call from a woman whose marriage has gone sour due to her husband's porn addiction." She further stated that "we also hear from the addicted men themselves-tortured souls seeking help after the destruction of their marriage and loss of their children." As Dr. Jennings Bryant noted, "if the values which permeate the content of most hardcore pornography are examined have been espoused in the value systems of most civilized cultures. Forget trust. Forget family. Forget love. Forget marriage. Here, in the world of ultimate physical hedonism, anything goes." This is a real danger to the happiness of family life where a husband, for example, feels that his partner can be disposed of when he is no longer satisfied. Additionally empirical research suggests that when the experimental subjects are exposed to repeated presentations of pornography over a six-week period, "they devalue the importance of monogamy and lack confidence in marriage as a lasting institution." In a study by Mills College sociologist Diana Russell, it was found that viewing pornography would intensify the "rape myth", (that most women really enjoy having sex forced upon them) and the men were inclined to act out their fantasies. She found that when both the fantasies were acted out, they led to considerable conflict and suffering particularly in sexual relationships with their intimate partners.
The victims of pornography are all around us, in a child's lost innocence, a woman's lost security and privacy, and a man's lost self-control. The women who "perform" in hard-core pornography are also victims; many are teen-age runaways, drug abusers, and victims of sexual molestation. If one saw the pornographic film Deep Throat, he would be surprised to realize that Linda Marchiano, who appeared as Linda Lovelace in the film, was "kidnapped" and forced to participate in the movie. From testimony before the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, she described being coerced in to participating by means of mental abuse, beatings, and threats against herself and her family. "I was a victim of pornography"; that's how she concluded her story.
Reflecting the pathological side of human natures, hardcore pornography features sadomasochism, incest, bestiality, group sex, bisexuality, necrophilia and other aberrations. Pornography, to be sure, has become more sick and violent. Ultimately, it destroys all human qualities from one who becomes addicted to it. An example is the loss of compassion towards women expressed by Craig, a rapist and porn addicted in an interview. "They were made for sex and that's all. Use them and throw them away," he said. Another example is from Thomas Schiro, who was convicted of the rape and murder of a 28-year-old woman, unsuccessfully raised the defense "pornography made me do it." An expert in the case testified that continual exposure to hard-core pornography creates "a person who no longer distinguishes between violence and rape, or violence and sex." To inform his people about the invasion of pornography in their daily living, Pope John Paul II warned his flock, "by reducing the body to an instrument for the g ratification of the senses, pornography frustrates authentic moral growth and undermines the development of mature and healthy relationships."
If society allows pornography to flourish, young teenagers today think it is "OKAY" to hold a girl down and force her to have intercourse. When did the moral values of this society deteriorate to such a low level? When a young boy has easy access and constant exposure to such materials, the causal affects of such exposure of his mind helps him to formulate theories that support the above situation. The consequences can be seen in newspaper headlines like "Boy in rape case: Imitating video/10-year-old is held in detention home," or "Boy, 11, Who Raped 5-Year-Old Says He Copied Cable TV." Already today youth have been misguided by the depiction of eye-catching pictures that contain a "harmful message," but as vulnerable and inexperienced as they are, the risk is extremely high. In a study reported to the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography by Dr. Bryant, 600 American males and females of high school age and above were interviewed about their "out of real life involvement with pornography." He fo und that 91% of the males and 82% of the females admitted having been exposed to X-rated, hard-core pornography. Two-thirds of the males and 40% of the females reported wanting to try out some of the behaviors they had witnessed. And, among high school students, 31% of males and 18% of the females admitted doing some of the things sexually they had seen in the pornography within a few days after exposure. This clearly suggests the "modeling-affect or imitative-learning affect, as well as 'triggering affect,' that pornography has on human sexual behavior in some individuals," concluded Dr. Bryant.
Whether pornography has any significant affects on consumers remains no longer a mystery. However, some of the "experts" who publicly insist that pornography has no affects are just unaware of the research and studies suggesting harm. Others really do not believe what they are asserting. In some cases, they are pretending not to know because of their concern over what they falsely believe is the loss of First Amendment rights. Some fear that the tyranny of a moralist minority might take away their rights to use pornography, and then later take away free speech and expression. Some themselves are sex addicts with a hidden agenda behind their public posturing. These are kinds of people who are afraid to look at the evidences for fear that they are responsible. If we don't start now to act now, and continue to ignore the seriousness of this matter, we are unconsciously contributing to the corruption of society and of our children's future.
The Concerned Citizen (C.C.) replied:
The answer to your question is "yes." This is my mid-term research
argumentative essay for my English class.
Our conversation continues:
I'm sorry for the delay in responding...
but, I've been considering your project.
And, it seems as though there may be a flaw in the philosophy.
If you are interested in going through a review process, we are willing to help with the experiment.
C. C. said:
As a writer, nothing is as encouraging as having suggestions to improve
my writing. I am very glad to hear from you and wish to go through
the review process with you.
The Membrane Domain talked amongst themselves and said:
After conducting a little investigation,
we've come up with some paths for
you to explore.
Do you know what "Informal Fallacies" are?
There is a type of informal fallacy known as "Converse Accident."
I suggest that you investigate what a converse accident is... and see if you can figure out how it applies to your paper.
If you can figure out the more common name for a converse accident, the rest should be easy.
Without much of a delay, C. C. came back with:
I think I found the problem with my paper.
Converse Accident Definition: An exception to a generalization is applied to cases where the generalization should apply.
So I think that the problem with my paper is I assume that -- if sexually addicted individuals who are under severe consequence are adversely affected by using pornography, then everyone must be affected by pornography as well (bad side).
This generalization may weaken my stand on the issue.
I'd like to know the next step to be taken in this "experimenting" process?
The crowd roared:
Very good!
That is correct... you made what is known as a
"hasty generalization"
In your case, it appears as thought you studied "sick" individuals and applied the results to a healthy population.
From here we can go one of many ways....
We'd suggest publishing these interactions (either anonymously or with your name.) And then, set-up an area for people to write to us... a form... where we ask them for specific input.